The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) downplayed circulating reports of military tank sightings along Edsa on Monday night – the eve of President Rodrigo Duterte’s planned address to the nation. There is no cause for alarm,” AFP spokesperson Col. Edgard Arevalo said in a statement on Tuesday. The AFP spokesperson was reacting to “persistent queries” on the alleged sightings of tanks, military helicopters, and other military assets. “Matters that are otherwise normal occurrences,” Arevalo said, adding that “there were no such sizeable movements of military aircraft or armored vehicles.”Posts about armored vehicles supposedly rolling along Edsa circulated on social media on Monday night. In a separate text message, AFP public affairs chief Col. Noel Detoyato confirmed that the military has been on red alert since last week.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer September 11, 2018 08:03 UTC