Saturday, August 12, 2006
General wants younger military officials in top posts
Former Armed Forces Central Command (Centcom) chief Samuel Bagasin on Friday urged military commanders who are retiring in the next two months to leave their posts to allow younger officers the chance to head major posts.
Bagasin did not name names but among the officers who are due to retire after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 within the next two months is Major General Gabriel Habacon, commander of the Southern Command (Southcom), the largest among the six unified area commands of the military.
Bagasin and Habacon, both members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1973, are turning 56 on September 19 and September 7, respectively. Habacon is among the four generals in the controversial "Hello Garci" tapes.
Bagasin figured in a controversy in September last year over the appointment of the Southcom chief. Bagasin was due to take over the top Southcom post but supposed last-minute lobbying led into the assumption of Lieutenant General Edilberto Adan as Southcom commander.
Bagasin was later appointed as Armed Forces deputy chief of staff and promoted lieutenant general and in January, he was named Centcom commander, replacing retiring Lieutenant General Emmanuel Teodosio. Also on January, Habacon became Southcom chief.
"I think, at this point in time, if you are retireable within the next one month or two months, the new commanders should come in already and put in place a plan that he can implement for the next one year, two years," Bagasin told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.
Bagasin, who has led battles against communist and secessionist rebels while commander of the Army's 4th Infantry Division (ID), told commanders that stepping down from their posts a month or two months ahead their retirement age will not make any difference.
He was replaced as Centcom commander last August 6 by Major General Cardozo Luna, former 4th ID chief, weeks before the retirement of General Generoso Senga last July 21, Bagasin said he asked Senga to relieve him ahead of his retirement date on September 19.
Bagasin said that by opting for an early relief, it would lead to the appointment of then 8th ID chief Bonifacio Ramos as Centcom chief, noting that Ramos is the most senior division commander in the Visayas area.
Ramos is celebrating his 55th birthday later this month. While Ramos is still qualified to takeover Centcom on September 19, he could not be promoted to the next higher rank because military rules provide that officers, excluding the Armed Forces chief, with less than a year in service left would not be promoted to the next higher rank.
"I told him (Senga) personally that that is the case but I'm not officially endorsing him (Ramos) because that's up to the Board of Generals," said Bagasin. The six-man board is chaired by the Armed Forces chief.
But after Malacañang came up with an order appointing Ramos as chief of the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), Bagasin said: "The chief of staff told me 'let us proceed with your request'. My request is there already, asking for an early relief."
Ramos took the place of Lieutenant General Romeo Tolentino who had been appointed to become Army chief in place of Lieutenant General Hermogenes Esperon, now the Armed Forces chief. Bagasin's request for early relief led to the appointment of Luna as his successor.
"By staying there for another one-and-a-half months will not make any difference in so far as (the fight against) insurgency is concerned," said Bagasin, stressing that there is no animosity in his early relief as Centcom chief.
"There is no rancor, just for the good of the (military) service. I have no hard feelings. We know that this is already our dead-end. That's the most that we can go in the service, I think we have given our contribution already to the lingering problem on insurgency," he said.
"I've served 33 years as a commissioned officer, I feel like I have given my modest contribution already to insurgency. There is no color (in my early relief). I asked for my early relief to give way (to other officers)," he added.
When asked about his PMA classmates who are still in the active service, Bagasin named Navy Chief Mateo Mayuga, Armed Forces Deputy Chief Christie Datu and Air Force Chief Jose Reyes, among others, but failed to mention Habacon.
Told in a later telephone interview that he missed out on Habacon as among his classmates who is still on the active service, Bagasin said: "I just forgot it. We are still good classmates, there is no problem." (VR/Sunnex)
(August 12, 2006 issue)
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