Army transformation

In a busy airport, people paused and then began applauding as a line of uniformed men and women filed past. The soldiers smiled as they acknowledged the accolade.

The scene, caught on video, was taken in the United States, where military personnel enjoy special facilities at airports. At Los Angeles International, audio recording is constantly played over the public address system, welcoming soldiers and thanking them for their “sacrifice.”

Such a scene is unlikely in our country at this point, although the public indignation over the slaughter of 44 police Special Action Force commandos indicated that Filipinos understand the personal risks taken by those tasked to keep the nation safe. The Philippine National Police is civilian in nature but it is still seen as part of the uniformed services. The top tiers of the PNP also continue to be dominated by graduates of the Philippine Military Academy.

I haven’t seen that kind of public indignation over the killings of members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This could be due to residual memories of military abuses during the Marcos dictatorship, the ruinous coups and slapstick mutinies plus the continuing human rights violations attributed to the AFP since 1986.

In the communities of lumads or indigenous tribes in Mindanao, a well-crafted video is presented to schoolchildren. The video has a voice-over of nursery rhymes in the local dialect declaring that their basic needs are neglected by the “government of the plains,” and that the AFP’s “Oplan Bayanihan” is “all lies” and offers “fake assistance.”

The children and the other lumads are also taught their version of the national anthem. Dubbed “Bayang Magiliw sa Kabila,” the anthem points to the “lupang sinira (ruined land)” and “pula ng watawat” or the red in the flag.

Oplan Bayanihan is the AFP’s strategy of engaging the community and as many sectors as possible in carrying out the missions of the military. AFP internal security operations have been changed to “internal peace and security operations,” with emphasis on the peace component. IPSO, conceived in December 2010, was implemented in 2011.

“We’re trained to destroy,” said Philippine Army (PA) public affairs chief Col. Benjamin Hao. “Now everyone has started thinking: how can we win the peace?”

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Hao visited The STAR yesterday together with Army Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., the PA commander’s chief of staff; his public affairs chief Maj. Marco Antonio Magisa, and the AFP’s private sector partner, CEO Alex Lacson of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia. ISA was founded by Cory Aquino’s finance chief Jesus Estanislao. It is chaired by former civil service chief and health secretary Francisco Duque. ISA has received strong support particularly from private sector volunteers identified with the Ayala group.

The Army visitors were the ones who showed us the sleek lumad video. Winning hearts and minds has always been a challenge for the AFP, but even more so in the rebel-influenced lumad communities.

ISA is part of the multisectoral advisory board that is assisting the AFP in achieving its goal of making the public appreciate the role played by soldiers. Its vision is to have “a world-class Army that is a source of national pride by 2028,” pursuing a “genuine transformation program founded on good governance and performance excellence.”

Lacson said the focus is on making institutions “effective, efficient and inclusive,” through partnerships between the public and private sectors.

Among the institutions being developed into “champions in good governance” are the Army and Philippine Navy.

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To inform the public about the “Army Transformation Roadmap,” exhibits and “caravans” are being staged around the country as the PA prepares to celebrate its 119^th anniversary on March 22.

Tomorrow at Bonifacio High Street in Taguig, an M113 armored personnel carrier will be part of an Army display, with children encouraged to explore the vehicle. It will be the fourth time that Boni High Street is hosting such an exhibit. The first time was during the Army anniversary in 2014, followed by a similar one at last year’s PA celebration, and a third one on Independence Day 2015. The last one saw 11,500 visitors.

Bomb disposal suits that the public can try on will be part of the exhibit. Burgos said they want people including children to lose any fear of the AFP.

“We hope to tell them what the Army transformation is all about,” Hao said.

Inevitably, questions about transformation include military capability. Burgos points out that AFP modernization received a substantial boost under President Aquino and the nation is on track to achieve minimum credible defense posture.

Army troops have received 44,000 R4 guns – an M16-type assault rifle used by NATO and US forces – with 12,000 more just completing ballistics before distribution. Jets and naval vessels are also being acquired. (The AFP has Beijing to thank for the political will in the Philippine government to boost military modernization.)

Capability building must be complemented by a boost in civilian support. There are hefty roadblocks ahead, but if reforms stay on track, the AFP may yet realize its wish of seeing civilians “embrace” their soldiers.