The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Sunday strongly denied Davao Rep. Paolo“Pulong” Duterte's "false" claim of US ties, saying it undermines the military's integrity and patriotism.

Duterte had accused AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. of“gambling” with the lives of Filipinos and allegedly boasting about the US Typhon missile system's capability to reach China.

“We urge all public officials and opinion leaders to exercise prudence and responsibility in their statements to avoid fueling misinformation or distrust toward our Armed Forces,” the AFP said.

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“The AFP remains steadfast in its duty to protect the Filipino people and defend the nation's sovereignty - serving no one but the Filipino, and protecting nothing but the Philippines,” it added.

The organisation also dismissed what it described as a“misleading interpretation” of statements made by AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. regarding the temporary deployment of the US Typhon missile system in the country.

According to Inquirer, the AFP said in a statement that“General Brawner merely stated a technical fact about the system's range and clarified that its presence is for training and capability-building purposes-part of the AFP's ongoing modernisation efforts to strengthen national defense."

“Any insinuation that the AFP or its leadership serves foreign interests is false and undermines the integrity, professionalism, and patriotism of the institution and its members who continue to defend our sovereignty,” the AFP added.

Gen. Brawner had addressed the Typhon missile system's capabilities during a press conference, noting that the medium-range missiles could reach the mainland and artificial islands of any country, which explained protests from China. He clarified, however, that the system is not meant to target or threaten any specific nation.

“For our part, foreign powers should not interfere with our actions. We are enhancing the AFP to defend the nation against any country that might attempt to invade or seize our territory. This is not specifically directed at China; rather, it is an effort to strengthen our own Armed Forces,” he said in Filipino.

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