Esperon gets CA nod for fourth star

Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon got a bonus yesterday from the Commission on Appointments (CA) which confirmed his promotion not only as lieutenant general but also as a four-star general.

"We would like to express our gratitude to the Congress for the confidence they have vested in us," a jubilant Esperon said, adding that with the confirmation he would all the more try to fulfill his duty as chief of staff.

Esperon’s promotion to lieutenant general was expected to face some opposition from Sen. Jinggoy Estrada during the plenary session of the CA yesterday, but the senator failed to show up.

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, who represented Estrada during the plenary session, said he received a call from Estrada early yesterday saying that he was withdrawing his motion to ask Esperon more questions, which would have effectively blocked the confirmation of the officer.

"This morning, Senator Estrada called me saying he was withdrawing because he could not find time owing to serious illness in his family so I am hereby formally withdrawing the reservation made by Senator Jinggoy Estrada to propound questions to General Esperon," said Osmeña, who belongs to the Senate minority just like Estrada.

With the withdrawal of Estrada’s motion, no objections were raised on the confirmation of Esperon’s promotion.

Estrada has been looking after his son Joseph Luis who is confined at the Cardinal Santos Hospital in San Juan for treatment of dengue.

Last Monday, Estrada threatened to invoke Section 20 of the CA rules before the plenary as he intended to question Esperon about certain issues.

Specifically, Estrada said he wanted to ask Esperon about his opinion on the move of former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Angelo Reyes to withdraw support from the administration of his father, former President Joseph Estrada, in 2001.

The lawmaker said he also wanted to ask Esperon about his alleged involvement in electoral fraud as indicated in the "Hello, Garci" wiretapped conversations. Esperon denied this anew, saying his conscience is clear on the "baseless" issues raised against him.

Esperon was actually appearing before the CA for confirmation only on his promotion to lieutenant general which has been pending for some time already.

However, during the plenary session, the recent appointment of Esperon as AFP chief and the corresponding promotion to the rank of general were also included in the agenda for the CA.

CA chairman and Senate President Manuel Villar Jr. saw no problem with the confirmation of Esperon as a four-star general even though it was not part of the original agenda of the commission.

"This was agreed upon by the Commission on Appointments, that it is about time we confirm our generals and colonels. That’s all there is to it," Villar stressed. — With Jaime Laude