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Saturday, February 24, 2007
Palace believes Pinoys still support military
MANILA -- Malacañang on Friday said Filipinos continue to have faith in the military despite the adverse findings of the UN Rapporteur Team and the Melo Commission linking some troops to the extrajudicial killings.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo vowed to immediately resolve the issue "with fairness and justice and to uphold the good name of the 99 percent of the soldiery, who take the cudgels for our national security 24 hours a day, seven days a week."
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
The President, after the initial Melo Commission report was submitted to her in January, acknowledged that some members of the military may be involved but she expressed confidence that about 99.9 percent of the soldiers "remain within the right path."
She had ordered the defense department and the military leadership to update documents on the command responsibility policy, particularly after the commission stated that Armed Forces top officials failed to act, punish and prevent the possible involvement of officers and soldiers in the unexplained killings.
The Melo Commission, headed by retired Supreme Court (SC) associate justice Jose Melo, said in its report that there is circumstantial evidence linking the military to the killings.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said no one could question or doubt the professionalism and sacrifice of the military. "The faith of the Filipino people in their Armed Forces is undiminished. No one has ever doubted the professionalism and integrity of the Armed Forces and the readiness to sacrifice life and limb, in combat or in perilous disasters, of our soldiers," said Bunye, who is also Presidential spokesman.
A retired major general of the military hit the results of the investigations conducted by the Melo Commission and by UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston on the rash of extrajudicial killings.
Jovito Palparan, who is being accused by various militant groups as behind the killings, said the reports prepared by the two investigating bodies "were full of propaganda peddled by the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army."
"They did not dig deeper on what happened, so their output therefore is, I think, haoshao (fake) or it is reecho, mostly it is just a reecho of the enemy's propaganda," said Palparan, referring to the Melo Commission.
Palparan said the Melo Commission report lacked basis and based its recommendations "on foresight", adding that "(Melo members) centered on my statement in the media, in radio, TV and their questions to me. That is the only proof they have, but most of my statements were misinterpreted, taken out of context, or reinvented."
He expressed dismay over the results of the commission's investigation, noting that the military establishment hoped for "definite findings" on who are responsible for the killings.
Palparan maintained that the Melo Commission has no basis to indict him.
On the investigation conducted by the UN special rapporteur, Palparan said he was not blaming Alston for his report, which was based on a "shallow" report furnished to him by militant groups.
Palparan said while Alston got the side of the military "it appears that he already have a preconceived conclusion because a lot of complaints have reached him against me, against us, so when they arrived here, they already have a conclusion."
Sharing a point earlier raised by Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Palparan said the group of Alston could not up with an "in-depth" conclusion on the extrajudicial killing because its investigation was conducted merely for 10 days.
Palparan said just like the Melo Commission, the group of Alston lacked facts.
Alston said based on his investigation, the military was in a "state of almost total denial" on the killings. He dismissed the military's theory that the killings were part of a purge by the communist group.
Armed Forces public information officer Bartolome Bacarro, for his part, reiterated the military's challenge to various militant organizations to file charges against military officers whom they are blaming for the rash of extrajudicial killings.
Bacarro made the challenge after militant groups mounted a picket where they called for the relief of Esperon for the killings.
At the Senate, Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel dared Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. to quit over his actuations and pronouncements that are unbecoming for a person occupying his Cabinet post.
Pimentel criticized Gonzalez for insulting Alston by claiming that the UN official had been "brainwashed" by militant leftist groups into coming out with an assessment tagging he military as mainly responsible for the extrajudicial killings.
On the other hand, House minority leader and senatorial candidate Francis Escudero said Esperon should address the issue of extrajudicial killings instead of criticizing Alston and putting the blame on the insurgents. (JMR/VR/CPB/DBP/Sunnex)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (February 24, 2007 issue)
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