Sunday, October 21, 2007 Defense chief to PMA cadets: Espouse unity, oneness
DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Saturday told cadets of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) to espouse “unity and oneness” once they are commissioned as regular officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) –- some of its officers have gone against the government.
Teodoro addressed the cadets during the 109th foundation anniversary of the PMA in Fort del Pilar in Baguio City.
“I shall not belabor you this beautiful day with a long, perhaps patronizing speech but may I address each and everyone of you of the cadet corps, you will soon be graduates of the PMA, which is without a doubt the premier school of leadership, school for military careers in this country and perhaps in Asia,” said Teodoro.
He added: “(When you graduate) that endows you with an obligation on your shoulders not merely to win wars or battles, not merely to be fighters for peace which is the mission of the Armed Forces at this point in time but to be advocates of unity and oneness within the ranks of the AFP.”
Teodoro told cadets “to reach out once they go to the fold of the mainstream Armed Forces to your brother or sister officers who may not come from this institution, put an arm around them and say we are one, we are not different from each other.”
“I will judge you on the basis of how you act, how you think, not where you come from. And that takes a lot of humility and I know because of your love of country and your dedication to your duty, to your country in the future that you will take the first step in unifying each and everyone in the Armed Forces regardless from where he or she comes from,” said Teodoro.
In July 2003, more than 300 junior officers and enlisted personnel mounted the Oakwood mutiny in Makati City. The officers said they occupied the posh Oakwood apartments merely to dramatize their protest against massive corruption in government.
In February last year, former Marine commandant Major General Renato Miranda and former Scout Ranger chief Brigadier General Danilo Lim planned to lead their men to a march to Edsa Shrine, where anti-government protests were being held, and subsequently withdraw their support from the President.
Most of the participants in the two military adventurisms are graduates of the academy.
Miranda is a member of the PMA class of 1974 while Lim entered the academy in mid 1970s but later left to pursue his military study at the US Military Academy at West Point.
On the other hand, five of the six core leaders of the Oakwood mutiny belonged to the PMA class of 1995, including now Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
Trillanes, a Navy officer, was deemed resigned from the service when he ran for public office in the May elections.
Also, a number of PMA graduates were involved in failed coups in the late 1980s. Some of them are still in the active service. Among those who led the coup in the 80s is now Senator Gregorio Honasan, a retired Army colonel from the PMA class of 1971, who was also implicated in the Oakwood mutiny. (VR/Sunnex)
