AN INQUIRY in the promotion of military officers is mulled in Congress after outgoing National Capital Region Command (NCRCOM) Chief Rear Admiral Feliciano Angue was supposedly demoted to a lower rank.
Representative Rodolfo Biazon (lone district, Muntinlupa City) told reporters that he will file a resolution directing the appropriate committee to look into the sufficiency of laws on the selection of officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
“The inquiry will determine if the criteria is sufficient or we need additional legislation so that we do not have this repeating situations on questions of promotions and assignments to major positions because they can only produce instability in the Armed Forces of the Philippines such as what we are witnessing today,” Biazon said in a press briefing.
Biazon, former AFP Chief of Staff, explained that the AFP Personnel Act prescribes the creation of the Board of Generals and the Board of Promotions to tackle promotions and assignments in the flag rank and in the lower ranks.
Last week, President Benigno Aquino III approved the new positions of more than 20 senior military officers as recommended by the AFP Board of Generals through Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, including what was perceived to be a demotion of Angue.
“Ito bang nangyaring mga promotions and assignments, ito ba ay produkto ng Board of Generals and if so, yung produkto ng Board of Generals na nakaabot sa president?" Biazon questioned.
Seniority, field assignments, education and training, and service reputation, among others are the main consideration for the promotion of military officers.
Angue, who recently exposed that some senior military officials took sides during the conduct of the May elections, was designated as commander of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao (Westmincom) Command.
Asked whether Angue's re-assignment is demoting him from his rank, Biazon replied: "(Being demoted) does not happen very often although Admiral Angue has not been promoted to vice admiral."
Angue earlier argued that his new assignment, based in Zamboanga City, is only for a two-star position while his NCRCOM post is a three-star position, making him eligible for promotion to vice admiral.
Meanwhile, an official of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said the statements of Angue are not helping him and it might have an effect on the image of the AFP.
With this, CBCP Public Affairs Committee Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez advised Angue to bring his allegations to the proper forum so they could find a solution to the problem. (Kathrina Alvarez/FP/Sunnex)