Gov’t to implement Oakwood probers’ recommendations

A special panel has been created by President Arroyo to oversee the implementation of recommendations made by the Feliciano Commission to prevent a repeat of the failed military mutiny.

Commission member Carolina Hernandez said in an interview that she was appointed last Tuesday by Mrs. Arroyo to head the panel and supervise the implementation.

She was informed about the appointment by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo, the University of the Philippines law professor said.

Hernandez was given no deadline to implement the commission’s recommendations, she said, adding that some of them cannot be completed within Mrs. Arroyo’s current term.

She has tapped some Feliciano commission staffers as well as asked fellow commissioner, Capt. Roland Narciso, to join her, Hernandez said, adding that she will regularly consult other commission members.

On July 27, some 300 officers and enlisted men from elite military units took over a condominium in a Makati City shopping mall complex, complaining of corruption in the military and poor conditions.

They accused the military leadership of selling weapons from the government arsenal to rebel groups, including the notorious Abu Sayyaf Islamic kidnap gang, which is allied with Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda worldwide terrorist network.

They also claimed that then defense secretary Angelo Reyes and then military intelligence chief Brig. Gen. Victor Corpus were masterminding bombings in Mindanao to frame the Moro Islamic Liberation Front as a terrorist group.

They likewise alleged that top military officials were planning bombings in Manila in a bid to extend Mrs. Arroyo’s stay in power through martial law.

Reyes and Corpus denied the allegations but later resigned to spare Mrs. Arroyo from criticism.

The mutineers surrendered peacefully after a 19-hour standoff and marathon negotiations as Mrs. Arroyo threatened to order an assault.

Since then rumors of a new coup attempt have kept swirling, creating an atmosphere of instability.

Pledging to carry out reforms in the military, Mrs. Arroyo formed a commission headed by retired Supreme Court justice Florentino Feliciano to look into the mutineers’ complaints.

The commission recommended reforms in the military’s procurement system to minimize graft, more housing for soldiers, better benefits, among others.

One particular recommendation was the liquidation of the military’s pension fund, the Retirement and Separation Benefits System (RSBS).

Hernandez emphasized that the financially strapped RSBS should return the soldiers’ contributions with six percent interest.

Several military officers and five private individuals are currently facing graft charges by the Office of the Special Prosecutor for allegedly pocketing over P250 million in military pension funds.

The RSBS was created by Presidential Decree 361 during the Marcos regime. It manages the retirement and pension funds of soldiers, who, along with officers and enlisted personnel, are required to contribute four percent of their monthly salary to the RSBS.

The RSBS is administered by the Armed Forces chief through an agency, group or board, which he may organize, and, subject to rules and regulations that he may promulgate.

This is subject to the approval of the defense secretary while the military chief of staff has the discretion on where to invest the funds.

Earlier, Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita announced that a "joint defense assessment" group has been created to carry out a plan to reform and modernize the military.

The reforms, recommended by Philippine and US experts to enable the Philippines to respond to security threats, were to be implemented over five years.

The plan was endorsed by both Mrs. Arroyo and US President George W. Bush, Ermita said.

The group was an outcome of the President’s state visit to the United States in May, during which Bush reviewed Philippine security needs and pledged US assistance to help modernize the Philippine military.