Military rule or role?

Wednesday, 10 March 2010 03:07 PM Megan Flores

delfin-bangit Deep-seated paranoia over the military and the administration continues to foster the specter of election failure and the perpetuation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s hold on power. The latest turn of the screw is the recent appointment of Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit as the chief of the staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Malacañang is the wrong institution to give assurances to the public of the integrity of its intentions, especially where the military is concerned. There is already a widely-held belief that in the 2004 and 2007 elections, the AFP was instrumental in the administration’s cheating operations for the President and her allies. Several generals were implicated in special operations that allegedly rigged the vote to make President Arroyo win.

Bangit enjoys a perceived closeness to the President, being her senior aide-de-camp when she was Vice President, and head of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) during three coup attempts against her administration. Bangit is also a member of the Philippine Military Academy “Makatarungan” Class of 1978 that adopted Ms. Arroyo as honorary member.

Former AFP chief of staff Sen. Rodolfo Biazon hit it right in the pulse when he said that the people feared Bangit because of the “track record of the President in her disregard for institutions and institutional processes to protect her political interests.”

“Because of the non-resolution of the ‘Hello Garci’ controversy, there is in the minds of the people that Bangit can be again used to defeat the election process,” he said.

His appointment came in the heels of the signing of an agreement between the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the AFP, under which the latter would fall under the Comelec’s full disposal in the May 2010 elections.

This move alone has been triggering alarm bells since December 2009 when the proposal to amend the existing agreement was first broached by Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales and took effect on January 10.

This proposal has been called a “twisted brainchild of Gonzales” by Senatorial candidate Satur Ocampo, while fellow congressman Teddy Casiño said it would only further politicize the military and give it greater control over the political system at a time when its role should be lessened.

Then, as now, administration and opposition members alike are restive over the decisions of the President and her cabinet. Retired Maj. Gen. Ramon Montaño expressed apprehension that the AFP under Gen. Bangit would “again be used to frustrate the people’s will.”

The most telling observation was given by Vice Presidential candidate Senator Mar Roxas II when he said that officers from the class of 1978 now “control almost all of the major service commands. We have to be alert that any sinister plan of this government will not prosper.”

With the long history of distrust and apprehension that has hounded the administration, all the public can ever hope to do is to take the government's assurances at face value while heightening its vigilance. Presidential candidate Senator Manuel Villar said that what is crucial is for the AFP and all citizens is to “safeguard the institutions of democracy at all times.”

Detained rebel leader and senatorial candidate Brig. General Danilo Lim said, “While the AFP chief must be loyal to the commander in-chief, Gen. Bangit should show his impartiality amid a highly contested election. He should commit to democracy and the rule of law and not the rule of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.”

The paranoia is understandably heightened by the collective apprehensions and lingering uncertainties surrounding the automated elections itself, combined with the observation that this year's polls would have a record number of PMA adoptees and military men running for candidacy.

The possibilities are certainly ripe for these politicians to use their networks in the military for their own ends in the coming elections. The least that the “mistahs” can do, according to Sen. Biazon, is to avoid violating the constitutional ban on engaging in partisan politics and to maintain the apolitical nature of soldiers. Only in this way will the role of the military keep us from being ruled by the military.

Modern mom to four kids, Megan takes pride and finds joy in being a stay-at-home mom. She is a graduate of Communication Arts with a post-grad degree in Bachelor of Laws, but has put her career in government service temporarily on hold to personally take care of her growing children Megan blogs at Over A Cup of Coffee.