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Monday, May 14, 2007
Soldiers told to follow poll body orders
MANILA -- The military leadership on Sunday directed thousands of its men who have been tapped by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) for Monday's elections to follow whatever orders given to them during election body.
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public information officer Bartolome Bacarro said the military leadership issued the instruction even as he claimed that another scandal involving soldiers would not be good to the entire organization.
Join Sun.Star's online hotline with Comelec spokesman James Jimenez from May 14 (Monday), 6 a.m. to May 15 (Tuesday), 6 a.m. (RP time) and report poll-related incidents in your area.
On Saturday, Bacarro said at least 54 Army and Marine units have been deputized by the Comelec to perform election-related duties in support to the police, which is the principal body tasked to secure the elections.
The units, composed of 20,000 officers and men, would be deployed to Quezon, Masbate, Sorsogon, Western Samar, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Zamboanga City, Basilan, Tawi-Tawi, Campostella Valley, Sarrangani, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, Cotobato, Agusan Del Sur, Surigao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu and the Lanao provinces.
"The AFP leadership's instructions to all deputized units and others that may be deputized later is to abide by the provisions of the MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) in the performance of their election-related duties," said Bacarro.
The agreement, signed by the defense and military establishments with the Comelec in October last year, limited the role of the military in elections to insulate soldiers from politics.
It states that the military would not be deputized to perform election-related duties unless in areas where there are serious armed threats. Also, it states that only specific units, not the entire military, would be deputized.
The military has come up with implementing rules and regulations of the agreement detailing the allowed actions of the soldiers who are deputized. The Comelec had subsequently approved the IRR.
"The MOA states that a Comelec-designated representative will provide directions to military deputized units in coordination with the police. So all election- related actions of the deputized AFP units will be directed by the Comelec designated representatives," said Bacarro.
Of the provinces where there will be military deployment, four are among the 12 provinces identified by the Bantay Boto where there will be massive cheating by the Arroyo government to ensure the victory of administration senatorial candidates.
The group, headed by retired military and police generals, said the cheating plan was detailed under "Oplan Mercury Rising." Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. described the allegation as "manufactured" to vilify the military and the government.
Bantay Boto also said Esperon issued a verbal directive to military commanders to ensure a 12-0 victory for Team Unity (TU) in their respective area of responsibilities.
When asked if the military could afford another scandal similar to the 2004 presidential elections, Bacarro said: "(The) involvement of generals in the 2004 elections has not yet been conclusively proven, as such they remain to be allegations."
Esperon was incidentally among the four military generals in the controversial "Hello Garci" tape, where President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Comelec commissioner Virgillo Garcillano Jr. were supposedly heard discussing the rigging of the 2004 elections.
Esperon, the then AFP deputy chief of staff for operations and Task Force Honest Orderly and Peaceful Elections deputy chief, supposedly cheated in favor of the President, along with then Southern Command chief Roy Kyamko and then Joint Task Force Comet chief Gabriel Habacon.
The fourth general, Brigadier General Francisco Gudani, reportedly backed an opponent of the President. He later testified before the Senate how the elections were rigged from the start to the end in Lanao del Sur where he then commanded a Marine brigade.
Bacarro said any allegation of military involvement in election-related irregularities would not be good for the entire organization.
"Any partisan involvement in the elections of any member of the AFP will not be good for the organization, that is why measures such as the MOA and other similar/related directives were issued to ensure that the soldiers will not get involved in partisan politics," said Bacarro. (VR/Sunnex)
For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Manila. (May 14, 2007 issue)
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