No need for loyalty check on military — Palace

There is no need to conduct a loyalty check on government troops despite attempts by several unnamed personalities to exploit the recent violence in Basilan province that resulted in the deaths of 19 soldiers at the hands of Moro rebels, a Malacañang official said Thursday. Malacañang had earlier confirmed attempts by several personalities to provoke soldiers by spreading disinformation through text messages regarding the P5 million the government gave to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, said they are confident that the soldiers will remain loyal to the government despite the rumors that were designed to cause a rift between Malacañang and the military. “I don’t think our soldiers will be swayed by simply one or two or three text messages," Carandang said. “The soldiers are smart enough to know what the government is doing and what we understand is that they support the actions that we’re taking to go after lawless elements." Carandang also said they are not interested in identifying the person or group behind the text messages. “I don’t think we have to investigate every single text message that gets sent out," he said. He also refused to point to any group that may be behind the supposed malicious text messages. The government has admitted giving P5 million — and not P5 billion as mentioned in the text messages — to the MILF, saying the amount is for the establishment of a training center for future leaders. The MILF, on the other hand, admitted receiving the money but denied that it used the fund to purchase weapons. Reports of alleged demoralization in the military floated after President Benigno Aquino III rejected proposals to declare an all-out war against the MILF. — Amita O. Legaspi/KBK, GMA News