New AFP chief Sobejana orders men to exercise due diligence in sharing info to public

Newly installed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana on Friday said he has ordered his men to observe "due diligence" in sharing information to the public amid accusations of red-tagging.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, Sobejana said he gave the order to his senior staff commanders during a meeting on Thursday, the day he assumed the AFP chief of staff post.

"Kahapon nagkaroon kami ng pagpupulong with my senior staff commanders at in-emphasize ko sa kanila na very deliberate dapat tayo sa pagsiwalat ng issues," he said.

"We should exercise due diligence dahil hindi magandang makapagsalita tayo against anybody or an organization na wala tayong mga pinanghahawakang mga ebidensiya," Sobejana added.

In a separate interview with ANC, Sobejana said the AFP needs to "look back [at the] erroneous things that we committed and we should learn from that."

"So my instruction was that whenever we talk, whatever things we do, we must be deliberate, we must exercise due diligence," he said.

Previously the commanding general of the Philippine Army, Sobejana formally replaced General Gilbert Gapay, who retired from service, on Thursday in a change-of-command ceremony attended by President Rodrigo Duterte.

During his acceptance speech, Sobejana, a Medal of Valor recipient, vowed that the AFP will respect human rights and the rule of law under his leadership.

“Rest assured that your soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines of the AFP will do their job following the rule of law, give due respect to human rights, and strictly adhere to the provisions of the International Humanitarian Law,” he said.

During the UB interview, Sobejana said soldiers need to be educated in existing laws to avoid lapses in sharing information to the public.

"May existing laws, kelangan lang i-educate natin mga kasamahan natin sa AFP at security sectors para hindi tayo magkakamali," he said.

Recently, the military's intelligence chief, Major General Alex Luna, has been relieved from his post following the publication of a list -- later proven to be erroneous -- of supposed communist rebels killed by state forces in encounters.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who ordered Luna's removal from post, as "an unforgivable lapse." --KBK, GMA News