'Non-partisan' PMAyers 'adopt' candidates

MANILA, Philippines - They have “adopted” candidates – or so they claim – but insist they are apolitical.

Philippine Military Academy (PMA) classes with adopted members who are seeking the presidency have different views on whether – and how – they would endorse their respective mistahs.

Former Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) is an adopted member of class ‘76, while Sen. Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party is an honorary member of class ‘77. Class ‘80 said it has adopted Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party - but Aquino told The STAR in a forum last week that he has declined to be adopted by any PMA class to avoid politicizing the PMA.

Retired members of the PMA “Magilas” Class ‘76, which adopted Teodoro, will endorse the administration bet, but would do so when “the right time comes.”.

“As a class, we support each other. We believe in his advocacy. We believe in his capacity to serve, that is why we are supportive of him. But we keep that in our hearts until the right time comes,” retired police director Leopoldo Bataoil, president of the batch, said over the weekend in Baguio City.

When asked if they would campaign for Teodoro, Bataoil said: “We are going to do that in the proper time and forum.”

But he said the endorsement will have to be done individually by the class members as some of them are still in active service.

“Individually, we keep our choice close to our hearts. But for me, being retired and running with Gibo under the same party I fully support him and hope and pray that he will win. I believe he is the best choice for the country,” Bataoil said.

The former police official is seeking a congressional seat in the second district of Pangasinan under Lakas-CMD.

Police Chief Superintendent Vic Caragan, president of PMA “Mapitagan” Class ‘80, which claimed to have adopted Aquino, said they cannot campaign for the Liberal Party bet since they want to remain apolitical. The individual members, however, will likely vote for their mistah, he added.

“We do not have a stand on that (Aquino candidacy). We are apolitical. We are not allowed to campaign. The only time we become partisan is when we vote,” Caragan said.

Class ‘80 has also adopted Aquino’s four sisters - Ballsy, Viel, Pinky, and Kris - as honorary members to honor their mother, the late President Corazon Aquino.

Caragan denied rumors that some class members walked out last Friday when Pinky was inducted as honorary member at the Baguio Country Club.

“We were all there. We were sharing stories. Some of them went out of the room to cool themselves but they returned. I also went out to do that but I returned. We were there up to midnight,” he said.

Caragan said the class had decided to make the Aquinos its honorary members as early as last year, even before Noynoy expressed his intention to run for president.

“The adoption process is not that simple. There is nothing wrong with adoption. Joining a class is like joining a barkada (clique),” he said.

PMA “Masikap” Class ‘77, for its part, declined to comment on the candidacy of Villar.

“No politics. No politics. No politics please,” said Police Chief Superintendent Perfecto Palad, president of Class ‘77.

As this developed, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales discouraged yesterday the practice of adopting politicians into PMA classes.

In a statement, Gonzales said such practice drags the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) into partisan politics and taints military processes such as granting of promotions and selection of the chief of staff.

“The practice is harmful to our Armed Forces. It runs counter to efforts to professionalize them and to rebuild their image as the true guardians of our democracy,” he said.

Gonzales said the practice is divisive and puts military officers into a patron-client relationship with their adopted politicians.

“The officers become identified with their respective adopted ‘mistahs’ who are usually engaged in intensive, destructive political competition, especially during election season like now,” he said.

Gonzales said politicians worthy of admiration should instead be given honors by the PMA or the entire alumni.