Army chief to troops: Stay neutral on political bickering
CAMP LAPU LAPU,
“Let the political problems be solved by our political leaders. We have more than enough jobs to do than to focus on things that are not of our job,” Yano told ground commanders from the 8th Infantry Division based in Catbalogan, Samar, and the 3rd Infantry Division based in Jamindan, Capiz.
Yano was here to preside over a week-long Battalion Commanders’ Conference held at the headquarters of the Central Command (Centcom) under Maj. Gen. Victor Ibrado.
Meanwhile, restive soldiers are hesitant to launch a coup for “lack of a credible” replacement for President Arroyo, a military source told The STAR.
However, the source, who asked not to be named, said disgruntled soldiers are disheartened with the controversies hounding Mrs. Arroyo, particularly the alleged bribery of local leaders.
“There is no alternative if she is unseated,” the source said.
“Disgruntled soldiers are thinking that those who are currently in power are traditional politicians who would commit the same offenses.”
The source said even a military junta would fail as no senior officers would back it up, especially those whose stakes for top posts in the organization are high.
“We discuss these things, but it is not enough to fuel another uprising,” the source said.
The source said those in power could have already told commanders of vital military units in Metro Manila and
“If you have a stake in the current political situation, you would talk with officials who control vital units,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Gregorio Honasan, who as an Army colonel led a bloody coup that almost ousted President Corazon Aquino in 1989, advised soldiers to protect the people and defend the Constitution.
“We all believe in due process so my own personal thinking on the matter is if there is evidence to warrant then file the charges already, rather than wreck it again in a congressional partisan investigation,” he said.
Honasan said there is a need to distinguish between noise and actual issues that could create more complex problems for the country.
“So let’s be very sure of our information because we might be destabilizing our own so we must refrain from making irresponsible statements, validate all these observations, keep it private for the meantime until we validate this,” he said.
Parties trying to oust President Arroyo should not use the military for partisan political purposes, Honasan said.
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Military police armed with automatic weapons were called in when a shouting bout started between accused Capt. Frederick Sales and Col. Maria Alido, a member of the court-martial.
Sales reportedly booed when Alido denied a defense motion to have Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. sign the charges against them before any proceedings could start.
The unsigned Pre-Trial Advise (PTA), which serves as the military’s basis for charging the accused, was not reportedly signed by Esperon.
When Alido asked who among the accused had shouted at him, Sales stood up to acknowledge the misdemeanor.
Ordered to apologize to the court, Sales refused, prompting his civilian counsel to apologize to the court on his behalf.
“No ma’am, I will not apologize,” Sales said as he approached the bench with a copy of an unsigned PTA.
Other accused junior officers joined the fray, some of them headed to the prosecution table, prompting prosecutor Col. Feliciano Loy to call in the MPs.
The prosecution subsequently asked for postponement of the trial after order was restored.
Before the military court adjourned, Alido cited Sales for contempt.
Hearing the ruling, Maj. Jose Leomar Doctolero stood up and told the court that he, too, shouted and asked Alido to also cite him in contempt.
Former Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Miranda, former Scout Ranger commander Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, and Marine Col. Ariel Querubin, remained cool during the incident.
Trixie Angeles, counsel for Army Capt. Ruben Guinolbay, said in a telephone interview that the accused military officers were furious over the failure of Esperon to sign the PTA, which should have been attached to the original charge sheet.
“We have motions but it is always denied although it is a valid concern,” she said.
“They always go back to the peremptory challenge stage. So at this point, accused officers became furious because they felt their lawyers were being denied of their right to be heard.”
The officers will be tried for alleged violations of Articles of War 63 (disrespect toward the President, Vice President, Congress, or secretary of national defense), 65 (assaulting or willfully disobeying superior officer), 67 (mutiny or sedition), 96 (conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman) and 97 (conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline).
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