AFP denies Harry Roque's claims about abolition of Task Force Davao

The Armed Forces of the Philippines on Tuesday denied reports on the disbandment of the Task Force Davao as claimed by former Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.

Col. Xerxes Trinidad, chief of the AFP public affairs office, said no directive came from the hierarchy of the military organization regarding the abolition of the task force.

“Honestly nagulat kami doon (we were shocked by that). We don’t know where it came from basically,” Trinidad told the reporters in a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo.

“We made clarifications and there's no such issuance of any directive for the disbanding of the Task Force Davao,” he added.

In a vlog on Monday, Roque said he received a report that the supposedly “Duterte-loyal” Task Force Davao will be abolished amid rumors of the impending arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte due to his criminal case with the International Criminal Court.

Roque claimed that the former President called him over the phone informing the lawyer that he would be arrested “anytime soon.”

“I received a news that Task Force Davao, which has 700 soldiers and was created to protect Davao from the threat of terrorism, will be disbanded. They know that Task Force Davao is loyal to Duterte," Roque claimed.

Roque also mentioned that AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. went to Davao over the weekend to allegedly formalize the abolition order.

The AFP’s Eastern Mindanao Command, which supervises the Task Force Davao, released a statement denying Roque's claims.

It said Brawner’s visit was part of the Defense Secretary’s order to check the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations being conducted by the command in the area, following the heavy flooding caused by inclement weather.

“The visit was also a fulfillment of his previous promise to visit the Unified Commands. He wanted to know if the Eastmincom’s new campaign plan is aligned with that of the General Headquarters,” it added.

The AFP-EastMinCom, also noted that “there are no instructions whatsoever coming from higher headquarters to remove Task Force Davao from its present mandate.”

It maintained that Task Force Davao “serves as the main effort of Joint Task Force Haribon” in counter-terrorism operations in the region.

“It has been effective in denying activities of terrorist threat groups and significantly maintained the peace, security, and development in Davao City,” it added.

The command said the task force is loyal to the people of Davao and not to one particular political personality.

AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla likewise emphasized that Brawner’s visit had nothing to do with the abolition of Task Force Davao.

Over the weekend, Brawner also visited several military headquarters such as Eastern Mindanao Command in Panacan, Davao City; Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) in Zamboanga City; and 101st Infantry Brigade in Isabela City, Basilan.

“The chief of staff went to Davao last weekend but his sole purpose was for three things: Look into the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief there and how the AFP will assist in the calamities happening, second is to assess the security operations being conducted in Davao, and the third is to look upon the welfare of the troops, and remind them of their unwavering commitment towards being united and professional,” Padilla stressed.