AFP ON RED ALERT AMID PROTESTS VS CORRUPTION

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is on red alert status amid protests being conducted against the alleged corruption in the country.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla, in a radio interview on Sunday, said all units are on standby to support the Philippine National Police (PNP), which has the primary mandate to ensure peace and order during mass actions.

Padilla said the AFP respects the right of citizens to peaceably assemble and express their views.

This as progressive groups have been holding demonstrations to protest anomalies in flood control projects. 

Last Thursday, hundreds of demonstrators gathered at the EDSA Shrine for a rally questioning the alleged corruption in flood control projects.

Students and faculty members from the University of the Philippines (UP) the following day staged a “black Friday” walkout to protest corruption and budget cuts in the education sector.

On Saturday, protesters marched from the EDSA Shrine in Ortigas to the People Power Monument in Quezon City slamming the alleged corruption in government infrastructure projectures, particularly flood control.“

“Lahat po ng units ng Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas have been placed na po on red alert status… This is simply to ensure po ‘yung readiness and support po natin sa Philippine National Police,” Padilla said.

The administration is now conducting an investigation into the alleged anomalies in flood control projects following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July.

Padilla explained that a red alert requires more personnel to be on standby in camps and suspends leave privileges, underscoring it is a “standard security protocol.”

The official said that there is no cause for alarm.

She, however, cautioned against attempts to infiltrate legitimate anti-corruption protests.

“Hindi po natin papayagan ang sinuman pong indibidwal o grupo na gamitin po ang sitwasyong ito para maghahasik po ng karahasan, pagkakawatak-watak po sa ating lipunan o kaguluhan,” she said.

Padilla reiterated the AFP’s “unwavering loyalty” to the Filipino people and to the Constitution as she rejected calls urging the military to withdraw support from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr..

“We reject these calls… The solution must be found in our democratic institutions and rule of law, not through extra-constitutional means,” the AFP spokesperson said.

Despite the heightened alert, the PNP reported that protests over the past weeks have remained generally peaceful.