EDITORIAL - Looking for a new breed in the AFP

A mandala represents either the universe or harmony within oneself. The Class of 2006 of the Philippine Military Academy has chosen the symbol, used by Buddhists and Hindus for meditation, to describe the batch, which graduated in ceremonies at the PMA in Baguio City yesterday. The "Mandala" class is the biggest ever, we are told, in the history of the PMA; it also has the biggest number of women graduates.

Let’s hope the increasing number of women is not the only major change sweeping the country’s premier military academy. Let’s hope as well that the Class of 2006 will live up to its chosen symbol and contribute to bringing harmony to the troubled Armed Forces of the Philippines.

That can happen only if the newest members of the AFP’s officer corps have been given a clear perspective of the military’s role in a democracy. Among the most basic: the military must respect civilian supremacy. This means staying out of schemes to install any junta with military officers as members. And while the military played a crucial role in ending the Marcos dictatorship, the nation has changed since 1986 and the situation is different now; it’s time for the military to leave politics to the politicians. The professional Philippine soldier must be loyal not to any particular individual but to the nation, the flag, the Constitution – to institutions and values that are indispensable in a functioning democracy.

The youth is the future of the nation. Hopes for a professional, apolitical AFP, with young officers providing momentum to changes, can be realized only if national leaders do not block efforts to implement the necessary military reforms. Some of those reforms are underway; others await legislation or are being fine-tuned. Many will take years to complete. The efforts have been derailed by the latest political turmoil, with both the administration and opposition trying to use the military for partisan political purposes.

Until the country’s politicians themselves learn to keep their hands off the military, there are certain AFP officers who will be seduced by power and allow themselves to be used for partisan politics. The PMA’s Class of 2006 should be part of a new breed – one that has been taught enough to know better.