GMA visits Aguinaldo housing project

President Arroyo vowed to release P1.5 billion for the housing project of soldiers during an unannounced stopover at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City yesterday.

Accompanied by presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor, Mrs. Arroyo was welcomed by Vice Adm. Ariston de los Reyes, Armed Forces vice chief of staff.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Generoso Senga is out of the country.

While at Camp Aguinaldo, Mrs. Arroyo inspected the newly constructed condominium inside the former compound of the Armed Forces Logistics Command.

The military housing project aims to give shelter to thousands of homeless military officers and enlisted men and women.

During a brief tour of the new housing facility accompanied by Reyes and military deputy intelligence chief Rear Adm. Tirso Danga, Mrs. Arroyo promised to release an additional P1.5 billion to help fund the military housing program.

"She promised to release P1.5 billion for our housing program," Reyes told reporters, who were only informed about the visit minutes after Mrs. Arroyo and her party had left.

Asked where Mrs. Arroyo would get the money, Reyes, AFP Housing Board chairman, said he was instructed to coordinate with the Department of Budget and Management.

Several disgruntled officers said Mrs. Arroyo’s visit was her way of appeasing and winning back dissatisfied soldiers to her side.

"She should not resort to this kind of tactic in her desire to silence the growing dissatisfaction of the rank and file," one military officer said.

One of the officers said the soldiers’ loyalty to their sworn duty to defend the people and the country superseded any loyalty to individuals or personalities.

"No amount of benefits which are due to the soldiers can in any way erase the fact that our senior commanders bastardized themselves by allowing themselves to be used in the last elections," another officer said.

"We prefer institutional and leadership changes and can continue to make sacrifices just to attain it," he said.

Before proceeding to Camp Aguinaldo, Mrs. Arroyo visited the wake of Air Force fighter pilot Capt. Aniano Amatong Jr. at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City.

Amatong died when his plane, a Vietnam War-era OV-10 Bronco bomber, crashed in a fishpond in Barangay Binakod in Paombong, Bulacan Tuesday morning.

Mrs. Arroyo’s unannounced visit to Camp Aguinaldo came two days after her top military commanders confirmed the existence of a coup plot against her.

On Monday Senga, flanked by the three military service commanders and other senior military officials, confirmed that disgruntled soldiers were plotting a coup against Mrs. Arroyo.

On Tuesday, Col. Tristan Kison, AFP public information chief, claimed anti-government forces had been recruiting junior military officers, from second lieutenant up to captain.