AFP official: No truth to coup rumors

There’s no truth to the rumors of a coup d’etat in the military despite dissenting views on the termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said on Thursday.

“We will not join such an activity because the mandate of the AFP is clear: to protect our people and to secure the state,” the official said in a radio interview.

Arevalo said it was “normal” for some soldiers to voice their personal opinion on an issue but that, “as an institution, [the AFP is] a professional organization. We may disagree with our commanders but, at the end of the day, it is very clear to us that we speak with one voice, follow the chain of command and obey the duly constituted authority,” he said.

“It is clear to us that politics should be left to the politicians [so] we do not meddle in external affairs which is the job of the Department of Foreign Affairs,” Arevalo said.