AFP won't sue Juana Change anymore, invites her to join reserve

MANILA, Philippines — The Armed Forces said on Friday that it would no longer file a case against a comedienne for improperly wearing a military uniform in one of the protests during the State of the Nation Address of President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday.

Restituto Padilla, a military spokesman, instead invited Mae Paner, popularly known as “Juana Change,” to join the ranks of their reservists if she would really like to help the Armed Forces.

He said the Armed Forces had decided not to pursue a case against Paner after a review of Monday’s events where she was seen donning a soldier’s battle uniform.

Padilla said that based on the information they received Paner did not insult any military man and wore the uniform in the “interest of the arts.” The comedienne and activist is known to don different costumes during street protests to get her message across.

On Thursday, Padilla released a statement saying that the AFP was planning to file charges against Paner for inappropriately wearing the military attire.

He said Paner’s action violated laws that governed the proper use of military uniforms and other martial symbols, adding that she disrespected the uniform since she was not a member of the armed service or part of the reservists corps.

“Her act of illegally using an AFP uniform is in violation of Art 179 of the RPC (Unauthorized Use of Uniforms) and RA 493 (Prohibition of Use of Insignias, Decorations, Badges and patches prescribed for the AFP),” the military spokesman said.

“We will take the necessary legal action to hold Ms. Paner accountable,” he declared.

Just recently, Duterte was also criticized for the way he wore a military uniform on one of his visits in Mindanao.

Duterte was seen wearing the uniform sans an undershirt and with the long sleeves rolled up. He was also wearing a baseball cap and a pair of rubber shoes while going around a military camp.

On Friday, however, Padilla had a different tack following the Armed Forces' review of the incidents surrounding Paner’s use of the military attire.

Padilla reminded Paner and other individuals to refrain from inappropriately using soldiers’ uniform. He said the military attire worn by Paner was the same uniform soldiers wear in battles which makes it very “sacred” for the Armed Forces.

“It is the same uniform that our soldiers wear whenever we go to battle and the same uniform many of our heroes die wearing in battles in the defense of the motherland and our people.”

The military spokesman said that if the activist would really like to help the AFP recruit more soldiers, it was open to having Paner among the ranks of its reservists.

“[Y]our Armed Forces is open to have Ms. Paner among the ranks of our patriotic reservists who without hesitation continue to be among our most ardent partners for change,” Padilla said.