PNP's Nartatez sees no basis to oust Marcos

Philippine National Police (PNP) acting chief Police Lieutenant General Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Monday said he sees no basis to oust President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

At a press briefing, Nartatez was asked if there were PNP active and retired officials calling to oust Marcos after Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Romeo Brawner Jr. earlier admitted that some retired officers called on the military to withdraw support from the commander-in-chief.

“Wala pa namang kumakausap as well as my staff and even the regional directors, kasi iyan ang mga pinaka-importante, whether civilian or retired Armed Forces or PNP officials,” Nartatez said.

(No one is talking with us, as well as my staff and even the regional directors, because those are the most important, whether civilians or retired armed forces or PNP officials.)

“We have a sitting President who won by majority votes. Taas nga, more than 50 [percent] of the voting number ay nakuha niya. So I don't see any basis para patalsikin,” he added.

(We have a sitting president who won by majority votes. It's high, he got more than 50 percent of the voting number. So I don't see any basis to oust him.)

Nartatez pointed out that it was Marcos, during his State of the Nation Address in July, who first called for a stop to corruption on flood control projects.

In case there will be officials who will talk to the PNP for the possible ouster of Marcos, Nartatez said he will discourage them.

“Kapag meron, maybe puwede ko silang kausapin not to do it,” he said.

(If there is, maybe I can talk to them not to do it.)

“The state of morale of the PNP is relatively high and we will kung ano yung nararapat, yun ang gagawin namin…No need for loyalty check,” he added.

(The state of morale of the PNP is relatively high and we will do what is right, that is what we will do…No need for loyalty check.)

‘Withdrawal of support’

On October 3, Brawner said that some retired officers called on the military to withdraw its support from Marcos but they refused to do so.

Brawner said the retired officers' call was made amid public protests over the flood control anomalies revealed last month.

"So, the grievances were mainly against the President. And they were calling for, as I mentioned earlier, they were calling for the withdrawal of support by the AFP from the President. So that was their grievance, is that they're saying that somebody else deserves to be President. But they did not mention who that somebody else is,” Brawner said at a forum.

He said recruitment activities were held by some retired officers of the AFP who also tried to reach out to him, their commanders and younger officers “to intervene through several means.”

“Maaaring through a coup d'état, as written, a military junta, in order to come up with a reset for the entire Philippine society, or withdrawal of support. So, several forms of military intervention,” he said.

However, no such activities transpired during the September 21 protests.

“As the chief of staff, I was confident already that none of the members of the Armed Forces would, in fact, heed the call by some sectors, by some individuals, to intervene, because of the professionalism that we have reached in the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said. — RSJ, GMA Integrated News