Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. warned on Friday that protesters calling for a military-backed “reset” during anti-corruption rallies on 30 November may face legal consequences.

In an ambush interview shortly after the Senate deliberated the 2026 budget of the Department of National Defense and its attached agencies, Teodoro lamented that such calls are “totally illegal” and could be treated as incitement to sedition.

He explained that advocating for a government “reset” is an indirect way of pushing for a takeover, which the law prohibits.

“You know, that's totally illegal, and that's inciting to sedition. What you cannot do directly, you cannot do indirectly in the law. So when you say withdrawal of support, it's an indirect way of saying I'll take over, which is illegal,” Teodoro said.

When asked whether individuals pushing for the removal of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte could be charged, Teodoro replied, “Puwede, sa tingin ko ha… Pwedeng hulihin.”

He also noted that the matter falls within police enforcement.

“I mean, it's illegal. It's an indirect way, it's an artful way, that if any prosecutor is listening, they wouldn’t believe it, of saying what you are not allowed to say. But that’s up to the police,” Teodoro said.

Teodoro’s remarks followed Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson’s disclosure that retired military personnel had invited him to join a supposed “civil-military junta” to unseat the President and Vice President—an offer he turned down.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines later clarified there is no military junta within its ranks and reaffirmed its commitment to the Constitution.

“The AFP will never subscribe to any reset plot and our Constitution has no cheat codes,” AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla earlier said.

Teodoro previously made it clear that attempts to drag the military into partisan conflicts will not succeed.

“When it comes to the AFP, the public can be assured that our soldiers are professional. They do not need to be lectured. They know their mission and can be trusted,” he said.

He emphasized that the Constitution allows military intervention only under civilian authority—through court orders, police deputization, or a presidential declaration of martial law, subject to congressional review within 48 hours.

“No part of the Constitution permits the AFP to interfere in political matters,” Teodoro added. “If that were the intention, the framers would have said so.”

Teodoro also assured that the military will not be swayed by attempts to enlist it for political agitation, pointing to the AFP’s high public trust rating as proof of its independence.

“As I’ve said, if the public believed the AFP was being used to maintain undesirable situations, that trust rating would have completely collapsed,” he said.