News Release

NSA: Military, police back PBBM; calls on critics to spare armed services from politics



President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has the full support of the police and the military and administration detractors should spare the armed services from politics, the National Security Adviser declared on Saturday.

“Ang panawagan po ng National Security Adviser (Secretary Eduardo Año) is let us insulate our Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police from partisan political activities. Huwag po natin silang gagamitin because in any democracy, the Armed Forces is supposed to be neutral and apolitical – kahit po sino magpalit-palit ng administrasyon, iyon po ‘yung commander-in-chief,” Año’s spokesperson and National Security Council Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said during a news forum in Quezon City.

“Hindi sila magbibitaw ng mga salita to withdraw support from the President just because someone asked them to do so. They are professionals, they know the chain of command and they respect the rule of the military hierarchy and they have loyalty to the current Commander-In-Chief, President Bongbong Marcos,”
Malaya remarked.

As to the calls for the Armed Forces to withdraw support from the Commander-in-Chief, Malaya said all major units of the armed services have expressed their full support to the President.

Malaya appealed to critics against involving the Armed Forces to politics and underestimating their professionalism and integrity.

National Security Adviser Eduardo Año called on all Filipinos to stand their ground and pushback malignant narratives seeking to undermine national interest, particularly on the issues surrounding the so-called gentlemen’s agreement in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

“We should not fall into a trap, which clearly shows and seeks to saw division in our country and weaken our resolve in asserting our sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction the West Philippine Sea,” according to Año’s statement read by Malaya.

The President has been very clear, Año said, that the administration is not aware of any secret gentlemen’s agreement, and if there was such done under a previous administration, it has been rescinded. PND