A PHILIPPINE military official on Tuesday dismissed rumors of a brewing coup, saying that troops would not participate in any attempt to overthrow President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.
Reports of a possible military coup against Mr. Marcos on Sept. 21 circulated on social media as thousands of Filipinos took to the streets in the biggest protest in years over the multibillion-peso flood control scandal.
“These movements… [and] claims that there’s some kind of plot are clearly unfounded,” Philippine military spokeswoman Francel Margareth A. Padilla told a news briefing in Filipino. “There’s no truth to them.”
“The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) remains intact, professional and disciplined,” she added.
The Southeast Asian nation is no stranger to coup attempts, having seen more than a dozen military mutinies since the restoration of democracy in 1986, after the late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr. was overthrown by a popular street uprising.
The last serious attempt to unseat a civilian government was in 2006, during the presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, but it was foiled by state security forces and led to the arrest of several military and police officials. A week-long national state of emergency was declared to quell the uprising.
Each succeeding President has seen the threat of a coup by disgruntled troops, with the government of ex-President Rodrigo R. Duterte having to deal with alleged plots to unseat him during his 2016-2022 presidency.
Ms. Padilla said the Philippine military remains neutral and won’t meddle with political matters, underscoring that it is now a “professional organization” and would shun calls for a coup amid the deepening flood control scandal.
The President faces mounting pressure as his administration is rocked by an unfolding scandal involving substandard, incomplete or nonexistent infrastructure in a country regularly battered by flooding.
Reports of irregularities in infrastructure contracts have fueled public outrage after a series of typhoons and monsoon rains earlier this year left Metro Manila and nearby provinces flooded despite extensive flood control projects.
The controversy stems from Mr. Marcos’ revelation in August that more than 6,000 flood control projects launched since 2022 lacked key details. About P545 billion has been allocated for flood control since then, with P100 billion cornered by top contractors.
“Politically motivated distractions are like static on a radio,” Ms. Padilla said. “They make noise, but they don’t actually change the signal. Our focus is locked on our mission, and that is to protect the people and secure the state,” she added. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio
