EDITORIAL - Because he could

How could a military general amass at least P135.4 million illegally, apparently within only a few years when he served as comptroller of the Armed Forces of the Philippines? The environment in the AFP, where the entry-level salary is barely above the minimum wage, allowed Carlos Garcia to accumulate that wealth. And he did it because he could.

Garcia would have gotten away with everything if his wife Clarita had not slipped in trying to save their sons from the clutches of US authorities. Asked to explain where her sons got all the dollars they were bringing into the United States, without proper declaration, Clarita said her husband the military comptroller received a lot of gifts from people doing business with the AFP, and that there was more where the money came from.

Clarita and her sons Juan Paulo, Ian Carl and Timothy Mark have pleaded guilty to bulk cash smuggling in the United States. The other day Garcia copped a plea himself, paving the way for the immediate forfeiture of his assets amounting to P135.4 million. He is expected to be freed after pleading guilty to the lesser offenses of bribery and money laundering instead of plunder, which does not allow release on bail.

The man who originally worked on the case, former ombudsman Simeon Marcelo, warned yesterday that the plea bargain was invalid because it was allowed only before the start of trial. Apart from this legal issue, another concern is whether the environment that allowed Garcia to amass ill-gotten wealth remains intact in the AFP.

Garcia was not the only military general who could afford to live in a mansion, accumulate a fleet of luxury vehicles, and maintain a globetrotting lifestyle for his family. Had it not been for Marcelo’s persistence, Garcia would have gotten away with everything. As the scandal erupted, his AFP peers had sat on the case, hoping that he could simply retire in peace. Is this culture of watching each other’s back, especially among alumni of the Philippine Military Academy, still intact in the AFP?

In recent years, laws have been passed to streamline government procurement, cut red tape and plug opportunities for corruption. But crooks in this country tend to quickly find ways of circumventing the law. As Garcia regains his freedom, vigilance is needed to ensure that other military officers aren’t following in his footsteps.