Says military morale remains high
AN official of the Department of National Defense (DND) official yesterday said there is no need to check the loyalty of the Armed Forces amid rumors of a destabilization plot against the administration of President Marcos Jr.
In a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Defense Undersecretary for capability assessment and development Angelito de Leon said there is no question as to the morale of the troops which he said remains high.
“There is no need for a loyalty check. The AFP remains steadfast and loyal to the Constitution, to the flag and to the duly-constituted authorities,” said De Leon, a retired Army general.
He also said newly named Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. has instructed senior defense officials — who were planning to submit courtesy resignations — to stay put.
Rumors about the destabilization plot spread after President Marcos Jr designated Gen. Andres Centino as Armed Forces chief last Friday, cutting short the three-year term of Centino’s predecessor, Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, provided by a law that took effect in July last year.
De Leon said there is nothing irregular in the designation of Centino as the military chief.
“It is the prerogative of the commander-in-chief to designate not only the chief of staff (of the Armed Forces) but also of course the key officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and DND civilian bureaus,” said De Leon.
De Leon also noted the high number of military officials who attended yesterday’s traditional joint DND-AFP New Year’s call at Camp Aguinaldo.
“All the key commanders were there, including the key staff officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the DND civilian bureaus. So I think there is no issue on the morale, the morale remains high, they are focused on our mandate,” said De Leon.
De Leon said the Armed Forces has already dismissed rumors about the destabilization plot.
“The message of Secretary Galvez is that the one defense team should remain united and should pursue and focus on its mandate. Basically, that’s what he said in our transition briefing yesterday (Tuesday),” said De Leon.
In a television interview, Armed Forces spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar said the military establishment is not looking into the alleged destabilization plot supposedly coming from its ranks.
“There is no need for an investigation inside the Armed Forces of the Philippines because even after or during the change of command ceremony, we did not even raise our alert level. We maintained the (normal) alert level because everything was normal within the organization,” he said.
Aguilar said President Marcos’ designation of Centino as AFP chief is “not irregular.”
“It is within the bounds of law, meaning the President just exercised his authority and power to designate his chief of staff, being the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” he said.
“The President is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. He can chose or designate his chief of staff anytime and of course according to his choice,” he added.
CHAIN OF COMMAND
Aguilar said the military is a “professional organization that follows the chain of command.”
“We know very well who has the authority or the power to designate the leader of an organization,” said Aguilar, adding the military respects and supports the President’s decision to appoint Centino as AFP chief.
Aguilar said the military is not sure where the supposed destabilization plot came from, noting that soldiers are focused on their mandate to protect the people.
“We know that officers come and go and we have to follow the chain of command always to make sure that the organization is united and that we are able to perform our mandate,” said Aguilar.
Aguilar said he is not sure about individual views of soldiers about the change in the military leadership because the Armed Forces is a “very big organization.”
“But I can assure (the public) that it (Armed Forces) is an organization that follows the chain of command. It’s professional. We are focused on the mission and we follow the chain of command always to make sure that we are united and strong in accomplishing our mission,” said Aguilar.
‘GREAT STRIDES’
Galvez was not able to attend the New Year’s call which occurred a day after formally assuming the defense portfolio.
Galvez, who is also the chairman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, accompanied President Marcos Jr in visiting disaster-stricken areas in Northern Mindanao.
In a prepared message read by De Leon, Galvez, a former AFP chief, commended the Armed Forces for its feat in the past year.
“You have proven your steadfastness to duty and commitment to defending our country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity while selflessly protecting our compatriots from all threats, foreign and domestic,” Galvez said.
On internal security operations, Galvez said said the AFP “made great strides in our local peace-building efforts.”
“Together with our stakeholders, we freed many communities from the clutches of the communist terrorist group and welcomed back fellow Filipinos who were tragically led astray by a deceitful ideology,” Galvez said.
In the same event, Centino said: “The new leadership in the AFP and the DND shall represent a renewed commitment to unity.”
“In ensuring the cohesiveness and professionalism of our institutions while serving as role models to the subordinates following us, we fortify the relationship of our soldiers to their units and enhance the formidable foundation upon which the legacy of the AFP is built upon,” said Centino.
COURTESY RESIGNATION
De Leon said Galvez met with DND officials on Tuesday night and told them to “to hit the ground running.”
Before the meeting, De Leon said Galvez also met with his predecessor, officer-in-charge Jose Faustino Jr, for “smooth transfer of instructions, programs and activities” in line with the DND’s 10-point agenda which is the DND’s “strategic guide in moving forward for the next several years.”
Faustino submitted his irrevocable resignation to the President last Friday. He said he had been informed by the Palace about Centino’s return as AFP chief and learned about it only through the news and social media. The Palace denied this.
Centino assumed post the day after the Palace announcement, replacing Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, during rites presided over by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin at Camp Aguinaldo.
Centino first became Armed Forces chief in November 2021 during the time of President Rodrigo Duterte. In August last year, President Marcos replaced Centino with Bacarro, only to bring Centino back to the top AFP post last week.
On Tuesday, DND spokesman Arsenio Andolong said at least nine DND undersecretaries and assistant secretaries, who came to the department with Faustino last year, were due to submit their courtesy resignation to give the new DND chief a free hand to form his team.
