Foreign-funded destabilization is an act of treachery, says Palace

MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang warned on Thursday that any act of destabilization, if proven to be funded by foreign groups, could be considered treason.

The remarks were made in response to speculation from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that the protest action over the weekend, led by military retirees, may have been foreign-funded. The organizers have already denied this accusation.

READ: AFP suspects Edsa rally could have been funded by foreign groups

“As of this moment, the AFP leadership has told us that they are continuously checking and closely coordinating with the PNP [Philippine National Police] regarding this,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said at a briefing.

“At kung ito man ay may katotohanan, kapwa Pilipino kung, again, kung may katotohanan at makikita po sa kanilang pag-iimbestiga na foreign funded itong kanilang isinasagawang rally masasabi po nating ito ay pagtataksil sa bayan,” she continued.

(And if this is proven to be true, fellow Filipinos, if, again, it turns out to be true and their investigation shows that the rally they are conducting is foreign-funded, we can say that this is an act of treachery against the nation.)

On Tuesday, Acting AFP spokesperson Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad noted the “unusual support system” of the United People’s Initiative (UPI) rally held over the weekend. The UPI is a group composed mainly of retired military and police officials.

“We are checking all possible leads, especially when it comes to funding, if these were done by domestic or maybe, even—for all we know—foreign groups,” he said in a military press conference.

Retired Maj. Gen. Romeo Poquiz, founder and lead convenor of UPI, was quick to dismiss the accusations.

“What foreign funding? We can’t even feed everyone who attended our rally,” he said in a social media post. /cb