Palace, AFP back Habacon

Malacañang and the Armed Forces of the Philippines jointly defended the appointment of Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon as AFP Southern Command (Southcom) chief amid criticisms linking him to the "Hello, Garci" wiretap scandal.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the appointment is President Arroyo’s prerogative and, as she is commander-in-chief, her instructions should be obeyed and respected.

"Once the appointing authority like the president as commander-in-chief makes the choice, then nobody should question that and indeed, I know the fellow personally," Ermita said.

Notwithstanding the possible link to the wiretap scandal, he said Habacon has not been convicted or formally charged of any offense.

"As long as an officer, not necessarily in the Armed Forces, or any public official for that matter, has not been charged formally, has not been convicted, they are qualified," Ermita said in a press briefing.

AFP chief Gen. Generoso Senga also defended the appointment of Habacon as Southcom chief, stressing the Army general has all the qualifications to command the military’s largest troop contingent in Mindanao since he has gained extensive combat experience in the region.

Senga called on critics to allow Habacon to perform his new duty as Southcom chief.

"Let us see how General Habacon will perform his duty. We have selected him (because) of his qualifications," Senga said in addressing the troops at the Southcom headquarters in Zamboanga City yesterday.

Senga formally announced the appointment of Habacon as Southcom chief last Tuesday, replacing Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan who retired yesterday.

Habacon is among the generals mentioned in the "Hello, Garci" wiretap recordings that supposedly detailed election fraud carried out during the May 10, 2004 elections.

Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, on the other hand, claimed the appointment of Habacon was in return for the role he played during the 2004 elections.

"I am asking (if) Habacon played prominently in the alleged conduct of special operations in the 2004 elections, which investigation has yet to be tackled by the Executive department and the military leadership despite the call for a full-dress probe by the Senate and some congressmen," Biazon said.

The former defense chief and retired Marine general also raised the question of seniority in the appointment of Habacon.

Biazon claimed Habacon had bypassed more than 10 generals who are senior to him.

He added the issue of seniority might be raised by other officers against Habacon, pointing out the position of Southcom chief is usually reserved for three-star generals.

No politics

Ermita, however, claimed there had been no complaints arising over Habacon’s appointment.

"I don’t think that will be an opportunity for everyone to take advantage (of). A fellow having reached two-star rank now going to be a three-star (general) definitely must have something between his ears, he (Habacon) has lots of accomplishments," Ermita said.

"I don’t think (Habacon’s) appointment is accidental," he added.

Senga also brushed aside politics in the appointment of Habacon though the general was among the senior military officers mentioned in the wiretap recordings.

He pointed out Habacon’s appointment went through a "grueling process" of scrutiny from the Board of Generals (BoG) before it was recommended to President Arroyo for approval.

The President also approved the appointment of AFP deputy chief for intelligence Rear Admiral Tirso Danga as the new chief of Western Command (Wescom) based in Palawan.

Danga was chief of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP), the supposed source of the wiretap tapes used by the opposition in their impeachment bid against Mrs. Arroyo as evidence of her alleged fraud in the 2004 elections.

ISAFP operatives reportedly tapped phone conversations between the President and an election official widely believed to be former commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

Danga has denied the ISAFP undertook surveillance operations on the President.

The appointments of Habacon and Danga raised a few eyebrows because of their involvement in the "Hello, Garci" controversy.

Biazon echoed the concerns raised by military officers on the appointment of Danga who lacks field experience and was number 26 on the AFP seniority list.

"As far as I know Danga has no field command experience, has no command-at-sea experience and his staff assignment is purely on intelligence," Biazon said.

"But (what) western command requires... is field command experience," he pointed out.

Biazon claimed there was a seeming "disregard of the minimum requirements in the selection of officers for the advancement in rank and in position."

"This could affect the professionalism needed, and could affect the morale of our soldiers and therefore contribute to the level of stability we need to achieve within the ranks of the AFP," he said.

But Senga stressed both Habacon and Danga were highly qualified for the posts.

Habacon, for his part, appealed for sobriety and said the investigation on the wiretap issue should be allowed to take its course.

Adan, in his farewell speech to troops, said moves to create a separate Mindanao would not address the security situation.

He maintained that as long as there are more than 30,000 loose firearms in Mindanao, there will be no peace and order and terrorism will continue. — Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez, Roel Pareño