UPI Convenor praises VP Sara for not exploiting protests against PBBM administration

FORMER Philippine Air Force Inspector General, retired MGEN. Romeo De Vera Poquiz expressed his admiration for Vice President Sara Duterte over her refusal to exploit the explosion of public protests against the Marcos administration since last year over the issue of massive government corruption and leadership incompetence.

At a post on his social media page on March 17, Poquiz, who also served as commander of the PAF’s 2^nd Air Division largely responsible in aiding the victims of the devastating ‘Typhoon Yolanda’ onslaught in 2013, said the Vice President’s refusal to support the protests showed she has integrity and principle.

Although an ardent supporter of the Marcos-Duterte tandem during the 2022 presidential election, Poquiz and other like-minded retired military officials would become vocal critics of governance abuses allegedly now rampant under the present administration.

The grassroots-based and reformist United People’s Initiative (UPI), which he now heads as a ‘Convenor,’ rose to local and international prominence over the series of anti-corruption rallies it spearheaded calling for transparency and accountability beginning last year.

In his post, Poquiz noted that in September 2025, when public protests started against the massive government corruption, highlighted by the multi-trillion pesos Flood Control Project Scam, “friends” and “allies” of UPI approached Duterte to seek her “moral support.”

“Ang kanyang naging tugon ay diretso, malinaw, at walang paligoy-ligoy:

“Hindi ako maaaring sumuporta sa mga rally na iyan. Kapag nagtagumpay at nagbitiw si BBM, ako ang direktang makikinabang bilang papalit na Pangulo—conflict of interest iyon.

“Kung gusto nina General Poquiz o General Brawner (the current Armed Forces chief0, sila na lang ang umupo kung manalo sila. Huwag na ako isama.”

“Sa isang pahayag, malinaw ang kanyang paninindigan—hindi kapangyarihan ang inuuna, kundi prinsipyo,” Poquiz posted.

“Sa panahong maraming politiko ang handang samantalahin ang krisis para sa pansariling ambisyon, ang ganitong pagtanggi ay hindi kahinaan—ito ay malinaw na patunay ng integridad at disiplina.

“Ipinapakita nito ang paggalang sa Konstitusyon, sa tamang proseso, at sa prinsipyo ng hindi pagiging partisan at mapayapang pagkilos.

“Sa gitna ng ingay at bangayan sa pulitika, bihira ang ganitong uri ng liderato—yung hindi naghahangad makinabang, kundi marunong umiwas kapag may bahid ng personal na interes.

“Para sa UPI, ang ganitong paninindigan ay nagpapakita na si VP Sara ay karapat-dapat maging susunod na Pangulo—hindi lamang dahil ito ay naaayon sa Saligang Batas, kundi dahil sa karakter at integridad na lubhang kinakailangan sa gitna ng kasalukuyang krisis pampulitika at pang-ekonomiya.”

In closing, Poquiz asked the public: “Ilan pa ba ang ganitong klaseng lider ang natitira sa atin?”

Poquiz is currently out on bail after his arrest last January 5 on arrival from abroad after being slapped with an “inciting to sedition” case filed by the Philippine National Police.