Military denies rumors of resignations, unrest after Duterte arrest

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces of the Philippines has denied rumors of soldiers resigning en masse after former President Rodrigo Duterte was arrested earlier this week, with all three main service branches saying they've received no reports of unrest among its personnel.

Duterte was served a warrant of arrest at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport upon returning from a trip to Hong Kong on Tuesday. According to the ICC's warrant of arrest, the court's pre-trial chamber found him "individually responsible for the crimes against humanity of murder" in the execution of his anti-illegal drugs campaign.

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In a statement on Thursday, March 13, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla addressed the resignation rumors directly, saying reports of military personnel quitting in support of the former president "remain unverified." 

Padilla urged the public to "exercise critical discernment and avoid spreading unconfirmed information."

"The AFP remains a professional, unified, and non-partisan institution, committed to its constitutional mandate of defending the nation and serving the Filipino people," Padilla said. She added that military personnel "continue to remain focused on our sworn duty, upholding the rule of law and the chain of command." 

Army spokesman Col. Louie Dema-ala similarly shot down speculation of unrest among troops. He said in a radio interview: "We have not received any report that soldiers are resigning ... If social media is the only basis, definitely we cannot believe that."

Morale is currently high among the Army's ranks, Dema-ala said. "We are a professional organization and we are focused on our mandate. The Philippine Army is facing many more problems right now, so we're just focused on the mandate of the Philippine Army." 

Philippine Air Force spokesperson Col. Ma Consuelo Castillo similarly confirmed they have "not monitored any unrest nor noted any personnel resignations" among their airmen. 

"The PAF remains a professional organization focused on performing our mandate to protect the state and our people," she stated, adding that Air Force personnel "remain alert and ready to perform their duty to maintain peace and security."

Castillo acknowledged that the Air Force is currently in a period of mourning from the loss of its two pilots recently but said this "only serves to inspire us to do our jobs even better, amidst the challenges that we currently face."

Philippine Navy spokesman Capt. John Percie Alcos reiterated the same and said the Navy "is a professional organization that adheres to the Chain of Command" and remains "steadfast in our duty to ensure national security and stability."

"The Philippine Navy assures all Filipinos that we uphold the highest standard of professionalism," Alcos said. "Every sailor and marine will remain loyal to the constitution and to the oath that we took to serve the country and the Filipino people."

The AFP spokesperson has urged the public to "exercise restraint and uphold the rule of law."

"Let us prioritize unity and allow the legal processes to unfold. We have full confidence on our institutions to handle this matter with due diligence," Padilla added.

Amid the politically charged atmosphere that followed news of Duterte's arrest, Dema-ala said there is no need for the military leadership to conduct loyalty checks among its troops. 

"No need for a loyalty check," Dema-ala said. "The army remains professional and focused on its mandate."

Duterte's so-called "war on drugs" has been the subject of investigation by the ICC prosecutor since 2018. Official police figures report over 6,000 fatalities linked to the crackdown, yet human rights organizations believe that the true toll could reach as high as 30,000, including innocent civilians.

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The ICC pre-trial chamber approved the prosecutor's request to arrest the former president on the basis that “there is no reasonable expectation that he would cooperate with a summons to appear issued by the Court.”

Duterte is currently in the custody of the ICC at The Hague, Netherlands. The international tribunal will soon schedule court hearings for the former president.