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Tuesday, March 14, 2006
Editorial: Keeping the troops in line
GIVING advice to soldiers not to engage in politics or pay heed to the call by mutineers and communist rebels to join their cause may be more difficult than meets the eye as what Southern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon said to Fourth Infantry Division (4th ID) troops over the weekend.
But there are at least some advantages to his call to the 4th ID troops, the fact being that Mindanao troops are for the most part largely insulated from the bickering and political power plays between the Palace, the big shots in the political opposition, and even the influential members of the militant partylist groups.
That's because it is largely the subalterns of these militant groups and the local opposition, which at the local level hardly poses a threat to the mostly pro-Arroyo administration politicos that are mostly doing the work of trying to convince the 4th ID troops of switching sides.
So far though efforts by these parties have become apparently ignored because of the efforts of the 4th ID hierarchy in keeping the troops in line. But there have been exceptions as of late as evidenced by the very vocal Col. Ariel Querubin who supposedly witnessed firsthand the election cheating done by the forces loyal to Arroyo and her husband, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo.
That being said the military is now digging in and circling the wagons to ensure that there won't be any cracks in the ranks at least in the immediate future. But there are lots of things that need to be addressed other than the dialogue being pursued by President Arroyo.
For one, they can expedite the implementation of the long shelved modernization program of the military which had bogged down on the congressional legislation calendar no thanks to their constant political bickering. Why there had been no serious efforts to pursue this, look no further than the above-mentioned reason.
Also the military hierarchy here should keep its guard up on the other elements such as the communist rebels which wage both an armed and a political offensive against their ranks. Acknowledging these and other factors would help a long way towards retaining the solidarity among the troops.
(March 14, 2006 issue)
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