De Leon stressed that submission of courtesy resignation is normal whenever a new head of agency comes in.
“This is nothing extraordinary (about it), even in other agencies, more so with the the one defense tam because we value tradition, that’s normal. It is incumbent upon the newly-designated head of agency to either accept or reject it,” said De Leon.
“In the case of Secretary Galvez, while we are ready with our courtesy resignation in accordance with customs, there is nothing extraordinary about it, he immediately gave the order, everybody stays put. Hence, nobody would resign or get out of the DND… We all agreed that we stay, the senior leaders and assistant secretaries,” said De Leon.
“Everyone stays (put) and let us continue and focus with the mandate of the defense department and the one defense team, including its bureaus and the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said De Leon, summarizing discussions during last Tuesday’s meeting.
MOVING FORWARD
De Leon said Faustino’s resignation was not discussed during the meeting. “What’s important here is we move forward and we address the mandate of the defense department.”
Andolong said: “I’d like to report that we had a smooth transition yesterday (Tuesday) and that he (Galvez) prevailed upon our executive committee members and our heads of bureaus to stay on.”
“We’d like to let you know that the DND is intact and his intention is to hit the ground running proverbially so there will be continuity, and to ensure that the 10-point agenda of the Department of National Defense will be implemented.”
In a message to reporters, Galvez said: “I did not receive any resignation paper. All DND officials will stay.”
RA 11709
Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday said the Senate is “hell bent” on amending Republic Act 11709 or the law which prescribes fixed terms for the AFP chief of staff and key military officers, even if the measure took effect just in July last year.
Zubiri said senators have to review the three-year term of office for the AFP vice chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, heads of the major services (Army, Navy, and Air Force), unified command commanders, and Inspector general as it apparently stalls the promotion of other officers, which is reportedly the cause of the supposed rumblings in the Armed Forces.
He said the original Senate version of the measure was that the AFP chief of staff will be the only one who will benefit from the law so as to prevent the “revolving door policy.”
“Our initial understanding then in the last Congress, the 18th Congress, was this was only for the AFP chief of staff. And then the bicameral conference committee convened, there were positions added. You have to remember that if we implement that, many colonels and even ranking generals, they can no longer assume positions. There will be no promotions, it will stop. So definitely, we will have problems,” Zubiri said at a forum.
Former senator Panfilo Lacson, principal sponsor and co-author of the measure, said he does not see the wisdom or logic in amending a new law which has not been tested yet.”
“In fact, the final version is generally the same as the original legislative proposal submitted by the AFP and DND with some amendments, of course. Further, the IRR (implementing rules and regulations) crafted by the former DND officials led by ex-OIC Faustino does not conform with the provisions of the law,” Lacson said in a message to the media.
He said that Congress has the power to amend any law so, “bahala sila (it’s up to them).”
AMENDMENTS
Zubiri said he has talked to Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, chairman of the committee on national defense, so they can set up a technical working group as “several senators” are filing amendments to the law.
“And personally, I am in favor of only extending the term of the chief of staff for three years. Everyone else will have to go through the process, the seniority process, although there is a version also filed when it’s the chief of staff and the major branches of service — which is the Air Force, Navy, and Army,” Zubiri said.
He said the Senate will study all of the amendments filed and they intend to pass the amended version of the measure on the first quarter of the year.
“Griping of junior officers will be gone because there is only one position which will be extended for three years, everyone else will have to go through the seniority process,” he said.
RA 11709 which took effect on July 1 last year, prescribes that the AFP chief of staff, vice chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, heads of the major services (Army, Navy and Air Force), unified command commanders and inspector general will have a three-year term of office “unless sooner terminated by the President.” The President may extend the AFP chief of staff’s tour of duty in times of war or other national emergency declared by Congress.
The law also gives the Philippine Military Academy superintendent a tour of duty of four years, “unless sooner terminated by higher authority.”
It provides for the compulsory retirement of military personnel at 56 or 30 years’ satisfactory active duty for those in the grades of second lieutenant/ensign (to colonel/captain.
For those in the grades of brigadier general/Commodore to lieutenant general/vice admiral, the retirement age will be 59 or the maximum tenure-in-grade, whichever comes earlier.
Officers or enlisted personnel may go on optional retirement upon accumulation of at least 20 years’ satisfactory active duty.
RETIREMENT FUND
Zubiri said he is also pushing for the creation of the AFP Retirement Fund which will handle the sourcing of funds for the pensions of retired soldiers.
He said he came up with the idea after he noted that pensions of retired soldiers now exceed the amount being allotted for the salaries of active members of the armed forces.
He said measures to ease government spending for the retired soldiers’ pensions have been introduced by Lacson and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa in the 18th Congress but were not discussed thoroughly due to lack of time.
Zubiri said GSIS Chairman Vic Veloso is willing to handle the pension funds.
“We can create the AFP retirement fund and put it as an attached agency of the GSIS run by the GSIS,” he said.
He said there is a pending measure filed by Estrada called the “Unified Military and Police Pension Fund” which they will tackle as soon as Congress resumes regular sessions on January 23.
“We have to finish that, we have to fix that, otherwise, it will balloon our expenses in the national budget. So, it has to be done this administration, particularly this congress,” he added.—- With Raymond Africa
