Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr.’s forthcoming retirement will take place amid a colorful political atmosphere, thanks to his recommendation that the group of Magdalo leader Captain Gerry Gambala be given conditional pardon, and current speculation that he is to take over the Defense portfolio soon.
Those two developments are sure to mobilize the phalanx of Esperon haters who, we learned from our sources, have organized once more to ensure that the AFP chief does not end his stint with flying colors.
Since a demolition job on Esperon is expected to commence any time soon anyway, this column would rather use this space to recall the important gains of the AFP during his watch. Some might wonder what a business section column is doing commenting on the retirement of an AFP chief.
But the fact is that the quality of AFP leadership is very important to the business sector. The market is not insulated from the goings-on in the military sector.
And the stability of the AFP definitely has much to do with investor confidence.
International businessmen rely on the advisory of their embassies based in the country where they do business. Many of the adverse advisories on the Philippines were triggered by the presence of so-called “terrorist- elements” which is the number one downer to global investors’ enthusiasm.
At the risk of sounding patronizing, this column would like to point out that Esperon did manage to erase the names of some prominent personalities labeled as terrorists. In particular, there’s Khadaffy Janjalani, the feared Abu Sayaf leader, and his top sidekick Jainal Antel Sali whom businessmen know as Abu Solaiman.
With the two killed in the wake of Esperon’s Oplan Ultimatum, businessmen know the group does not have the ability to launch urban terrorism, making the country a safer haven for enterprise and investments.
The AFP, under Esperon, also achieved major feats in the war against communist rebels. This is nothing to scoff at. Local government leaders like Bohol Governor Erico Aumentado would prove that where insurgency is eradicated, provinces and regions prosper.
Where there is no insurgency, investors come in and prosper communities like that of Bohol.
Businessmen are always on the look-out for investment opportunities in the countryside. But they are deterred by the thoughts of “revolutionary taxes” and the danger posed by armed rebel elements. Esperon has significantly eradicated that tax regime as the number of NPA guerrilla fighters hit an all-time historical low during his watch.
The business community, of course, will not forget that Esperon held military adventurism in check. So, even when the Trillanes group marched pompously along Ayala and took over the Manila Peninsula, the stock market and the peso merely sneezed but did not tumble. We knew the AFP, by and large, is under a tough leader who will not bow to adventurists within the AFP ranks.
We can only say, thank you, General.
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