AFP denies reported coup plans before Sept. 21

Armed Forces of the Philippines Public Affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad —FILE PHOTO BY JOHN ERIC MENDOZA/INQUIRER.NET

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Thursday denied that there were plans to unseat President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

AFP Public Affairs chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad made the statement as reports emerged of an attempt to unseat Marcos and install Vice President Sara Duterte, with ex-military officers leading demonstrations at Camp Aguinaldo on September 21, calling for the chief executive’s resignation.

Trinidad said the military “rejects malicious narratives about supposed plans to unseat the President or launch destabilization efforts.”

“These claims are baseless, unfounded, and far removed from reality,” Trinidad said in a statement.

READ: AFP chief: No coup under my watch

He also asserted the military remains “a professional and disciplined force, with the chain of command intact and united.”

“Efforts to link the AFP to intrigue are nothing more than attempts to sow division, cast doubt on our leadership, and derail the President’s fight against corruption,” he further said.

In his Substack account, Pulitzer Prize awardee journalist Manny Mogato on Wednesday reported that “there were rumors swirling of an attempt to unseat” Marcos weeks before the massive anti-corruption protest on Sept. 21.

The report, citing an unnamed source, further said that “a large Christian-denomination sect had met with a top Army commander days before the protest” to convince the official to move against Marcos.

Furthermore, the report’s source stated that the church leader wanted Duterte to take over once Marcos is removed, a proposal that the Army commander rejected in favor of a revolutionary government consisting of a 30-member civilian-military junta.

Trinidad, however, reiterated the AFP’s role is “to defend our democratic institutions, not to arbitrate political disputes.”

“Our loyalty does not rest on politics or personalities, but firmly on the Constitution, the Republic, and the Filipino people,” he said. “The AFP assures the Filipino people that we will remain steadfast in our constitutional mandate—a force of principle and discipline, loyal to the flag, the Constitution, and the Republic.”

The demonstrations of United People’s Initiative, a broad coalition which includes retired military officers, outside AFP headquarters, was part of the simultaneous protests on Sunday sparked by a major corruption scandal involving flood control infrastructure that has prompted ongoing Senate hearings and the formation of an independent commission to investigate the suspected collusion between lawmakers, government officials, and contractors to embezzle billions of pesos from the country’s coffers.

In his Inquirer column on Tuesday, AFP chief General Romeo Brawner Jr., expressed fears that “we might again reach a point where soldiers turned on each other because of politics.”

“What I witnessed proved those fears unfounded,” Brawner said.

“Despite the anger and calls for us to intervene, the AFP did not fracture. Not a single soldier raised arms against another,” he also wrote in his column expressing AFP’s position on September 21 protests.

READ: A force of principle and discipline: The AFP’s stand on September 21 protests

The Sept. 21 protest coincided with the same date as when late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr. declared Martial Law in 1972.

Marcos Sr.’s 21-year rule ended during the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution, with the group of military officers under the Reform the Armed Forces Movement playing a pivotal role.

Since the restoration of the country’s democracy, more than 10 coup attempts took place between 1986 and 2006 under three administrations: Nine during the term of President Corazon Aquino, once during the administration of President Joseph Estrada, and once during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. /das