The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday said it is looking into possible foreign influence or political motivation behind a social media post by a Philippine Army officer who allegedly withdrew his support from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said investigators are not ruling out any angle as they probe the actions of Col. Audie Mongao, whose post sparked questions about loyalty within the military ranks.
“We cannot remove any possibility. It could be foreign influence, it could be politically motivated, or anything like that,” Padilla said in an interview.
“With the investigation that we will be conducting, we will not leave any stone unturned because we do not want this kind of incident to happen again,” she added.
The military official stressed that the actions of one officer do not reflect the institution as a whole, amid speculation that other soldiers may also be withdrawing support from the Commander-in-Chief.
“Our sworn duty is not just a formality. We always assure our countrymen that this is a solemn promise of a soldier. We serve with loyalty to the Constitution, we follow the chain of command, and we put first the interest of the Filipino people,” Padilla said.
“We are also human. If we have personal opinions and personal perspectives, we have those individually. But when we wear the uniform, we agreed and took an oath to live a regimented life… What we can say in public will be guided by rules and regulations, including what partisan views are allowed,” she added.
The AFP has since confirmed that Mongao already returned to military custody after initially being unreachable.
An administrative investigation is now underway, with a team determining the accuracy of the report and recommending next steps.
“This is an administrative case, and so we turn it over to the ground commander. The Armed Forces of the Philippines trusts that our commanders on the ground will fulfill their obligation to conduct the proper investigation on the matter,” Padilla said.
