AFP spox refutes PNP drug claim on slain soldier

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesperson, Major General Edgard Arevalo, refuted the Philippine National Police's (PNP) claim that Army Corporal Abdal Asula was involved in illegal drugs.

Arevalo stated that the PNP's accusation is a "desperate attempt" by the assailants to tarnish the soldier's reputation and justify the killing of the four AFP personnel.

He added that the local police are fabricating claims to evade responsibility for the murder.

The AFP spokesperson also pointed out that the police initially claimed self-defense, despite evidence contradicting this.

During a Senate investigation, the PNP presented a supposed drug matrix linking Asula to illegal drugs, noting his relatives' involvement and his brother's death in a shootout with police.

However, the AFP dismissed this, citing that witness accounts and the NBI investigation contradicted the police's initial claims of self-defense and Asula's alleged drug involvement.