Brawner: No need for loyalty check

ARMED Forces chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr yesterday told military commanders to remain “united and professional” amid talks of destabilization efforts against the Marcos administration.

Brawner said he made the remarks during a command conference at the AFP general headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. The command conference was presided over by President Marcos Jr, the military’s commander in chief.

Brawner said talks about the destabilization was not discussed during the command conference, adding there are “bigger problems” they are confronting, including communists and terrorists threats.

“The only thing that’s related to that is I gave guidance to our commanders. I emphasized that let us be united and professional. They know that, they understand that,” Brawner said in a press briefing after the command conference.

Talks of destabilization have been swirling in the past weeks. Recently, retired Army general Johnny Macanas said military and police generals have asked Marcos to resign.

Brawner said there is no need to conduct loyalty check in the Armed Forces.

“It’s not needed … I’ve been visiting units and based on my dialogue with the commanders I have personally gauged that there is no need for a loyalty check,” said Brawner.

“Our commanders and our troops remain loyal to our Constitution,” he said.

At Camp Crame, PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda said, “There is no destabilization. I don’t know where that rumor or rumor about destabilization came from.”

The Armed Forces and the PNP denied reports that Camp Aguinaldo and Camp Crame have instituted measures to limit the entry of retired officers to these camps.

“There is no issuance on that and there is no basis for us to prevent them from coming here. I don’t know where that came from,” Acorda said.

New Armed Forces spokeswoman Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said the reports about retired officers being prevented to enter Camp Aguinaldo are not accurate.

“We welcome the presence of our comrades-in-arms. We worked together with them before, we know their backgrounds, they have been with us all along,” said Padilla.