Nagsalita na ang Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) tungkol sa kumakalat na isyung ilang generals daw ang nag-walk out sa isang isinagawang command conference kamakailan, bilang senyales raw ng pagtutol at pagprotesta sa isang top government official, na isinagawa noong Hulyo 4.
Pinabulaanan ng AFP, sa pamamagitan ng kanilang opisyal na pahayag sa social media, ang mga naging pagbubunyag ni Retired BGen. Johnny Macanas, Jr. patungkol sa nangyaring pag-alis ng mga nabanggit na heneral sa kalagitnaan ng pagpupulong.
"There is no truth to the recent commentary by BGen Johnny Macanas Jr (Ret) on a radio 'blind item,' whether intentional or not. It is not only based on unfounded information, his comments were also misleading and uncharacteristic of any military officer, active or retired."
"Our soldiers are professional and loyal to the chain of command. We will not allow any effort to malign our ranks and discredit our commitment to our mandate by clout-chasers and their personal political agenda."
"We call on the public to be critical of these false narratives and report individuals and channels that propagate disinformation," anila.
Sa isang press briefing na isinagawa nitong Martes, Hulyo 16, sinabi ni AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla na maayos na natapos ang kanilang pagpupulong at walang katotohanan ang nabanggit na isyu. Tinawag niya itong "fake news."
“There is nothing of that sort that happened. It was a very professional exchange of ideas and discussions and there were also a lot of updates that were given. It all ended on a positive note,” aniya.
Noong Hulyo 4, bilang Commander-in-Chief ay pinangunahan ni Pangulong Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. ang command conference ng AFP sa Camp Aguinaldo sa Quezon City.
Bahagi ng pulong ang pag-atas sa AFP na pahupain ang tensyon sa pagitan ng Pilipinas at China kaugnay sa isyu ng West Philippine Sea, batay na rin kay AFP Chief General Romeo Brawner, Jr.