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Saturday, October 23, 2004
Arroyo dismisses threat of military mutiny (12:05 p.m.)
MANILA -- President Arroyo on Saturday dismissed fears that a continuing probe into corruption in the military's top ranks could hurt the morale of soldiers and spawn possible mutinies.
"There is no need for loyalty checks," Arroyo spokesman Ignacio Bunye said, shortly after Arroyo met with top military officials to tell them to stick to their jobs despite the crackdown on corruption in the military.
He said in a statement that the loyalty of the soldiers to the chain of command was "unbreakable," adding that "the morale of our troops is high despite the corruption controversy."
Arroyo met a group of army generals and colonels late Thursday after the military brass monitored concerns aired by certain officers over the graft accusations against former chief finance officer major general Carlos Garcia.
Garcia, whose case has grabbed headlines for weeks, is under house arrest while a court martial is being readied on charges he allegedly amassed millions of dollars in assets on a monthly salary of about 600 US dollars.
Military spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Daniel Lucero earlier said "that there are negative sentiments from our soldiers as a result of this controversy" with some seeing the probe into the general as an attack on the entire armed forces.
Bunye stressed that morale and discipline were "primary concerns" at a time when the military was still dealing with communist and Muslim insurgencies and militant groups.
The probe into corruption among the generals should be taken "in a positive light as part of the overall efforts to uphold military justice and professionalism." (AFP)
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