‘Self-regenerating’ thru PPPs

Of the 310 newly minted graduates of the 2023 Class of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), 77 of them will join the Navy. And of the total of 35 female PMA graduates this year, 18 or more than half of them have opted to become naval officers. They will beef up the 25,000-strong men and women of the Navy.

The Navy has more than 2,000 women officers on board and a number of them are skippers of our naval assets deployed nationwide, including those in the disputed maritime territorial waters in the West Philippine Sea. Aside from the daily patrols over the contested maritime boundaries, our Navy joins forces with our Coast Guard for safety at sea, the PNP Maritime Group for crimes in the high seas while the ships of the Bureau of Fishery and Aquatic Resources keep watch on our fishing grounds.

The Navy is currently headed by Vice Admiral Toribio Adaci Jr., a member of the PMA Class 1989, as the flag-officer-in command (FOIC). President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) picked Adaci as Navy FOIC in November last year. But the Commission on Appointments temporarily suspended confirmation of promotions of officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), including that of Adaci until the 19th Congress finally passed into law the amendment to Republic Act (RA) 11709 that fixed a three-year tour of duty for the AFP chief and other top military officials.

Signed by former president Rodrigo Duterte in April last year, RA No. 11709 purportedly sought to promote continuity in the AFP’s programs by discarding the “revolving door” policy. This policy likened to a revolving door was due to the mandatory 56 years old age of retirement in the military, which included the four years at the PMA. This policy saw many military officials staying in their posts for only a few months because they were promoted despite nearing retirement age already. However, RA 11709 reportedly instead caused more “grumblings” in the military.

Under RA 11709, the AFP Chief of Staff, Vice Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, the chiefs of the Army, Air Force and Navy, the chiefs of unified commands and the Inspector-General had fixed tour of duty of three years while the PMA Superintendent had a four-year term. These extended tours of duty though of the top brass virtually stalled the promotion of next-in-rank senior officers in the AFP hierarchy.

This un-intended consequence was rectified in RA 11939 that PBBM signed last May 17 amending RA No. 11709. With the new law, Adaci and 100 other newly promoted AFP officers are among the immediate beneficiaries of the newly amended law granting fixed-term of the AFP chief of staff until 57 years old.

As amended by RA 11939, an AFP officer henceforth must have at least one year remaining of active service before compulsory retirement to be eligible for promotion to brigadier general or commodore or higher, except for the posts of AFP chief, Army, Air Force and Navy chiefs and PMA Superintendent.

Adaci, who turned 56 years old last January, will enjoy this fixed term as Navy FOIC, unless otherwise cut short by the President – being the commander-in-chief of the AFP – as mandated in RA 11939. Adaci shared the good news with us at the Tuesday Club at the Edsa Shangrila in Ortigas. He was accompanied by Chief of Naval Staff Rear Admiral Jose Ma. Ambrosia Ezpeleta and Philippine Fleet Deputy Commander, Commodore Roy Vincent Trinidad.

The Philippine Navy caps their 125th founding anniversary with “Guardians of the Sea” theme in a display and demonstration this Friday of their newly acquired naval assets in the P10-billion modernization program. Adaci announced yesterday the arrival of two corvette fastcraft procured by the Navy under foreign military sales with the United States (US). The FOIC gladly noted the two corvettes have missile capability acquired under the “hot transfer” arrangement with the US.

Earlier, the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center announced that the Philippine Navy has tapped them for possible projects to raise funds for the modernization program of naval assets. In a statement, the PPP Center disclosed their top officials conducted exploratory talks with the Navy last May 9, in particular with Commander Rodel Suarez, chief of the Philippine Navy Real Estate Office.

During our Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum last week, Ezpeleta confirmed ongoing negotiations with the PPP Center to assist them in the possible leasing arrangements of their remaining naval bases. One of which is the Naval Station Jose Andrada that serves as the present headquarters of the Philippine Navy along Roxas Boulevard in Malate, Manila. Ezpeleta explained the reclamation projects around the Manila Bay area raised the possibility that the Navy could move its headquarters to the 10 hectares of reclaimed area possibly under the lease-swap arrangements.

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno bared this week government plans of selling more State assets through privatization this year to generate revenues and address budget constraints. The Philippine government aims to sell some P1.5 billion worth of assets under the Privatization and Management Office (PMO), most of which consist of real estate properties.

The Department of Finance also announced they will hold a dialogue with military and uniformed personnel (MUP) to properly explain the reform it is pushing for their pension system amid calls to limit coverage. Diokno is not amenable though to limit the MUP reform to new entrants only given its little impact in overhauling the system. “The solution really is to cover all the segments. Those in active service and new entrants should contribute. That is our position,” Diokno asserted.

Speaking to reporters while he was in Ilocos Norte last Friday, PBBM underscored the need for “self-regenerating” pension system for the MUP. This is to prevent the projected scenario, he warned, there might be no more funds allocated for their pensions.

The MUP bill in Congress has thus re-generated greater “grumblings” in the military establishment.

But that’s another issue altogether.