Wednesday, November 29, 2006 Guard budget for housing, reforms: defense head tells military
OUTGOING Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz on Tuesday asked two ranking defense and military officials to ensure that the P11.5 billion funding from the National Government for military modernization and housing would not be lost to corruption.
Cruz, who is due to step down on Thursday, said he specifically asked Armed Forces Vice Chief Antonio Romero and Defense undersecretary for Capability Upgrade Program (CUP) Ariston delos Reyes to keep a close eye on the allocations.
He said P10 billion of the allocations are supposed to be spent in the implementation of the upgrade program of the Armed Forces while the rest is for the construction of the needed housing units for the military officers and men.
The CUP is an 18-year, P210 billion project that calls for the acquisition of mission essential equipment for the military to address internal and external security threats. The government began funding the project this year.
"In the bureaucracy, you have to be also watchful so that the P10 billion are spent for the acquisition of blocks one to six (of CUP), that they (allocated money) go to the Armed Forces," Cruz said without elaborating.
"Plus I've asked the two (delos Reyes and Romero) also to monitor the P1.5 billion hopefully a year for on-based housing of the Armed Forces because they (military leadership) intend to build 2,500 (housing) units per year," Cruz added.
The lack of decent housing for military officers and men is among the grievances cited by members of the mutinous Madalo Group that forced them into staging the short-lived Oakwood mutiny in July 27, 2003.
Cruz chided the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for its continued failure to release the P1.5 billion allocation for the on-base housing this year. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the release of the money as early as January.
Cruz said Romero and Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon have been following up with the DBM to release the funds so that the construction of the housing units would start but they have not received any response. (VR/Sunnex)
