THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) denied on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, reports that several high-ranking military officials walked out during a recent command conference presided over by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In a press briefing, AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla tagged the report as “fake news,” noting that she attended the meeting and it ended well.
“I was there personally. There is nothing of that sort that happened. It was a very professional exchange of ideas and discussions and there were also a lot of updates that were given. It was all, ended on a positive note,” she said.
In a separate statement, the AFP Public Affairs Office reiterated that there is no truth in the recent commentary by retired Brigadier General Johnny Macanas Sr. on the matter.
“It is not only based on unfounded information. His comments were also misleading and uncharacteristic of any military officer, active or retired,” it said.
“Our soldiers are professional and loyal to the chain of command. We will not allow any effort to malign our ranks and discredit our commitment to our mandate by clout-chasers and their personal political agenda,” it added.
The AFP urged the public to be critical of these false narratives and report individuals and channels that propagate disinformation.
On July 4, Marcos headed a command conference of the AFP at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City where he ordered the de-escalation of tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea.
This came following the June 17 RORE mission when a navy personnel lost his thumb due to the harassment of Chinese personnel.
Marcos commended the soldiers involved in the mission for practicing restraint despite provocation. (TPM/SunStar Philippines)