The Armed Forces of the Philippines has hailed the sudden arrest of retired air force general Romeo Poquiz over inciting to sedition as within the “rule of law”, after a video surfaced of him openly urging the military chief to withdraw support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr, whom he described as a drug addict.
Amid mounting public outrage, the military has warned of retired generals out to destabilise the Marcos administration by attempting to influence active officials to withdraw support for the president.
Observers say the arrest is not expected for now to spark a “chilling effect” among ex-officials, since Poquiz’s influence is limited. The last general to be arrested for a similar crime was 17 years ago.
Poquiz, 67, was detained on Monday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila after returning from a Bangkok holiday, his lawyer Ferdinand Topacio told local media.
The lawyer claimed the Marcos government was out to silence critics and was resorting to “intimidation”.
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