Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. assures that there is no "need for a loyalty check" among the military as rift between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the family of Vice President Sara Duterte intensifies over the weekend.

"The statement of our chief of staff is, there is not even a need for a loyalty check," AFP spokeswoman Col. Francel Margareth Padilla told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday.

"Our chief of staff said that we remain united, we remain professional and we are non-partisan. so this is the call of our chief of staff to each member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines," she added.

In his speech during the prayer rally in Davao City last Sunday, former President Rodrigo Duterte accused Marcos of being a drug addict and warned that effort by allies of the administration to amend the Constitution through People's Initiative signature campaign could lead to him to the same fate of his late father who was ousted during the 1986 EDSA People Power revolution.

Following his tirades, Marcos said that his predecessor is highly addicted to fentanyl, a painkiller which has serious side effects that may have affected Duterte's thinking and behavior.

The former president also called on the AFP and the Philippine National Police to protect the constitution.

Padilla said the AFP viewed the call of the former president as "reminder" to the AFP of its "sworn duty."

"The call of the chief of staff is for each soldier to not really delve on these things but be non-partisan and professional," she said.

"It's like, it's reviving, it's giving directions and reminding us of that sworn duty but we remain and we continue to be serving the constitution," she added. Robina Asido/DMS