Acorda to PNP: Remain firm, united amid destabilization talk

Acorda made the appeal in a speech during the donning of ranks and turnover ceremonies of newly appointed police commissioned officers for the lateral entry program for technical officers at Camp Crame in Quezon City.

“I want us to unite as an institution. We should be one in these common grounds – in trust, unity and shared commitment to service,” he said in Filipino and English.

The PNP chief did not give specifics when he discussed the challenges that they might face in the near future.

“I hope (that this institution) will not be tested in the coming months or days, but if it will be tested, I hope that we are united,” he said.

Staying united is the only way for them to save the nation, according to Acorda.

While he did not give other details, there have been reports of possible destabilization moves against the Marcos administration by some retired generals.

In a news briefing last Monday, Acorda said the destabilization moves have been part of their counterintelligence (CI) efforts.

“(The destabilization moves) come out every now and then, and part of our CI effort, we include that in our monitoring,” he added.

Acorda assured the public that the PNP remains solidly behind President Marcos, who he said is sensitive to the sentiments and plight of police officers.

While there were issues in the military and uniformed personnel (MUP) pension system, an issue that Acorda said some sectors tried to weaponize, he emphasized that these were already properly addressed by concerned government agencies.

“There is no reason for PNP members to be demoralized,” he said.

A total of 43 police officers passed the lateral entry program, 14 of whom are chemists, eight are medical doctors and six are lawyers.

Also included are dentists, psychologists, engineers and a priest.

Not good for Philippines

While he does not see anything wrong with the former president talking to retired generals amid coup talks against Marcos, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada is hoping that there would be no destabilization as it won’t do any good for the country.

At the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum yesterday, Estrada, whose father, former president Joseph Estrada, was ousted in 2001, emphasized that any destabilization would not do any good for the country and that the government has to move forward for the welfare of the Filipino people.

“I don’t want coups to happen again; we cannot move forward when there is a coup. We are going backward, nothing will happen in our country, I don’t want it to happen again,” the younger Estrada said.

The elder Estrada was ousted from the presidency following a military uprising after an impeachment trial, which his camp described as a “kangaroo court.”

He was replaced by his then vice president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The younger Estrada also doubted that any coup attempt would succeed since “President Marcos gave everything to improve the lives of the Filipino people.”

The senator also pointed out that there was nothing wrong with former president Rodrigo Duterte talking to retired generals, who used to serve him as their commander-in-chief.

Estrada added that he does not think that Duterte will be ever involved in an effort to oust Marcos.

“(Talking with the retired generals) is his right as a former president. I don’t think he is involved in destabilizing (the present administration). Maybe, they were just chatting, the same as before,” Estrada said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. revealed that there is a group of retired military officers trying to convince military troops to overthrow the Marcos administration.

Brawner said active members of the AFP should not pay attention to the group, but instead focus their efforts on the fulfillment of the AFP’s transformation roadmap.

Amid these reports, Sen. Ronald dela Rosa called people who would support destabilization plots “crazy.”

Dela Rosa added that even if he is a retired general and himself had served as PNP chief, he is not aware of any destabilization efforts against Marcos.

If, indeed, some military generals are really espousing efforts to remove the present administration, Dela Rosa advised them to “just relax and enjoy retirement.”

He noted that he respects the opinion of the elder Duterte, but it does not mean that he shared the same view.

The former president publicly accused Romualdez of sabotaging his daughter’s request for confidential funds in the proposed 2024 budget, which the lower chamber decided to reallocate to agencies focused on defending the West Philippine Sea after several panel and plenary debates.

Imee Duterte ‘loyalist’

Meanwhile, Sen. Imee Marcos yesterday reaffirmed her support for the elder Duterte, following the latter’s tussle with the House of Representatives’ leadership over his remarks describing the chamber as “rotten.”

In an ambush interview with Senate reporters yesterday, the Marcos vowed to continue supporting the embattled former chief executive, describing him as a “true friend.”

She declared herself a true “loyalist” to the Dutertes, being the only governor who declared support for the then Davao City mayor in 2015.

Marcos said she learned how to be loyal to her allies from the experience of her father, the late former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., who had gained scores of loyalists even after being deposed in the 1986 EDSA people power revolution that sent the Marcos family into exile before their stunning political comeback.

“What is the Marcoses’ secret why we still have loyalists ready to fight for us? We have loyalists because we ourselves are loyalists. That is the legacy left behind by my father,” Marcos Sr.’s eldest daughter said.

— Emmanuel Tupas, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marc Jayson Cayabyab