Corruption in the military – Part 2

Due to the gravity of their offense in holding the entire nation hostage in the Oakwood incident a few years back, we feel that all the military officers and men involved in that mess were not really properly punished, but given another "pushup" sanction, just like in the Manila Hotel incident. Never mind if those soldiers got off lightly, but what is quite disturbing is that the reason why they went into that ill-fated mini-coup in the first place was due to corruption in the military and this is something that today, the military establishment still hasn’t addressed to the satisfaction of the Filipino people.

A few days ago, I was listening in on something on ABS-CBN’s ANC that sounded surreal with a Col. Efren Daquil publicly saying, "I have direct knowledge that Air Force generals, the wing commanders, are given P45,000 a month over and above their salaries and other allowances. I would like to know if the CG-PAF is authorized to dole out this allowance?" The allowance in question is called the Direct Support Fund (DSF). Now is there really such a thing as a DSF? If so, is this exclusive to the PAF or do the other military services also have this scheme? If this is not legal, then we expect a full-blown investigation into this issue, so that guilty heads will roll!

But instead of giving us explanations about this potentially explosive issue, the Philippine Air Force top brass or the Defense Department has now threatened Col. Daquil with a court martial for conduct unbecoming an officer. There are even hints that he may have connections with government destabilizers. Please don’t tell me that every single disgruntled military officer who believes in weeding out corrupt military officials should be accused of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman?

A simple question requires a simple answer… are the accusations of Col. Daquil against the PAF top brass true or not? Perhaps the bigger question is, is the Arroyo administration dead serious in weeding out corruption within the military? It is high time this problem should be address at the highest level. To be perfectly honest, we’re not scared of another military restiveness, which could result in another coup. The reason why the military is restive is due to the fact that corrupt military officials are making a lot of money, while the rest live below the poverty line. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) should fix this problem before it becomes uncontrollable.

* * *

If you didn’t know, irregularities do not only happen in the government or the military. It is also happening in private companies. Exactly a month ago, on Dec. 6, 2005, on the front page of The STAR was a story entitled, "Transsexual feud reaches court." This was a case where Norkis Trading Corp. magnate Norberto Quisumbing Jr.’s son, Wesy B. Quisumbing, who has transmuted into a woman, questioned in court that her father was not worthy receiving an honorary doctorate in humanities conferred by the University of San Jose-Recoletos on Aug. 26, 2005.

My friends have always chided me why I have been quiet on this subject when it has become a juicy issue not only in the media, but also in the coffee houses of Cebu. Let me point out clearly that I used to be a Transfarm executive, an affiliate business of Norkis Trading Corp., so I can write about this issue quite competently.

But more importantly, I know the Quisumbing family too well, having grown up with the older Quisumbing children. In fact, I will not forget a motorcycle flat track race in Mandaue City where Wesy was on a YZ Yamaha 400cc and me on my Honda Elsinore 125, where the Honda took on the bigger Yamaha. Yes, Wesy used to ride dirt bikes until he transformed from a man into a woman.

This issue hogged the local headlines last month, especially when Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 5 presided by Judge Ireneo Lee Gako Jr. issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) to the taped interview of ABS-CBN’s Boy Abunda with Wesy Quisumbing. Frankly speaking, this court order is highly questionable to media personalities because it is what we call "prior restraint." Journalists should not be stopped by the courts from writing something that they think would be libelous; after all, there are laws on libel when someone really commits it.

I guess for this new year 2006, we will witness a lot of court cases filed by Wesy against her father, her siblings and their company. The biggest case stems from his being illegally removed from the family corporation because of sexual discrimination. In fact, gay rights activists have already demonstrated in front of the Norkis headquarters in Mandaue City in support of Wesy.

I just hope that cooler heads would prevail because this case could turn ugly especially with Wesy threatening to expose certain irregularities to the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR). So there were, indeed, irregularities and Wesy’s being an insider in her family corporation could give damning evidence, which could even bring down Norkis Trading Corp.

But like what we’ve said, I hope that cooler heads would prevail in order to save the Quisumbing family from more anguish or further embarrassment. Perhaps all this begins with the acceptance by Wesy’s father and mother of her condition. Yes, NQJR and Tita Britta should have by now accepted the fact that they have lost a son, but gained a daughter. All the time, I thought that Wesy was gay, but I heard that this was not so… as the saying goes, a transsexual is a woman trapped inside the body of a man. There’s more about this issue, which we will feature in the next columns.

* * *

Calling all our classmates from the University of San Carlos’ Boys High School Class ’66. On Jan. 21, we will be celebrating our 40th year at the Penthouse of our schoolmate Florentino Atillo III in Mactan, just across the Film Academy, at 6 p.m. While this is the third time we’ve had a reunion, this year’s 40th celebration is expected to bring the biggest number of classmates, many of whom we’ve not seen in the last 40 years! I don’t know how many of our classmates are now living in Manila, but I do hope that UP Prof. Epictetus Patalinjug, Harry Limtong and Senior Superintendent Manuel Cabigon can spare the time to join us.

* * *

For e-mail responses to this article, write to [email protected]. Bobit Avila’s columns can also be accessed through www.thefreeman.com. He also hosts a weekly talkshow, "Straight from the Sky," shown every Monday, at 8 p.m., only in Metro Cebu on Channel 15 of SkyCable.