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Monday, August 15, 2005
Arroyo to new military chief: Keep Armed Forces off politics (11:55 a.m.)
MANILA -- President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo called on new Armed Forces Chief Generoso Senga to "keep the Armed Forces within the Constitution and not let partisan quarters undermine the chain of command."
Arroyo issued the directives in a speech during the turnover ceremonies at Camp Aguinaldo Monday. Lieutenant General Senga took over as the new military chief vice General Efren Abu, whose retirement was postponed by Arroyo in view of the conduct of the elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Armm) and security concerns due to the political crisis hounding the government.
I also expect you to reform and continue to professionalize the command And finish off terrorists while supporting the peace process," Arroyo told Senga.
She also directed Senga to continue dialogs with young officers of the military "to show to them that all officers are equally committed to the values they have dedicated their lives to".
Arroyo expressed disappointment over young soldiers and officers who have been used by politicians in their moves against the administration.
Meanwhile, Arroyo thanked the military for guarding and upholding democracy last July 8 when 10 Cabinet members resigned and called on her to step down for "loss of moral leadership and credibility". The demand for her resignation was echoed by senators who belonged to the Liberal Party (LP) and by former President Corazon Aquino.
She also thanked the military for helping keep the peace during the Armm elections last August 8. (Sunnex) |
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