DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Army chief Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano warned soldiers yesterday of drastic action and punishment if they take part in any coup against the government.
“We have given the unit commanders the power to neutralize any situation that would move toward any effort to destabilize government,” he said.
“We have a task to focus on and we should concentrate on our task and not on what is happening in the political scene.”
However, Yano said the military has not detected any unauthorized movement among troops despite the revelations of national broadband star witness Rodolfo Lozada Jr.
“Definitely, we have not observed anything,” he said. “We have not detected any movement even with the latest Lozada revelations.”
Yano said those plotting to topple government would only succeed in recruiting individual soldiers, not entire military units as what happened in the past.
“We have not heard of entire military units being recruited in the destabilization attempts, although we have had individual military personnel,” he said.
Yano said his officers and men are committed and loyal to their mandate to follow the chain of command.
“It is true that our officers and men are to a great extent exposed to what is happening through the media,” he said.
“But whatever is their personal opinion, they keep it to themselves. And it is okay as long as their focus is still on the task at hand.”
Yano said the military is a volunteer organization where the officers and men were not forced to join.
“So, while they are still in active service, they have to toe the line and it is only when they are out of service that they could shout to their heart’s content what they want to say against government,” he said.
Soldiers who want to disrupt the government should leave the service, Yano said.
Yano arrived here yesterday for the turnover of command of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division based in Camp Panacan, this city.
Army Maj. Gen. Ernesto Boac, who reaches the mandatory retirement age of 56 on Feb. 15, relinquishes his command to Brig. Gen. Antonio Amodia as officer-in-charge.