4 months ago
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A erstwhile Philippine Air Force General accused of encouraging the subject to wantonness President Ferdinand Marcos was arrested connected a complaint of sedition connected Monday (January 5, 2026) astatine Manila's planetary airport.
Romeo Poquiz, who had publically called for the equipped forces to "withdraw their support" from Mr. Marcos amid a burgeoning corruption scandal, was detained by Philippine nationalist constabulary aft returning from a vacation successful Thailand, Interior Department Secretary Jonvic Remulla told AFP.
"He was arrested for the complaint of sedition successful transportation (with) his caller statements. He was arrested upon accomplishment from Bangkok this morning," Mr. Remulla said successful a substance message.
Speaking astatine a quality conference, acting constabulary main Jose Nartatez said Mr. Poquiz had been detained connected the ground of a December 5 warrant.
The 67-year-old ex-general confirmed his apprehension successful a station connected Facebook.
"I was arrested by the (Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) astatine the Airport Terminal ... Long unrecorded the Filipino!" Mr. Poquiz said, adding helium was being taken to Manila's Camp Crame constabulary headquarters.
The ex-general's lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, told AFP helium had not yet been allowed to conscionable with his client.
He added that calls for the subject to retreat its enactment for Mr. Marcos had not been "direct incitements to sedition but alternatively ... a treatment of a imaginable outcomes of graft and corruption".
"This conscionable shows that the authorities is denouncing those who talk astir wrongdoing alternatively of those who are stealing the people's money," Mr. Topacio said.
Philippine Military Chief General Romeo Brawner said successful October that the nation's "battle staff" had rebuffed retired officers led by Mr. Porquiz who aired their grievances with Mr. Marcos, saying they were told the subject was "solid" successful its enactment of the constitution.
Mr. Brawner besides said that retired officers had reached retired to younger officers seeking a "coup d'etat, a subject junta" to "reset" Philippine nine without disclosing their names.
The alleged propulsion for subject involution came arsenic Manila was gearing up for September 21 anti-corruption protests sparked by bogus flood-control projects believed to person outgo taxpayers billions of dollars.
Mr. Marcos, who made the wide fraud the centrepiece of a July nationalist address, has since seen person and foe alike implicated successful the scandal, with immoderate governmental opponents suggesting helium was a cardinal beneficiary of the corruption.
Speaking astatine the signing of a caller nationalist fund connected Monday, Mr. Marcos made nary notation of the arrest.
