Various quarters have expressed concern over the appointment of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales as officer-in-charge of the Department of National Defense following the resignation yesterday of Gilbert Teodoro. Some of the concerns cannot be ignored by Malacañang.
Palace officials have said that with only a few months left in the term of President Arroyo, there is no need to scout around for a new face to head the department that has supervision over the Armed Forces of the Philippines. But those few months include the campaign period, election day and the wait for the vote results. It will be the first time that the country will have fully automated elections, and every effort must be made to ensure the credibility of the vote. In this the AFP will play a crucial role. Much will depend on the impartiality of the head of the department that has supervision over the AFP.
Does Gonzales have the credentials? Apart from his proven loyalty to President Arroyo, whose commitment to honest elections is suspect, Gonzales is also the head of a political party, the Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas. The nation has seen the consequences of putting a politician in charge of what is supposed to be a non-partisan organization, when Benjamin Abalos was appointed chairman of the Commission on Elections.
In his long service to the President, Gonzales has had his share of controversies. He refused to disclose who was behind the P55-million government deal with Venable LLP to lobby in Washington in behalf of the Arroyo administration, amid speculation that a presidential relative was behind the deal. Gonzales has also been linked to purported plans by the President to impose emergency rule. Earlier this year, he was reportedly trying to extract a commitment from Chief Justice Reynato Puno to head a transition government in case there is a failure of elections.
Taking over the defense post in an acting capacity yesterday, Gonzales vowed, among other things, that the AFP would help ensure peaceful elections in 2010. But the prophet of election failure is not in the best position to make that promise. The Chief Executive is entitled to pick individuals who enjoy her full confidence as members of her Cabinet. But she is already hounded by allegations of poll fraud and must exert additional effort to dispel fears of vote manipulation in 2010. Her choice of defense chief is not a reassuring move.