EDITORIAL — Becoming part of the solution

Next time a Philippine soldier is seduced by power, he should consider the plight of comrades afflicted with a messianic complex. Yesterday the military and police presented to the public six officers implicated in the Oakwood mutiny in 2004. The six escaped from detention in January and were later implicated in a coup that was supposed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the people power revolt on Feb. 25. Now the six are likely to face court-martial together with senior officers led by Army Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and several Marine officers. Can the civilians who tried to use them for political ends help them now?

Lim has been asking for trouble throughout much of his checkered career. In December 1989, he led members of the elite Army Scout Rangers in taking over the Makati commercial center in the bloodiest attempt to topple the Aquino administration. Benefiting from an amnesty program, Lim was not only reinstated but even rose to become commander of the elite Scout Ranger Regiment. No wonder he never learned his lesson. This time he might. Will civilians learn to stop using the military for political purposes?

As the six were presented to the public yesterday, Armed Forces chief Gen. Generoso Senga reiterated the appeal he made on his first day at the helm of the AFP: support your Armed Forces, he urged the people, and let soldiers do their job in peace. The AFP’s tasks are difficult enough, Senga said, without soldiers being embroiled in politics.

Like Lim, many of those implicated in coup attempts are idealistic, dedicated officers. Many of their grievances are valid, and this administration has given enough reasons for discontent in many sectors of society. Too many political scandals have been left unresolved. The Philippine soldier, however, must leave the resolution of these problems to civilians and constitutional processes. The AFP cannot become part of the problem. In ridding itself of the coup mentality and reshaping itself into a professional, apolitical armed force, the AFP becomes part of the solution, a building block of a strong democracy.