Palace backs Escudero, says security forces must serve public, not Dutertes

Malacañang on Tuesday agreed with Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero's remarks that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should not be partisan nor convinced to choose a political side.

"Tama naman po. The public servant should be apolitical. They should not be dragged over these personal issues especially of the Dutertes. Tama po si SP (Senate President) Chiz Escudero, hindi po natin dapat kalampagin, laging tawagin ang militar, ang mga kapulisan para lamang pagbigyan ang kahilingan ng isang partikular na tao o isang partikular na pamilya," Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Atty. Claire Castro said in a briefing.

(That's right. The public servant should be apolitical. They should not be dragged over these personal issues especially of the Dutertes. SP Chiz Escudero was right, we don't need to call on the military and the police to grant the request of an individual or a particular family.)

"Ang militar po, ang kasundaluhan, ang kapulisan po natin ay para sa bayan hindi para po sa pamilya Duterte lamang," Castro added.

(The military and the police serve the nation and not just the Duterte family.)

Escudero earlier said he does not understand Vice President Sara Duterte's remark that the AFP allowed former President Rodrigo Duterte to be taken to The Hague to face crimes against humanity charges in connection with his drug war.

During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, the vice president said she found "disturbing" the "silence of the Armed Forces of the Philippines" during her father’s arrest in accordance with a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The Senate President stressed that the AFP should not take sides with anyone, adding that the Philippine military should stand behind the chain of command and the Constitution under the Commander-in-Chief.

Authorities served a warrant of arrest from the ICC on March 11 against the former president for murder charges as a crime against humanity in connection with the killings under his war on drugs.

The former Philippine leader is currently detained at The Hague Penitentiary in the Netherlands. — VDV, GMA Integrated News