18 proposals drawn up to improve military logistics, financial system

MANILA, Philippines -  The military and state agencies have recommended 18 proposals to improve the Armed Forces’ financial and logistics systems and to prevent abusive practices.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Commodore Miguel Rodriguez said the proposals were crafted by participants of the fiscal and logistics summit held last month at the Army headquarters in Taguig City.

The summit was attended by military officers and representatives of the Department of National Defense (DND), Commission on Audit (COA), and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).

“AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. is expected to enumerate the 18 proposals during a Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing today,” Rodriguez said. “These proposals aim to ensure accountability and remove opportunities for corruption.”

He, however, declined to elaborate on the recommendations but revealed that these covered the areas of fiscal management, logistics, law and order, training, and discipline of military personnel.

“I’m sure these will make a lot of changes in the procedures at the armed forces,” Rodriguez said, adding that the proposals will complement the recommendations of the defense department panel formed to probe the alleged anomalies in the AFP.

The two-day fiscal management and logistics summit was held on April 26-27 in the wake of allegations that former ranking military officers pocketed hefty sums.

Oban has said that the summit is part of efforts to improve their system.

“We will come up with recommendations and come up with a report to the public. We are doing this to put a stop to corruption,” Oban said in an earlier interview.

The AFP’s financial system came under scrutiny after retired budget officer George Rabusa told a Senate hearing last January that former military chiefs were given millions in sendoff money upon retirement.

Rabusa said some funds were diverted to allow ranking officers to avail of hefty cash gifts.

He said former AFP chief Angelo Reyes got P50 million in sendoff money while former military chiefs Diomedio Villanueva and Roy Cimatu got P160 million and P80 million, respectively. The three have belied Rabusa’s claims.

Rabusa’s revelations prodded the defense department to form a panel that would look into the alleged corruption in AFP.

The DND panel has recommended the auditing of intelligence funds to prevent corruption and promote checks and balance. Intelligence funds are currently exempted from state audit.

The panel also called for the removal of AFP oversight offices from the chain of command and to place them under civilian control.

These are the offices of the internal auditor, ethical standards and public accountability, judge advocate-general, and inspector-general, which are now headed by senior officers.