The Philippine military says it will go on full alert ahead of rallies planned in Manila this week by opposing camps in a row over the impeachment of the country's top judge.
Military spokesman Lieut-Col Daniel Lucero said the nationwide alert would start on Tuesday morning with troops being sent to an area of the city where the country's two "People Power" uprisings of 1986 and 2001 took place.
Tensions in the country have been running high for the past week after a move by opposition lawmakers to oust Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide prompted street protests and fears of a constitutional crisis.
Davide, who is facing a possible Senate trial over allegations he misused public funds, has warned the country was at risk from "military adventurism" if the impasse between Congress and the judiciary was not resolved soon.
Lieut-Col Lucero told reporters the armed forces had no intention of joining either side in the dispute. "We can assure the public that no member of the armed forces will join any attempt to grab power."
Some 300 rogue troops seized control of an apartment complex in Manila's financial district in July to protest corruption in the military, hitting business confidence and reawakening fears of military intervention in the country's politics.
Protests for and against the impeachment are planned this week and are expected to continue until November 10th when Congress and Senate resumes business after a 12-day holiday which is being used to seek a compromise.
Supporters of former president Joseph Estrada, himself the subject of an impeachment trial before his 2001 ouster, are mobilising poor urban residents in favour of the impeachment, while the powerful Roman Catholic church and former president Corazon Aquino have been leading the fight against it.
Last Friday, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo told army division commanders to account for all their forces and warned she had "the will, the authority and the resources to quell any disorder or attempts at destabilisation."