Retired Air Force general Romeo Poquiz arrested at NAIA over sedition charge

Dubai: Police on Monday morning arrested retired Air Force Major General Romeo Poquiz at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) over charges of inciting to sedition linked to his calls for the military to withdraw support from the administration.

The former general, a vocal critic of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., was taken into custody by operatives of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) at around 811am shortly after arriving at Terminal 3 from a family holiday in Bangkok. The arrest was based on a warrant issued on 5 December by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 77, with bail set at P48,000.

Poquiz serves as the convenor of the United People’s Initiative (UPI), a group composed of retired military officers. The charges against him reportedly stem from his participation in anti-corruption rally held at the People Power Monument in November 2025. During those demonstrations, Poquiz allegedly urged the military to turn its back on the Commander-in-Chief following a series of high-profile scandals involving government flood control projects.

The arrest has drawn sharp criticism from Poquiz’s legal team. Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio accused the government of "weaponising" the Department of Justice to stifle dissent.

"Instead of jailing the corrupt, he jailed those going after the corrupt," Topacio said in Filipino, claiming that police initially barred the legal team from conferring with their client during the booking process.

The retired general had previously made headlines for demanding transparency regarding billions of pesos in flood mitigation funds, which he and his group claimed were lost to "ghost" projects and kickbacks. This sentiment followed a series of congressional inquiries into the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that sparked nationwide protests last year.

AFP Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. had earlier confirmed meeting with Poquiz’s group to hear their grievances but maintained that the military remains professional and apolitical amidst the political friction.