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Military asked to stay clear of politics

P. S. Suryanarayana

SINGAPORE: The Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), General Generoso Senga, has issued a directive to all military personnel to maintain "political neutrality" and to resist attempts at being used by civilian leaders for their "vested interests."

The directive was issued as a key aspect of a "command guidance" that was labelled "The Role of the Armed Forces in these Trying Times."

Outwardly a matter of commonplace counsel in a democracy, the directive is seen as a commentary on the present political crisis in the Philippines.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who imposed a weeklong emergency in late February-early March, endorsed the directive.

Ms. Arroyo had cited a "coup plot" from within two elite units of the AFP and also a special forces unit of the National Police as the justification for the emergency.

Announcing the President's endorsement, spokesman Ignacio Bunye said in Manila on Tuesday that the vast majority of soldiers "are loyal to the Constitution and the chain of command."

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