Army general faces raps over recruitment scam

Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano ordered the arrest and confinement to quarters of an Army general earlier suspended without pay for six months by the Office of the Ombudsman for graft charges.

Following his arrest, Maj. Gen. Jose Barbieto, former 4th Infantry Division commander based at Camp Evangelista, Cagayan de Oro is now restricted to his quarters in the Army headquarters at Fort Bonifacio upon Yano’s orders.

Barbieto’s arrest was in line with the ongoing pre-trial investigation against him over alleged massive personnel and financial scams at the 4th Infantry Division under his watch.

Barbieto reportedly sanctioned the fraudulent recruitment and re-enlistment of soldier-applicants, most of whom were later proven to be unqualified.

Barbieto is the second member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1974 arrested and facing possible general court martial (GCM) trial.

The other one is Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, who is presently detained at the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) for reportedly leading an attempt to unseat President Arroyo on Feb. 23, 2006.

Barbieto and Miranda are classmates of AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon and Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Avelino Razon Jr.

Barbieto was ordered relieved of his post last March 6 to give way to a just and impartial investigation.

Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said Barbieto’s co-accused, S/Sgt. Roseller Echiper, was also ordered confined to quarters last Mar. 13.

The two have been placed under the custody of Brig. Gen. Ricardo Morales, the Army camp commander.

“Their restrictions and confinement shall take effect until such time that their cases are resolved,” Torres said.

Torres said that Barbieto and Echipere are being investigated for allegedly violating Articles of War 55 (officer making unlawful enlistment), 96 (conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman), and 97 (conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline).

According to the results of an initial investigation, the two accused committed fraudulent enlistment, recruitment and re-instatement of soldiers at the 4th Infantry Division.

“The Army Inspection team reviewed and re-evaluated each case to determine the regularity of entry of soldier-applicants into the military,” Torres said.

He stressed that admission into the military without going through the prescribed process is considered fraudulent and may result in the offender’s separation from the service.

The Army probe team reported to Yano that 97 out the 150 candidate-soldiers undergoing training at the 4th Infantry Division were outrightly unqualified, 20 conditionally passed and only 33 are considered as eligible trainees to become regular soldiers.

Another report showed that out of the 133 new privates who recently enlisted in the Army, 87 were unqualified and another 46 conditionally passed.

Because of this, Yano ordered the cancellation of the appointment orders of the unqualified soldier-applicants and 87 newly enlisted privates.

On the other hand, those who conditionally passed were given a chance to complete their requirements if they wish to remain in the military service or training.     – Jaime Laude