MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine defense and military chiefs rejected a call for the country’s armed forces to withdraw support from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in response to public outrage over allegations of massive corruption in flood control projects that have implicated several congressmen and public works officials and sparked pockets of street protests.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. and military chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. issued a joint statement late Friday expressing their rejection of “all attempts to patronize the Armed Forces of the Philippines by certain groups that insinuate or suggest unconstitutional, unilateral interventions.”

They did not elaborate, but underscored that the 160,000-member military was non-partisan, professional and “abi

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