EDITORIAL - Bellyaching

MANILA, Philippines - When members of the Philippine Military Academy’s once privileged class of 1978 were leapfrogging over senior PMA batches during the Arroyo administration in terms of promotion and coveted assignments, Rear Adm. Feliciano Angue saw no injustice. The head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ National Capital Region Command happily toiled away in his plum post, amid rumors that the military and police commands in Metro Manila were preparing to create a scenario that would justify a postponement of the May elections. 

Now that Class ’78 has lost its pampered position and its most prominent member, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s favorite soldier Delfin Bangit, has opted for early retirement as Armed Forces chief, Angue is suddenly seeing injustice in the AFP’s system of assignment and promotion. Angue is stewing over his replacement as NCRCom chief and his transfer to the Naval Forces Western Mindanao Command. In a speech yesterday, he described his transfer as a demotion. He attributed it to his claim that certain military officers engaged in politicking in the May elections, and those who picked the right candidate were now being rewarded.

Angue’s transfer, made amid an ongoing general reorganization in the AFP because of the change of leadership, is from a position that merits three-star rank to one for a two-star general. Angue has only two stars, but he didn’t see anything wrong when he leapfrogged over three-star officers to get the Metro Manila command in the previous administration. Why is he bellyaching now for getting a position calling for his two stars?

No one has a title to any military position, even if that could be an impression certain members of Class ’78 might have developed during the previous administration. Not surprisingly, Arroyo allies in Congress have chimed in, calling for an investigation into Angue’s complaint. Don’t lawmakers have saner things to do?

If Angue wants to dabble in politics, he should quit and seek elective office, like other military officers before him. The midterm elections are three years away, but he can still make it to the upcoming barangay election, if he is in a hurry to enter politics. Otherwise he should obey his superiors, shut up and take his punishment, if that’s what he considers his new assignment. The AFP brass, meanwhile, should rethink this posting. Unhappy officers can compromise military operations, especially in high-risk areas of Mindanao. Angue is a naval officer; he should be good at floating.