A former Philippine air force general was arrested for sedition after urging the military to withdraw support from President Ferdinand Marcos amid a corruption scandal.
MANILA: A former Philippine air force general was arrested on a sedition charge after calling for the military to abandon President Ferdinand Marcos (pic).
Romeo Poquiz was detained at Manila’s international airport upon returning from a holiday in Thailand, interior department secretary Jonvic Remulla confirmed.
“He was arrested for the charge of sedition in connection (with) his recent statements,” Remulla said in a text message.
Acting police chief Jose Nartatez said the arrest was made based on a warrant issued on December 5.
The 67-year-old ex-general confirmed his detention in a Facebook post from the airport.
Poquiz had publicly urged the armed forces to “withdraw their support” from Marcos amid a burgeoning corruption scandal.
His lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, argued the calls were not direct incitements but a discussion of potential outcomes from graft.
“This just shows that the government is denouncing those who speak about wrongdoing instead of those who are stealing the people’s money,” Topacio said.
Philippine military chief General Romeo Brawner said in October that retired officers led by Poquiz had been rebuffed after airing grievances.
Brawner stated the military was “solid” in its support of the constitution and revealed retired officers had sought a “coup d’etat” to “reset” society.
The alleged push for intervention came as Manila prepared for major anti-corruption protests in September.
The protests were sparked by bogus flood-control projects believed to have cost taxpayers billions of dollars.
President Marcos, who highlighted the fraud in a July national address, did not mention the arrest during a budget signing event on Monday.
