The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) asked to be shunned from the ongoing political rift in the government leadership.

In a press briefing at Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday, AFP spokesperson Col. Francel Margareth Padilla emphasized anew that the military is a “nonpartisan” organization.

“We act as a barometer in all of these issues… As our Chief of Staff has already stated, our Armed Forces are united and professional. So, with all of these things, sir, we respectfully request that we are shunned away from political issues,” Padilla told reporters.

As a “professional” organization, Padilla stressed there’s no need to conduct a loyalty check among its ranks.

“There is no need for loyalty checks, our chief of staff has already stated that he trusts that each soldier will perform its mandate accordingly and remain professional,” she said.

“Our loyalty is to the flag and to the Constitution and we adhere to the Chain of Command.”

Padilla noted the high trust the AFP receives from the public, which they wished to maintain.

“With the latest survey, we are very proud that we are able to maintain the status of the AFP being one of the most trusted, if not the most trusted, from all other agencies,” Padilla said.

“We will assure the public that we trust that each member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines remains professional in all of this. These are all noise that is going on. And we request to not lose focus on the bigger challenge that we are facing ahead,” she added.