PNP chief General Benjamin Acorda Jr | PHOTO: Official facebook page of PGen. Benjamin Acorda Jr.
While he has dismissed rumors of the police and military plotting a coup, Philippine National Police chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. told his men to learn from mistakes of the past and never again to venture into military adventurism.
Acorda emphasized unity among the 232,000-strong police personnel during the the annual courtesy call of PNP officials in Camp Crame on Wednesday.
Journalists were barred from covering the event, but the PNP gave a copy of Acorda’s speech on Thursday, the first time that Acorda faced the press since the start of the year. He mentioned “unity” (and its derivatives) nine times in his six-page address.
READ: PNP: Calls for President’s resignation, destabilization plot are all lies
He asked them to learn from the past mistakes, particularly the 1989 coup attempt to overthrow former President Corazon Aquino.
Organized by members of the AFP belonging to the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) and soldiers loyal to former President Ferdinand Marcos, it was considered the bloodiest mutiny with 99 killed, including 50 civilians, and more than 500 wounded.
“Never again should a soldier or a brother point his rifle to another brother or soldier,” he said. “We learn from history. We know that we had been used for some political ends. Three months is just a short period of time, and all I want to leave in your hearts is unity.”
“I am urging you again, we must always uphold the rule of law and be united—if only to keep our country, to keep our republic, to keep our democracy moving to development. We have accomplished so much. I hope that we avoid [military] adventurism,” Acorda told the PNP officials.
Cyberlibel suit still on
Meanwhile, Acorda said he would not withdraw the cyberlibel complaint he filed against a retired army general and will pursue charges against online content creators who maliciously tagged him as among the conspirators in the alleged destabilization plot to unseat President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
“I will leave it to the prosecutors and court whatever decision they will make, if they find that there is really a crime committed. Because us in the police cannot file an affidavit of desistance [to withdraw the complaint],” he told reporters.
Both the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines had denied such coup talks in their circles and assured loyalty to the current Commander in Chief.
Acorda for his part is especially thankful to Marcos, a fellow Ilocano. The 29th PNP chief was supposed to bow out of service on Dec. 3, 2023, after reaching the compulsory retirement age of 56. But the President extended his term for three more months until March 31.