Keep military away from politics, con-com told

The military should keep as far away as possible from politicians and partisan politics, representatives from the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) told the presidential consultative commission (con-com) on Charter amendments.

The commission, tasked to recommend amendments to the Constitution, has finished about 70 percent of its work and is expected to present its proposals to President Arroyo by the Dec. 15 deadline.

In a recent meeting with members of the con-com’s committee on general provisions, amendments and transitory provisions and constitutional commissions, representatives from the DND and AFP strongly proposed that the Charter should insulate the military from politics.

Committee chairman Jose Leviste said the DND and AFP representatives suggested that Article 7, Section 16 of the Constitution be changed so that only officers to be appointed to key positions such as chief of staff, vice chief of staff, or commanders of the major AFP services be subjected to the scrutiny of the Commission on Appointments.

"I am all for the proposal. Our soldiers are put under too much pressure. They are just starting their careers, at the rank of colonel, and they have to go through the Commission on Appointments. It seems that they owe their promotion to the ruling politicians," Leviste said in an interview aired over dzBB.

DND and AFP representatives also suggested that the deputization of military personnel by the Commission on Elections should be limited to cases of "serious armed threats" to the election process. The determination of what constitutes a "serious threat" should be left to lawmakers, they said.

Those consulted by the con-com included former AFP chief retired general Narciso Abaya, retired general Feliciano Gacis, National Defense College chief retired commodore Carlos Agustin and lawyer Karina Tanega, who represented the DND.

It was also proposed that unless provided in the Constitution, laws on retirement of military officers should not allow extension of their service. The amendment, the con-com said, is being proposed to ensure that it will not be a bar to changing the military officers’ retirement age or date through legislation.

They suggested that in order to professionalize the AFP and do away with the "revolving door" practice, the AFP chief of staff should be given a fixed term of three years unless otherwise relieved by the President for due cause. The AFP chief-of-staff’s tour of duty, however, may be extended by the President in times of war or other national emergency declared by Congress.

Those consulted by the con-com also proposed the inclusion of a provision in the Constitution that would allow the President to enter into executive agreements such as joint cooperation for short-duration military training exercises, disaster relief operations, or with foreign governments "in the interest of national security and welfare."

According to the con-com, proposals made by the AFP and the DND representatives will still be discussed during the committee hearings and will be debated on for approval in a plenary session.

Meanwhile, the con-com said it has conducted consultations in many parts of the country and these indicate "overwhelming" support for a shift to the parliamentary and federal system of government and lifting restrictions on foreigners owning land and businesses.

This was revealed yesterday by con-com vice chairman for Luzon and San Fernando City Mayor Oscar Rodriguez at a press briefing at Clark Field, Pampanga before a public forum on Charter change attended by some 400 multi-sectoral leaders from all over Central Luzon.

Rodriguez confirmed Speaker Jose de Venecia’s recent pronouncements that the shift from presidential to parliamentary system of government is "irreversible." He said De Venecia’s statements were based on the feedback he gathered from the public consultations held by the con-com so far.

"We will finish the job as mandated by Dec. 15 and it will be up to (Mrs.) Arroyo to endorse it to Congress or not," he said.

In a related development, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said she does not see why De Venecia’s Charter change initiative should be rushed through the House and approved by the Senate by yearend when senators are busy reviewing the proposed national budget for 2006.

Saying that the move is nothing but an attempt to "railroad" the approval of the initiative, she noted that certain congressmen are "hoping the railroad will turn into a juggernaut" or an irresistible force that, in the Philippines, is usually driven by "money."

"There is therefore an implication that you can just buy the Senate either in cash or in kind. Why the rush?" Santiago said.

She added that while amending the Constitution "is bad enough, it is even worse when there is an attempt to ram it down the throats of the senators."

Santiago joined Senate President Franklin Drilon, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., and Sen. Joker Arroyo in condemning the House’s move.

"Is changing the form of government going to serve the role of panacea to all our problems? I am appalled as a constitutional law scholar at this attempt to bait a national misfortune," she said.

Public sentiment

Commissioner Betty Lourdes Tabanda said the con-com has so far held public consultations in many parts of Metro Manila, Northern Luzon, and Regions 6 to 11.

She said that in all these consultations, overwhelming support for a shift from presidential to parliamentary and from a unitary to federal system of government was observed, except in Quezon City and Zamboanga City.

"There is sweeping sentiment that a shift to parliamentary system will benefit the economy," said commissioner Levy Laus.

Commissioner Gonzalo Jurado said those consulted in Quezon City did not favor a parliamentary system of government but favored federalism, while those in Zamboanga City objected to the proposed shift to either a parliamentary or federal form of government.

Jurado claimed, however, that during the workshops held in the two cities, local officials seemed to have influenced the outcome of the views expressed by the participants.

"In Zamboanga, the official walked around during the workshop to express his opposition" to parliamentary and federal system of government, he said.

Tabanda denied allegations that the con-com has been "preaching" in favor of a parliamentary-federal system of government.

"Some of us (in the con-com) are not even in favor of a parliamentary system of government. But our consultations also are an education and information drive since many still do not know what parliamentary and federal system of government is," she said.

Tabanda said the support for federalism is "very, very strong" in Mindanao, noting that "even those batting for the creation of a separate Moro state there have expressed support for federalism, but they want it immediately."

De Venecia is batting for a shift to a parliamentary system of government with an eventual transition to a federal system.

Commissioner and Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Donald Dee, one of those not in favor of a shift to a parliamentary system, said only a few members of the con-com advocate the retention of the current presidential form of government.

He and commissioner Sergio Luis Ortiz, president of Phil Export, expressed the business sector’s reservations about a federal system of government. — With Christina Mendez, Lino de la Cruz