Expose abusive CA members, AFP chief urged

Armed Forces chief Gen. Generoso Senga was urged yesterday to expose members of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) who are asking for money, gasoline and other concessions or perks from military officials.

House Minority Leader Francis Escudero made the appeal yesterday in reaction to Senga’s proposal that the CA’s power to approve or reject major military appointments be curbed to depoliticize the military.

Ilocos Norte Rep. Imee Marcos, a former CA member representing the House minority, said it is not unusual for lawmakers sitting in the commission to ask for money, gasoline, transportation and other concessions and privileges from officials going through the confirmation process.

She said concessions sometimes arise in the form of appointments for the protégé to juicy posts, contracts for favored suppliers and contractors or the dropping of charges against corrupt appointees.

Meanwhile, Senate President Franklin Drilon emphasized yesterday that military officers have no choice but to go through the confirmation process at the CA because it is required under the Constitution.

Drilon, also chairman of the CA, assured Senga that the Armed Forces and the Department of National Defense would not be politicized by the CA and that the Commission is committed to provide the public with the country’s best leaders in the military and civilian bureaucracy.

"General Senga should not fear influence peddling in the military because the Commission has always adhered to its duty and it always gives importance to integrity which is supposed to be one of the yardsticks for any nominee’s confirmation," Drilon said.

Escudero said the commission’s power is part of the system of checks and balances enshrined in the Constitution.

It is also designed to determine the fitness of military promotions, from the rank of colonel to general, he said.

"As in our system of government, which President Arroyo and her allies are desperately trying to alter, the defect in the process of CA confirmation over military appointments lies not in such process but in the people wielding the power of confirmation or rejection," he said.

He said officers going through the confirmation process are equally to blame for its defects for giving in to the capricious requests or demands of CA members.

"General Senga should expose these abusive members, but he should support his exposé with testimonies and other evidence," he added.

Escudero said he supports Senga’s objective to depoliticize the military and to insulate promotions in the Armed Forces from politics.

"Their loyalty should be to the Constitution, not to politicians, including the President," he said.

However, in accomplishing this objective, Senga and other military leaders should muster enough courage to expose politicians who allegedly influence promotions and officers who are being coddled by politicians, he said.

He added that it is important that the protector and the one being protected should both be exposed.

"Gen. Senga, who is retiring in just a few months, would leave a lasting legacy to the organization he leads if he did that," he stressed.

Senga has submitted a proposal to amend the National Defense Act in order to do away with the CA confirmation requirement for promotions.

But according to Drilon, an amendment of the National Defense Act alone is not enough; it is the Constitution itself that must be amended.

Citing Article VII, Section 16 of the Constitution, Drilon said "promotions of all military officers, from colonel up, have to be confirmed by the CA, a constitutional body composed of 12 senators and 12 congressmen presided over by the Senate president.

"Apart from providing checks and balances in the governmental system, reviewing and approving military promotions and appointments strongly validates the principle of civilian supremacy over the military as provided in the Constitution."

Drilon also challenged the individuals accusing some CA members of being abusive and corrupt to name names and substantiate their claims by bringing these to the proper forum.

"Whenever it (investigation) becomes necessary, we have to immediately conduct it in order to erase suspicion on the integrity and probity of the appointments body," he said. — With Marvin Sy