EDITORIAL - Continue the cleanup

More than two years after Clarita Garcia detailed to San Francisco airport authorities the source of her family’s wealth, the Sandiganbayan has finally ordered her arrest together with her three sons for the capital offense of plunder. Her husband, retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, was sentenced to two years of hard labor late last year by a military court for violations of the Articles of War. Garcia, a comptroller of the Armed Forces of the Philippines until the scandal over his wealth erupted a few months before his retirement, faces similar charges for plunder.

That the case ever reached this far is progress enough in the battle against corruption. Garcia is the first star-rank AFP officer to be tried and convicted by a military court in connection with graft and charged in a civilian court on charges of amassing ill-gotten wealth. Following his indictment, graft charges were also filed against other ranking AFP officers. Garcia’s case also led to reforms in the military’s procurement system as well as other measures to plug opportunities for corruption in the AFP.

The momentum for military reforms must be sustained if the nation wants to create a professional AFP. Corruption in the higher echelons of the Armed Forces has been a source of disgruntlement among idealistic young military officers. When frustrated, a number of these young officers turn to plotting a mutiny or coup d’etat. Those are not the answers to the problems bedeviling the AFP, and any soldier who becomes involved in such mischief must face the full force of the law.

One way of discouraging coup attempts, however, is to show AFP personnel that there are serious efforts to clean up their organization and create the type of professional army that is a crucial component of a strong democracy. Sustaining those reforms will make it increasingly harder for coup plotters to recruit sympathizers in the AFP. The military reforms that were highlighted by the prosecution of Garcia must be pursued relentlessly.