Acorda urges government destabilizers to stop

MANILA, Philippines — People who are thinking about destabilizing the administration of President Marcos should stop their move as this would not do the country any good, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. said yesterday. He stressed that he, and even the general public, do not see any issue that would demoralize those in the uniformed service or merit an attempt to overthrow the current administration. “It (talks about destabilization) is not helping the country. And if there are those who are planning, it is not good for the country,” Acorda told reporters partly in Filipino during an interview in Baguio City.

He suggested that instead of trying to overthrow the government, it would be best for them to work within the system.

Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong, for his part, said the reported destabilization might have stemmed from the frustration of senior and young officers in the uniformed service with the government.?However, he maintained that these frustrations, especially on corruption, do not necessarily mean that a destabilization attempt is in the works.

“It does not actually translate to something that would generate certain actions that would be construed as something violent to overthrow the government,” Magalong said in an interview on Friday evening.

Magalong himself is against moves to overthrow the Marcos administration, citing his experience in 2006 when he was charged for allegedly plotting a coup attempt with other officials against former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. “I don’t approve of it. I don’t advocate for destabilization,” the mayor stressed, adding that this would only lead to the country’s and the economy’s downfall.