Palawan lawmaker backs Danga appointment

Palawan Rep. Antonio Alvarez supported yesterday the appointment of Rear Admiral Tirso Danga as chief of the military’s Western Command (Westcom).

"Admiral Danga is extremely qualified to head what has been designated as a tripwire unit on the country’s left flank, which includes the Kalayaan island group, some atolls and islets of which are being claimed by China, Malaysia and Vietnam," he said.

He said Danga’s background in intelligence would be put to good use in monitoring both civilian and military air and shipping movements in the area.

"If he is good in listening as he is reputed to be, then we need his listening skills in Palawan. We expect him to be merciless against poachers and environment polluters and to zealously guard the crown jewel of Palawan — the Malampaya oil field," he added.

Before his transfer to Westcom, which is based in Palawan, Danga was deputy chief of staff for intelligence.

During the May 2004 presidential elections, he was head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).

In the wake of the "Hello, Garci" controversy, there had been accusations that it was ISAFP that wiretapped President Arroyo and former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. ISAFP officers have denied the charges.

Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, who chairs the Senate defense committee, has questioned Mrs. Arroyo’s decision to appoint Danga as Westcom chief and Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon, who was mentioned in the "Garci" tapes along with two other senior officers, as head of Southern Command based in Zamboanga City.

Alvarez urged the Arroyo administration’s critics to respect the President’s decision.

"It’s her prerogative. Those who have acquired the habit of questioning each and every decision of the commander-in-chief are weakening the chain of command and soldiers’ morale," he said.

He said the President and her appointees should ignore the "hecklers’ gallery."

Alvarez is a brother of businessman Jose "Pepito" Alvarez, whose Learjet, according to the Singaporean government and the Department of Justice, allegedly transported Garcillano to Singapore last July 14.

Garcillano has claimed that he never left the country during the five months that he was in hiding from the House of Representatives, which had ordered his arrest.