CHIEF TO CHIEF Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. chats with the Commander in Chief, President Marcos, during a lull in the graduation rites of the military’s candidate officers’ schools earlier this month. —Marianne Bermudez
MANILA, Philippines — Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said he was concerned about Congress’ cuts in the military’s spending plan for 2025, but remained confident that President Marcos is fully informed and equipped to deal with the matter.
“We have full trust in our system. Of course, we are concerned about the budget, but we trust the system,” Brawner told reporters on the sidelines of the AFP’s 89th anniversary at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday.
Article continues after this advertisementBrawner said the military would remain professional despite attempts to paint a picture of “discontent” in the military.
FEATURED STORIES NEWSINFO LPA outside PAR develops into tropical depression on Saturday NEWSINFO Banknotes with PH historical figures to remain in circulation – BSP NEWSINFO Tropical depression lingers outside PAR; shear line, amihan affect PHREAD: AFP 89th anniversary: Marcos tells military to stay true to sworn duty On November 25, former President Rodrigo Duterte called a press conference and claimed that the military may act to fix what he described as “fractured governance.”
READ: Marcos vows to equip AFP vs cybersecurity threats
Article continues after this advertisement“Nobody can correct Marcos. Nobody can correct [Speaker Martin] Romualdez. There is no urgent remedy. It is only the military who can correct it,” said Duterte, who is under international investigation for alleged crimes against humanity during his deadly war against drugs.
AboitizPower Distribution Utilities senior vice president and chief operating officer Anton Perdices, said MobileAP, a mobile application designed to automate electricity bill payment and monitor consumption in real-time, has been gaining momentum across the group’s franchise areas, thanks to the pandemic-driven digital adoption.
In separate advisories, Shell Pilipinas and Seaoil said the per-liter price of diesel would go up by P2.70, The per-liter prices of gasoline and kerosene would also be more expensive by P2.65 and P2.60, respectively.
Article continues after this advertisementREAD: Palace: Rodrigo Duterte’s ‘insulting’ call to AFP just for Sara takeover
Article continues after this advertisementOn Friday, the House of Representatives accused Duterte of similar “crimes against humanity” as it concluded its probe into the drug trafficking and foreign gambling companies during the Duterte administration.
The former leader’s daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, is also facing three impeachment complaints at the House of Representatives over her use of funds and refusal to account for taxpayers’ monies.
Article continues after this advertisement“Until when will you support an addict president?” Duterte asked the military. “I challenge the whole military, because they’re supposed to be the protectors of the Constitution.”
Brawner replied at that time that “that is not our job. Our job is to protect the Republic of the Philippines, protect its people, defend our territory, and defend our sovereignty and our sovereign rights.”
On Saturday, Brawner reiterated that the military would remain professional.
“We try to keep out of that,” the military chief said. “We trust in the system and we trust the President with his powers, with his veto powers.”
Renewed attempts to paint a picture of military discontent and instability reemerged after Congress submitted to President Marcos its P6.235-trillion budget for 2025 for signing into law.
Both houses of Congress has not released copies of the enrolled budget bill, but the House supposedly cut P15 billion from the AFP budget.
The Senate supposedly restored the cut funds, but also increased the budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways, tagged as a source or channel of pork barrel funds.
The President was supposed to sign the enrolled bill on Dec. 20, but postponed it “to allow more time for a rigorous and exhaustive review of a measure that will determine the course of the nation for the next year,” according to Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.
The President himself said: “There were a lot of changes from the budget request of the different departments and we have to put it back in the same shape that we had first requested.”
Despite these issues, Brawner said in his speech at the AFP anniversary on Friday that the military would ensure that the “armed forces remain capable of safeguarding our nation amidst evolving geopolitical and environmental challenges.”
According to him, the AFP would remain “undaunted in asserting our sovereignty” in the West Philippine Sea.
“With modernized tools and strategic international partnerships, we carry on in strengthening our maritime presence, securing our exclusive economic zone, and upholding the principles of international law,” he said.
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“This mission goes beyond defending territorial claims. It is about preserving ideals that define us as a nationgvg777,” he added.
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