Palace leaves fate of Bangit to Noynoy

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is letting the next administration decide the fate of Armed Forces chief of staff Delfin Bangit, who, despite criticisms of his appointment, continues to enjoy the trust and confidence of President Arroyo.        

Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar insisted that Bangit’s appointment, like all other appointments made by Mrs. Arroyo, was in accordance with the law but may be reviewed by Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III when he becomes president.

“As for General Bangit, he serves as chief of staff at the President’s pleasure, which he obviously enjoys from Mrs. Arroyo. Senator Aquino, if he feels differently, can dismiss the general two seconds after he recites his oath of office (on June 30),” Olivar said.

Aquino has said he is not keen on retaining Bangit as military chief because he was appointed under questionable circumstances.

The Commission on Appointments (CA), led by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, ended its hearings on pending appointments last Friday without confirming Bangit.                                                                               

The CA also failed to confirm the appointment of 301 other senior military officers.

It resumes deliberations when the 15th Congress opens in July. Deputy presidential spokesman Rogelio Peyuan said as far as the Arroyo administration is concerned, Bangit’s term is only up to June 30.                                                                    

“So the rest, I suppose, we will leave it to the next leadership to decide on the matter of the designation of a chief of staff considering that a new Commander-in-Chief will also be coming in to the Palace,” he said. Enrile earlier urged Bangit to step down because his appointment has not been confirmed. He said AFP vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang should take over from Bangit once he leaves his post.                                            

Over the weekend, however, Enrile changed his tune and proposed that the next president allow Bangit to finish his term until the end of the year.                                                    

In an interview with radio dzBB, Enrile said Bangit’s ad interim appointment during Congress’ recess was valid but the CA did not have time to confirm the appointment because of numerous requirements.                                          

Enrile believes Bangit’s promotion to four-star general would also mean confirming his appointment as AFP chief. “Under the law, there is only one four-star general and that is the chief of staff. So when the appointment was made it was complete in every respect whether he’s confirmed or not, he carries that rank,” Enrile said. He said he would not know what to do with Bangit if he would not stay on as AFP chief. “So I said if I were the President, I will probably extend his ad interim appointment and let anybody who wants to question that go to the Supreme Court and let the Supreme Court decide,” Enrile said. “These are legal issues that were never anticipated by the framers of the Constitution.”

Bangit will not resign

The military yesterday insisted that only the president as commander-in-chief could order Bangit to step down from his post. AFP spokesman Lt. Col. Arnulfo Burgos, Jr. said Bangit would not resign because the CA bypass only applies to his promotion as a four-star general and not to his appointment as chief of staff.

“General Bangit continues to serve as duly appointed chief of staff at the pleasure of the president... Any action by the Senate Commission on Appointments can pertain only to his rank, not the duties assigned to him by the Commander-in-Chief,” he said. Burgos said the military views a resignation as an act of cowardice.

“There is no such thing as a resignation in the military because it is an act of cowardice. We do not practice that. It is like running away from responsibilities,” he said. “The performance of our responsibilities will continue unless we are ordered to quit.” 

Burgos said the military remains solid behind Bangit despite calls from various sectors for him to relinquish his post.

“The AFP under him (Bangit) is solid and united and would continue to perform its mandate with utmost dedication and commitment for the benefit of the people,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Arroyo has approved the recommendation of the Department of National Defense to allow the 301 senior military officers bypassed by the CA to retain their present posts to prevent service gap.            

Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales made the recommendation following the adjournment of the 14^th Congress last Friday without confirming the promotions of military officers.                                                             

Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza, who made the announcement, said failure to address the potential service gap could have lead to serious demoralization in the AFP Officer Corps, and undermine the integrity of the military’s command structure.

Affected by the bypass were officers holding the ranks of General, Lt. General, Major General/Rear Admiral, Brigadier General/Commodore and Colonel/Captain (Philippine Navy) as of June 5, 2010.                           

Mendoza, himself a former chief of the Philippine National Police, said the military should be insulated from partisan politics, hence appointments to sensitive military positions should be left to the discretion of the command hierarchy.

The various boards that screen applicants for their seniority, merit and performance determine promotions in the military. Officers with the rank of full Colonel and above, however, are still subject to CA confirmation. - Alexis Romero, Aurea Calica