Wednesday, February 27, 2008 Aportadera: 'Unity walk' reveals politicized AFP, police By Billy Aportadera On rights and duties
THE Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) organized a military-police version of the "unity walk" which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her cabinet staged public consumption.
The military-police "unity walk" was an expression of their personal support for the administration of President Arroyo. Leaving their barracks and quarters, ranking military and police officials of both the AFP and the PNP walked alongside and stride by stride in a very unmilitary manner. Without their uniforms, they would have been mistaken to be ordinary rallyists.
The "unity walk" violates military regulations barring solders and policemen from participating in rallies.
The "unity walk" they made was more theatrical than a genuine support for the President. In fact, the "unity walk" demeaned the military and police as constitutional soldiers and protectors of the people. The "unity walk" conveyed that the military and police were not neutral but active participants in non-military and police affairs.
The military and police have not yet recovered from the involvement of some of their high-ranking officers in the "Hello, Garci!" episode of electoral cheating in the 2004 presidential election. In fact, the involvement of these military and police officers triggered the Oakwood Mutiny and its Manila Peninsula Sequel. Now, they expose themselves to the charge of being co-conspirators in the cover up of another major bribery and graft scandal in the administration of President Arroyo.
The military and police leadership are misreading the current events. The people are revolted against the callous corruption in the present administration. The people have gone to the streets to exercise their sovereign and constitutional right to peaceably assemble and seek redress of their grievances against the present government. They are seeking truth and accountability.
In the words of PNP Chief Avelino Razon Jr., "We in the PNP will not get ourselves involved in politics, much less in political intervention in the affairs of the state. Ours is the exclusive mandate to serve and protect the people. As such, what is expected of us is to enforce the law without fear or favor, and ensure the safety of the public at all times. And it is our desire not to be distracted from this focus by unnecessary political actions that we too must address."
However, their "unity walk" failed to hide their actuations. Metro Manila was saturated with unnecessary force, which included tanks and full battle geared soldiers deployed not to prevent lawless violence but to intimidate the rallyists and the citizens from joining the protests against the suppression of truth and coercion of the witnesses in the recent ZTE-NBN Broad Band Scandal.
Instead, their "unity walk" revealed a politicized military and police. This does not augment well for the citizens and pose a threat to the democratic system of government.
(Abelardo "Billy" Aportadera Jr., former Commissioner on Human Rights and former Assistant Ombudsman, is a practicing lawyer. He is a member of Philconsa, E-mail address: apo_lawoffice@pldtdsl.net; Web address: www.billyaportadera.com.ph.)
