Retired Southcom chief evicted from Aguinaldo house

A former commander of military forces in Mindanao almost found himself homeless yesterday after he was nearly evicted from his quarters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Retired Lt. Gen. Alberto Braganza, also a former senior military aide to President Arroyo, requested the military leadership to give him a month to look for a place to stay but was given only three days.

Military regulations require that officers immediately move out from their quarters 60 days upon retirement to give way to active duty officers.

Braganza said there was hardly any room for him and his wife in their old house in Quezon City because their two children live there with their families.

"I am aware of the regulations," he said, adding that he hoped that his service record would earn him some slack. "So I am requesting for another month. Now if they will not grant me that, that’s no problem."

Braganza retired on Sept. 10 last year. Two other retired top officers, Maj. Gen. Efren Orbon and Brig. Gen. Ramon Santos, were also given until Friday next week to move out or face forcible eviction.

On orders from Brig. Gen. Jovenal Narcise, Camp Aguinaldo’s commander, soldiers were already out to enforce the eviction orders.

Yesterday, soldiers removed Mrs. Braganza’s expensive and rare flowers displayed at the entrance of their quarters and were already loading Braganza’s furniture onto a truck.

They stopped when the former general arrived and appealed to Armed Forces chief Gen. Generoso Senga for more time. Senga instead gave him three days.

Lt. Commander Earl Pabalan, deputy chief of the military’s public information office, said Braganza promised last year that he would move out in November. But when he didn’t, the military decided to boot him out.

"We have many officers who are applying for quarters and many of them are hoping that they would be given. That’s why we are telling those who are no longer qualified for military housing to move out," Pabalan said.

Braganza’s eviction drew mixed reactions from some officers.

Some said the eviction was proper while others believed that Braganza should have been given some slack because of his service record.

"He never abused his position. He once was also the Camp Aguinaldo camp commander," said one officer.

Others expressed disbelief that despite being an owner of luxury cars — including a BMW — and expensive pets that include rare species of birds and pedigree dogs, Braganza failed to invest in a retirement home.

"It sounds impossible that he didn’t put up a retirement home. All his furniture are pretty expensive," wondered one junior military officer.