No militarization in government - Palace

Malacañang dismissed yesterday criticism that it was militarizing the government with more appointments of retired police and military generals in key posts not fitted for them.

Presidential Management Staff (PMS) chief Secretary Cerge Remonde was reacting to statements on the appointment of retired Vice Adm. Tirso Danga, a former military intelligence chief, as the new head of the National Printing Office (NPO) following the dismissal of Enrique Agana, who was accused of molesting a 13-year old girl.

Last week, the Palace announced that Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon, a former armed forces chief, will replace Remonde effective Feb. 1 after the latter assumes the post of Press Secretary to succeed Jesus Dureza.

Dureza was appointed as Chief Presidential Legal Counsel.

Esperon will be replaced by National Security Council Deputy Director General Avelino Razon, a former Philippine National Police chief. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita also earlier confirmed a STAR report that retired Army general Jovito Palparan will be given a post in the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB).

Remonde said, “One or two sparrows does not a summer make.”

“Just because one or two retired military generals are appointed, it does not mean the government is militarized. For one thing, they (retired military officials) constitute a very small minority in the Cabinet, the sub-Cabinet and the entire bureaucracy,” he said.

“So it is an overreaction to say that the civilian bureaucracy has been militarized just because a number of generals had been appointed,” he said.

He said President Arroyo is not the first leader who has appointed retired military officials to civilian posts “and that is being done in Asia and other parts of the world, even in the US.” – Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez, Mike Frialde