President Ferdinand Marcos on Monday dismissed rumors that he is conducting loyalty checks within the military and police, calling it an unfamiliar and irrelevant term in their operations.
“I don’t understand that term because I don’t know how you conduct a loyalty check—at least not in the context of a command conference,” President Marcos said during an ambush interview.
The President clarified that loyalty checks are not a practice within the country’s armed forces or police force.
“We don’t have that. I only hear it in the media. So, I was just wondering how you define a loyalty check,” he added, brushing off the idea as nonsensical.
President Marcos’ remarks follow public speculation about unity and loyalty within government institutions amid recent political developments. However, the President assured that such concerns have no bearing on official functions.
The President did not elaborate further, instead reiterating confidence in the professionalism of the country’s security forces.
Rumors of President Marcos meeting with top military and police officials circulated online amid the ongoing tension between him and Vice President Sara Duterte.
However, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) denied that the President conducted a loyalty check following a previous command conference with the chief executive.
