GMA to PMA graduates: Be honest, stay tough

Stressing the need to clean up the battered image of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), President Arroyo called on new graduates of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) yesterday to "stay tough" and blow the whistle on corruption amid their ranks.

In her speech at the commencement exercises of PMA Class of 2005 at Fort del Pilar in Baguio City, Mrs. Arroyo reminded the graduates to remain strong and be "prepared to stand in harm’s way if needed."

She told the graduates the government would also make a greater effort to meet their needs.

"Integrity is what I ask of you, especially in this time of challenges regarding the transparency of governance in the Philippines," Mrs. Arroyo said in her address.

"Be honest and call attention at once to breaches in the code of honor," she challenged the cadets.

Mrs. Arroyo said the graduates must live up to their class motto — Sanlingan (Honor) — and maintain honesty even in the face of financial and physical distress in fighting enemies of the state.

"I recognize that you must be adequately equipped to fight and to win against this foe in whatever form it takes, for as long as it takes," she said.

Toward this end, the President vowed to upgrade the poorly equipped soldiers in their battlefront fight against communist insurgents and Muslim separatists in the hinterlands of the country.

"The enemy is wily and evil. It has the capability to mutate and hide in the anonymity of urban centers," Mrs. Arroyo told the graduating cadets, referring to the Abu Sayyaf extremists who staged a deadly Valentine’s Day bombings that rocked the cities of Davao, General Santos and Makati City, leaving 13 people dead and over 100 others wounded.

Mrs. Arroyo said she would implement speedy reforms in the AFP and called on closer cooperation between government agencies and the military to jumpstart the country’s economy.

The President issued the call a day after AFP chief Gen. Efren Abu announced the abolition of the Logistics Command (Logcom), a major military service in charge of supplies in the AFP.

Abu stressed the abolition of the Logcom is part of the AFP’s effort to rid its General Headquarters (Camp Aguinaldo) of operational functions.

But he admitted Logcom had been perceived by the public as a graft-ridden office of the military.

With the flawed procurement system in the military aggravated by the presence of some corrupt personnel, Logcom apparently became the center of corruption within the military organization.

Abu earlier abolished the AFP comptroller’s office after its former chief, Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, was put on military trial for alleged corruption.

Garcia, who was in charge of the disbursement of military funds, is the country’s highest military officer ever to face court martial for alleged unexplained wealth here and abroad.

Garcia was said to have multiple bank accounts, eight luxury vehicles and choice real estate properties here and abroad under his and family members’ names.

In an effort to purge the military of its corrupt image following the Garcia controversy, Abu ordered the AFP Comptrollership division divided into four new offices under his direct command.

President Arroyo’s presidency survived the 2003 "Oakwood mutiny," prompted by charges of corruption amongst AFP officials.

Over 300 junior officers and servicemen staged a one-day mutiny in July 27, 2003, seizing the Oakwood Premier Ayala Center in Makati City to highlight their claims of corruption in the military hierarchy.

Mrs. Arroyo told the PMA graduates yesterday that soldiers must keep in step with changes, particularly in "this fragile moment in our history," that will require every citizen to press for new accountability to achieve "a stronger, more transparent, more nurturing Philippine society."

She said the government is determined to implement reforms in the AFP and follow the recommendations of the Feliciano commission that investigated the root cause of the Oakwood mutiny.

Mrs. Arroyo said Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz is now in the process of implementing the reforms, which would be closely integrated with the government’s peace strategy, including the conduct of peace diplomacy and principled peace negotiations to address the root cause of insurgency and contain terrorist activities.

The President reminded the AFP of its larger vision: to help the country’s economy grow. She said soldiers should not only speak of forces but also of engineering battalions that help in the development of infrastructure in the remote parts of the country.

Mrs. Arroyo told the graduates that the nation needs the full support of both civilian and military communities as she thanked the AFP for its faithful adherence to democracy and constitutional duties.

"Working together, we in the various branches of government are not only putting our fiscal house in order, but engendering the climate needed to grow investments and entrepreneurship," the President said. — With AFP