Army colonel relieved after his alleged 'withdrawal' of support for Marcos

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January 9, 2026 | 4:06pm

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Army relieved a senior officer on Friday, January 9, after he said he "withdrew" his support for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a social media post — the latest sign of discontent within military circles amid a corruption scandal rocking the Marcos administration.

Col. Audie A. Mongao, a commissioned officer with 34 years of active service, was immediately removed as commander of the Training Support Group and placed under investigation after declaring online that he had no more personal support for the president.

The move comes four months after the military rebuffed an attempt by retired generals to convince active commanders to abandon Marcos over allegations that billions of pesos in flood control funding were stolen under his watch. That September meeting, which AFP chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. rejected, involved eight retired officers led by former Air Force Major General Romeo Poquiz, who was arrested this week on sedition charges.

"Effective today, Friday, 9 January 2026, I, COL AUDIE A MONGAO... is withdrawing my personal support to our President and Commander in Chief, Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr!" Mongao wrote on social media Friday. "Sobra na, tama na! The Filipino people is worth fighting for."

Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said Mongao was relieved "by the direction of the Commanding General" and placed into awaiting orders status "to give way for a thorough investigation by Training Command."

Maj. Gen. Michael Logico, commander of the Training Command, said in a Facebook post that Mongao was relieved Thursday night and has been unreachable despite efforts to contact him. Logico said an investigation is underway to determine possible administrative and legal charges related to the online statement, but added the Army is still trying to reach Mongao to offer "emotional support."  

The September 20 meeting at Camp Aguinaldo marked the most direct military challenge to Marcos' presidency so far. Brawner said Poquiz and the other retired officers visited him on the eve of September 21 anti-corruption rallies, telling him "somebody else deserves to be president" without naming who. The AFP chief had rejected the appeal, citing the military's loyalty to the constitution.