General to lawmakers: No grumbling in AFP amid political spat

AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Lt. General Jimmy Larida faces his confirmation hearing before the Commission on Appointments’ committee on national defense on Nov. 27, 2024. (Photo from the CA’s YouTube channel)

MANILA, Philippines — There is no grumbling in the military despite the political bickering involving the two top officials of the country, a ranking official told lawmakers on Wednesday.

“Meron bang mga grumblings sa military ngayon because of the recent events?” Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada asked this question point-blank on Wednesday.

“Hundred percent none, sir,” Lt. General Jimmy Larida, deputy chief of staff for operations of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), answered during the hearing of the Commission on Appointments (CA) committee on national defense.

Larida was one of the 22 AFP officers who faced the CA’s confirmation hearing.

“You have to be loyal to the Constitution, correct?” Estrada asked again, to which Larida answered yes.

Though he did not mention any particular issue, Estrada’s questioning followed former President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent call for the military to address the “fractured governance” in the country.

“Nobody can correct Marcos. Nobody can correct Romualdez. There is no urgent remedy. It is only the military who can correct it,” Duterte said at a press briefing on Monday.

He was referring to President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., and his cousin, House Speaker Martin Romualdez.

“Until when will you support an addict president? I challenge the whole military because they’re supposed to be the protectors of the Constitution,” the former leader added.

For Justice Undersecretary Jesse Andres,  Duterte’s call to the military “is bordering on sedition and is legally actionable.”

Vice President Sara Duterte, however, agreed with her father’s observation against the Marcos government.

The vice president herself has publicly threatened to have Marcos, his wife Liza and Romualdez assassinated should she be killed.