AFP condemns fake news alleging Marcos threatened to remove AFP pension

The Armed Forces of the Philippines said there is no truth to circulating social media posts that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. threatened to remove the pension of retired military personnel.

The AFP said it "strongly condemns" the circulating "false and misleading content".

"This claim is baseless, malicious, and intended to mislead," it said in a statement over the weekend, referring to a social media post by Cavite 4th District Representative Kiko Barzaga.

"The AFP categorically states that there is no such directive, statement, or policy from the President or any government agency," it added.

The AFP said it fully supports men and women in uniform, and this includes protecting and making sustainable their pension and benefits.

"Please note that the pension of a retired military personnel is protected under existing laws. It is considered an earned benefit resulting from at least 20 years of faithful, honorable, and dedicated service to the nation," it said.

The AFP also said that based on the law, a retired soldier's personnel may only be forfeited upon conviction of a crime and after due process and final judgment of a competent court. 

"No official can arbitrarily remove or withhold such pension," it said.

GMA News Online contacted Barzaga for comment but has yet to receive a reply as of posting time.

Review of pension system

At a news forum on Saturday, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla said that the AFP is reviewing the military pension system and the possibility of trying retirees under court martial amid reports that some retired officers had called on the military to withdraw its support from Marcos. 

Asked if retired officials could be at risk of losing their monthly pension, the AFP spokesperson said, “If the legal channel determines that this is so, then we will follow.”

She said that seditious statements and spreading fake news have corresponding legal consequences.

“The AFP is not 'gonna take this sitting down,” she said.

AFP chief-of-staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. earlier admitted that some retired officers had called for withdrawal of support against Marcos by the military amid public protests over the flood control anomalies revealed last month.

The Department of National Defense (DND) also previously denied rumors of an alleged coup plot by the military against the Marcos administration.

According to the report, the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO), alongside other groups, met with Marcos last September 19, two days before the anti-corruption protests on September 21, wherein a riot also erupted in Manila. —with a report from Llanesca T. Panti/KG, GMA Integrated News