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Thursday, October 14, 2004
Ferrer: At the AFP, what calamitous suspension!
By Ed P. Ferrer
THERE'S so much bull over there at the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)! You can puke after reading this article.
So many worms have come out of the can lately.
In yet another severe blow, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), another high-ranking military officer is under investigation for allegedly accumulating P100-million in unexplained wealth.
This officer is currently out of the country; apparently he was tipped off of the plan to place him under investigation. For several years he served as budget officer of the AFP.
This is on top of the earlier graft charges leveled on a ranking general alleged to have amassed a fortune "disproportionate to his legitimate income."
The office of the Ombudsman has placed one - Major General Carlos Garcia under investigation after it received reports that member of the general's family, including his wife Clarita, had traveled to the US with large sums of money in their possession.
On orders of the Ombudsman, Gen. Garcia is now in his 6-month suspension without pay! A calamitous suspension, uh?
Here's more: From the US Customs reports, Gen. Garcia and his wife Clarita frequently traveled first-class to the US, that they own three houses there, and that they have a bank deposit of $1.42-million (P80-million). Clearly disproportionate with Garcia's legitimate income, the Ombudsman noted in charging him with dishonesty and gross misconduct on Sept.28.
In one of their trips, Clarita begged the US Custom to release her son's confiscated $100,000 (5.6-million). She thought nothing of putting on record her husband's questionable income as comptroller and trustee of AFP firms. That is, that he - and she, as privileged wife - draws tens of thousands of dollars for travel and shopping expenses. Moreover, that the general regularly receives cash gifts from the AFP's foreign and Filipino suppliers and contractors. She seemed oblivious of the Code of Conduct for Public Officials, which forbids civil servants from taking gifts from persons dealing with their agencies. Or of the Anti-graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Revised Penal Code, which penalized such acts with imprisonment and forfeiture of property.
Clarita, the blabbermouth, in fact, was all praises for the generals' misconduct. "He would always thank the person that provides the gratitude," she swore. "If someone stops the house with a gift or gratitude, my husband insists that the name and phone number be taken, so they may be called and personally thanked."
Clarita, the over-loquacious wife of general, even braggingly got her way with the general, in breach of rules in using military resources. "As the wife of a general, I am afforded several privileged, including a 4,000-gallon (16,000 liter) per month gasoline allowance, security details and five drivers," she said to US Customs to justify their wealth. "I have a military cook who also provides piano music upon request. My husband's position in the Armed Forces is one privileged. The gratitude money that he receives is common and unsolicited. Contracted companies and personnel from different branches of the services are gracefully for my husband's assistance and timely payments of contracted work."
Too candor in details, heh! But unwittingly, she provided the smoking gun against the General!
He! He! A woman can be likened to a fish. They are caught thru their mouths, uh?
The public is waiting with bated breath. Hopefully there should be, an honest-to-goodness results on these investigations. Because, we fear that there will be "whitewash" or "cover-up" in these accusations, uh?
A thorough "house clearing" is in order! There should be no "sacred cows" in the AFP!
(October 14, 2004 issue)
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