Exclusive | Philippine army colonel faces charges after anti-Marcos post goes viral amid coup concerns
Audie Mongao will also undergo psychiatric tests after he sparked a political storm by withdrawing support for the president
A Philippine army colonel relieved for his anti-Marcos stance has “voluntarily” returned to his unit and will face charges and psychiatric evaluation, according to his superior.
Army spokesman Louie Dema-ala said Mongao was “put into attached/unassigned status to give way for a thorough investigation” by the military.
Since 1986, a Philippine military officer’s “withdrawal of support” has been synonymous with an attempt to unseat a sitting president in a coup.
Marcos’ father and namesake was overthrown in 1986 in a “People Power” uprising that grew out of an abortive coup bid against the dictator. Fifteen years later, then-president Joseph Estrada was forced out of office after a sudden withdrawal of support by the entire chain of command.
Mongao’s boss Major General Michael Logico told This Week in Asia that the officer was “fully cooperating with us” and “charges will be filed against him regardless of the psychiatric assessment”.