Hundreds of students at the University of the Philippines walk out of their classes and protest against corruption in government projects in Manila, Philippines, Friday, Sept.12, 2025. -- AP Photo/Joeal Calupitan
MANILA, Philippines (AP): The Philippine defense and military chiefs rejected a call for the country’s armed forces to withdraw support from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in response to public outrage over allegations of massive corruption in flood control projects that have implicated several congressmen and public works officials and sparked pockets of street protests.
Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. and military chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. issued a joint statement late Friday expressing their rejection of "all attempts to patronize the Armed Forces of the Philippines by certain groups that insinuate or suggest unconstitutional, unilateral interventions.”
