MANILA, Philippines - The year 2011 was not a good one as far as the military’s image is concerned.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was labeled the most corrupt state agency, a stigma usually attached to the public works department, customs, tax bureau and the police.
An exposé of a former military officer led to changes in the Armed Forces’ systems and in the lives of some personalities, with one even committing suicide at the height of the controversy.
A scandal involving the excessive financial perks of ranking AFP officials greeted the military at the start of the year.
George Rabusa, a retired lieutenant colonel and former AFP budget officer, claimed in a Senate hearing that funds were diverted to allow ranking officers to avail of hefty cash gifts.
Generals who were about to bow out of the service supposedly received millions in sendoff money or pabaon.
Rabusa said millions in United Nations reimbursements were diverted to the provisions for command directed activities, the alleged source of pabaon.
He admitted benefiting from the alleged misuse of AFP funds. He said he used to receive P500,000 monthly as budget officer and had P200 million in a personal bank account that he had to withdraw when the Anti-Money Laundering Council was formed.
Rabusa claimed 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.
Reyes, Villanueva and Cimatu were quick to deny Rabusa’s claims.
Reyes, whose two sons are godchildren of Rabusa, committed suicide last Feb. 8 at the gravesite of his mother at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina.
Rabusa has filed plunder charges against more than 20 active and retired military officers and civilians before the Justice department.
Among those who were charged were retired generals Ernesto Boac and Gaudencio Pangilinan.
Boac, who was defense undersecretary when Rabusa filed the case, is now on indefinite leave. Pangilinan, on the other hand, is now the chief of the Bureau of Corrections.
Military officials have claimed that the irregularities revealed by Rabusa are a thing of the past.
‘Most corrupt agency’
While lawmakers are probing the anomalies in the AFP, Pulse Asia released a survey showing that Filipinos regard the military as the most corrupt agency of government.
The survey released last May showed that almost half of Filipinos or 48.9 percent view the AFP as an institution where corruption is most prevalent.
The latest figure is much higher than the 8.1 percent who held such a view in a poll conducted in February 2009.
Other agencies perceived as corrupt were the Philippine National Police (26.6 percent), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (18.2 percent).
The nationwide non-commissioned survey was conducted from Feb. 24 to March 6.
The allegations of corruption have prompted the AFP leadership to review its financial and logistics systems.
Eduardo Oban, an Air Force general, assumed as chief of the 125,000-strong armed forces last March and vowed to implement strong anti-corruption measures.
Oban mapped out an 18-point agenda that sought to strengthen the financial and logistics management of the AFP.
The measures under Oban’s reform agenda include the signing of a military logistics support and ordering agreement; using purchase cards to avoid carrying too much cash; improving the bids and awards committee, logistics organization and procurement service; implementing a lease-to-own scheme; reconciling accounting books; improving the AFP disposal program for unserviceable equipment and reimbursable fund operations.
Other reforms proposed by Oban are improving the planning program for procurement; expanding combat expense; giving of a command and management allowance and simplifying transaction flow.
Reforms also include setting up an integrated personnel management information system; evaluating personnel requirements to fit the AFP’s reform programs; including logistics and financial modules in military career courses; setting up a fraud watch system or whistleblower program; and enhancing the AFP’s internal audit system.
“We shall remove two basic conditions that breed corruption – opportunity and motivation – by further strengthening our systems and procedures that shall ensure accountability of every personnel,” Oban said during his assumption.
“We shall overcome by discouraging material gain as a material of success and encouraging a simple and healthy lifestyle. Yes, we shall overcome,” he added.
However, allegations of irregularities continued to hound the AFP under Oban’s leadership.
The office of the deputy chief for logistics under then Commodore Teddy Pan reportedly incurred P430 million in fuel expenditures in the first quarter, higher than the P120 million allowable expenditure.
On the other hand, the office of the deputy chief for civil-military operations under then Commodore Miguel Rodriguez was dragged into a questionable transaction with a contractor.
Rodriguez’s disbursing officer, Maj. Christopher Lee Patindol, went AWOL after he was accused of using the AFP to borrow P1.15 million from a contractor. Rodriguez was subjected to a probe because of the issue.
Both Pan and Rodriguez have been cleared of the allegations against them. Pan has retired from the service while Rodriguez has been promoted to rear admiral.
Oban, who retired last Dec. 13, has claimed that stopping the anomalous conversion of funds is one of his achievements.
Conversion is a scheme wherein supplies to be purchased are converted to cash. Military officers reportedly resort to conversion if they do not have available funds for unexpected needs.
Lt. Gen. Jessie Dellosa, who assumed as AFP chief earlier this month, vowed to continue the achievements of Oban and even declared an all-out war against corruption.
“Practices which may breed misconduct and dishonesty within our ranks were identified and discontinued… Indeed, we now hold our personnel to a higher ethical standard,” Dellosa said.
A new beginning for capability upgrade efforts
The year 2011 also proved to be a new beginning for the AFP, especially in its capability upgrade efforts.
The most notable achievement for this year is the acquisition of the Navy’s first Hamilton-class cutter from the US Coast Guard.
The ship, which has been renamed BRP Gregorio del Pilar, will be used to beef up the Philippines’ territorial defense capabilities. It will be deployed to the West Philippine Sea off Palawan to secure the country’s borders and energy projects.
The government spent P450 million for the transfer costs of the 380-foot long vessel, now the Navy’s largest ship. The ship, which was acquired under the US Foreign Military Sales program, arrived in the Philippines last Aug. 17.
The Gregorio del Pilar is classified as a cutter, a high-speed vessel that can cut through waves. The US Coast Guard used the ship for drug and migrant interdiction, law enforcement, search and rescue, living marine resources protection, and defense readiness.
The Navy claimed the Hamilton-class ship symbolized the revival of the military’s capability, which has been drastically depleted due to lack of funds.
“We regard this (ship) as an icon of the revival of the capability upgrade of the armed forces. This symbolizes our seriousness (to upgrade our military),” Navy chief Vice Admiral Alexander Pama said in an earlier interview.
The US has vowed to provide the AFP another Hamilton-class cutter to boost the Philippines’ capacity to defend its territory.
Another significant achievement is the acquisition of the BRP Tagbanua, a landing craft utility that is 100 percent Filipino-made.
The ship, named after the Tagbanua tribe in Palawan, was built in Misamis Oriental. It was designed to transport combat personnel, tanks, vehicles and other cargo.
The government spent P180 million from the military’s modernization funds for the ship, which was manufactured by shipbuilder Propmech.
The Air Force also saw the completion of the project to acquire 18 SF-260 trainer aircraft to improve the educational facilities of student pilots. The planes were acquired from Italian firm Alenia Aermacchi S.p.A. for P622.59 million inclusive of integrated logistics support.
The 18 planes were delivered in four batches. The first batch arrived on Oct. 12, 2010 while the second and third batches were delivered on Nov. 29, 2010 and March 1, 2011, respectively.
Other accomplishments for this year include the acquisition of two night fighting systems worth P326 million; the refurbishing of two Navy patrol killer medium worth P279 million and the delivery of 40 truck troop carriers worth P126.5 million.
The Aquino administration has bared plans to acquire surface attack aircraft, air defense radars, long-range patrol aircraft and closed air support aircraft for the Air Force.
For the Navy, the government wants to buy strategic sealift vessels with amphibious vessels, offshore patrol vessels, three naval helicopters, coast watch stations and weather-heavy endurance cutters.
The Army would be provided with new assault rifles, armor assets, tanks, armored personnel carriers, force protection equipment like helmets, and bulletproof vests, night-fighting equipment and radios.