President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. retains full confidence in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) despite reports linking active-duty soldiers as persons of interest in a supposed plot against his life, Malacañang clarified on Thursday, July 23.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro stated that the administration is not pursuing a military-wide loyalty check, reiterating that the Chief Executive’s faith in the armed services remains steadfast.
”So, ngayon ay nandoon pa rin po ang tiwala ng Pangulo sa ating mga kasundaluhan. Kung mayroon mang mga magiging tiwalag sa kanilang mandato, dapat malaman kung sino ang mga ito para rin sa proteksyon ng Pangulo,” Castro said during a Palace briefing.
While noting that the President trusts the institution as a whole, Castro stressed the importance of exposing any rogue members who breach their oath to serve private motives.
”Again, inuulit po natin, iyong tiwala ng Pangulo ay nandoon pa rin po sa ating mga kasundaluhan. Iyong mga balak na tumiwalag para proteksyunan, ipaglaban ang interes ng isang tao laban sa batas, laban sa Konstitusyon, dapat pong malaman kung sinu-sino,” Castro added.
When asked if the recent findings would trigger internal vetting, the Palace official dismissed the idea, explaining that Marcos already knows where his trust belongs.
”Sa ngayon po kasi ay alam ng Pangulo kung sino ang mga kailangang mapagkatiwalaan. Hindi po ngayon nagkakaroon ng loyalty check, nasa security na po iyan at nasa pamumuno na po iyan ng kasundaluhan,” the Palace official said.
Castro added that while she could not verify if the Chief Executive was personally briefed on the report, the intelligence was “definitely” turned over to the President’s security detail for necessary evaluation.