AFP slams Paolo Duterte over misleading take on chief’s missile remarks
FILE PHOTO: Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte | PHOTO: Official Facebook page of City Government of Davao
MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday refuted what it called “misleading interpretation” of statements made by AFP chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. involving the temporary development of the US’ Typhon missile system in the country.
The AFP said this after Davao Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte accused Brawner of allegedly boasting about the missile system’s capability to reach China.
Duterte also accused Brawner of “gambling” with the lives of Filipinos while being in cahoots with the US.
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“General Brawner merely stated a technical fact about the system’s range and clarified that its presence is for training and capability-building purposes—part of the AFP’s ongoing modernization efforts to strengthen national defense,” the AFP said in a statement.
“Any insinuation that the AFP or its leadership serves foreign interests is false and undermines the integrity, professionalism, and patriotism of the institution and its members who continue to defend our sovereignty,” it added.
The AFP also denied Duterte’s “false” claim of US ties, saying it undermines the military’s integrity and patriotism.
It then emphasized that all defense initiatives and partnerships are conducted in line with the Philippines’ independent foreign policy and sovereign prerogative.
“We urge all public officials and opinion leaders to exercise prudence and responsibility in their statements to avoid fueling misinformation or distrust toward our Armed Forces,” the AFP said.
“The AFP remains steadfast in its duty to protect the Filipino people and defend the nation’s sovereignty—serving no one but the Filipino, and protecting nothing but the Philippines,” it added.
It was during a press conference when Brawner talked about the capabilities of the US’ typhon missiles, specifically, when he was asked why China kept protesting against it.
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His exact words were: “These are what we call medium-range capabilities, meaning that once these missiles are launched, they can reach the mainland and even their artificial islands — that’s why they’re afraid,” said Brawner in Filipino in response to the question.
While Brawner did elaborate on the capabilities of the missile system, he clarified that it was not being used to target nor threaten any specific country like China.
“For our part, foreign powers should not interfere with our actions. We are enhancing the AFP to defend the nation against any country that might attempt to invade or seize our territory. This is not specifically directed at China; rather, it is an effort to strengthen our own Armed Forces,” he said in Filipino.
“These missile systems are here for training purposes, so that by the time we acquire these capabilities, we will be ready to operate them,” he further stated. /jpv
