Philippine Military Chief Reveals Plotters Claimed ‘Somebody Else Deserves to Be President’ in Rejected Coup Proposal

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. has revealed that a group of retired military officers attempted to push for the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., arguing that “somebody else deserves to be president.” Their proposal, made during the height of last month’s massive anti-corruption protests, included plans to withdraw military support for the administration and, as a secondary option, to establish a military junta to take control of the government.

The proposal emerged amid public outrage over fraudulent flood-control projects believed to have cost the government billions of pesos. The retired officers sought to exploit the volatile political climate by reaching out to younger AFP officers, unit commanders, and senior officials in an attempt to build support for military intervention.

At the core of their pitch was the claim that the country needed a leadership change, although they did not identify any alternative figure to replace Marcos. If military withdrawal alone failed to trigger a political transition, the group proposed forming a junta to oversee a so-called “reset” of Philippine society.

The AFP leadership rejected the proposal outright and maintained its allegiance to the Constitution. Brawner later informed President Marcos of the plot and the recruitment activities targeting military personnel.