Sangley Point and Senate Bill No. 1785

Last Thursday, the Senate subcommittee on Senate Bill No. 1785 “Prescribing Fixed Terms for the AFP Chief of Staff and other key officers of the AFP” chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon held its first public hearing. The proposed legislation aims to correct a serious anomaly in the military leadership system that has come to be widely known as the “revolving door” practice. This has resulted in AFP chiefs serving in office for as short as three months to an average of barely one year. The hearing was attended by Senators Franklin Drilon and Imee Marcos giving a bipartisan flavor to the discussions.

As mentioned in the explanatory note, “the practice of a ‘revolving door’ leadership in the AFP is inimical to public interest as it allows for political patronage and accommodation promotion which favors personalities over the security and defense of our nation….persons at the helm of the AFP should be given ample time and security of tenure to develop, test and implement effective reforms and meaningful plans and programs to strengthen and modernize the AFP.”

Let me elaborate on some of the issues taken up.

Last month, Navy chief Vice Adm. Giovanni Bacordo warned of massive security and logistical implications for the Philippine Navy and the nation as a whole with the construction of the Sangley Point International Airport (SPIA) in Cavite. “The removal of the Navy from Sangley will mean the following: removal of a sentinel guarding the entrance to Manila, removal of a logistics and operations hub for Philippine Navy ships…” he said.

Before proceeding further, allow me to share some brief history notes.

During the Spanish period, authorities restricted Chinese traders from entering into the city of Manila. These traders, known as “Sangleys” could sell their wares across the bay from the city on the narrow strip of land that eventually bore their name. When the Americans took over, the Cavite Navy Yard became the headquarters of the US Asiatic Fleet and later became Naval Station Sangley Point. In 1971, the installation was turned over to the Philippine government and today houses two major facilities of the AFP: the Danilo Atienza Air Base of the PAF and the Naval Base Heracleo Alano of the Navy.

My unease about Admiral Bacordo’s disclosure is this: The SPIA project has been in the works for some time now even before his assumption as Navy chief. The former flag officer in command Vice Adm. Robert Empedrad never raised the issue. More unsettling is that the AFP has been silent about Bacordo’s concerns. If national security was at some risk by developments at SPIA, one would think that the AFP would have raised the matter forcefully in support of Bacordo. This has not been the case or perhaps I may have missed their announcements if any.

At any rate, this controversy if one may call it such, highlights the lack of long-term joint planning for national security to include identification of key areas that should be the subject and focus of our military development programs. If Sangley is indeed seen as some sentinel guarding the entrance to Manila, then the AFP must have a crucial say in its utilization. But this can only be done if we have continuity and stability of tenure in the AFP leadership. So many issues involving defense and security tend to get lost or set aside when frequent and short term changes are carried out at the top.

SB 1785 is a welcome step in correcting an abnormal situation.

Another issue that was the subject of much discussion was the proposed tenure of office of the PMA superintendent. One view was for a four-year term; another for a shorter three-year tenure. During the exchange, I volunteered some information regarding an experience at the US Military Academy (USMA) at West Point. In 1974, Gen. Andrew Goodpaster retired as Nato supreme commander ending his military career as a four-star general. Three years later, he was recalled to active duty as superintendent USMA in the wake of the largest cheating scandal at West Point. The scandal resulted in the expulsion of 152 cadets who were found sharing answers for an exam in electrical engineering. Goodpaster (Class of 1939) willingly accepted the lower rank of a three-star general to help repair the damage done at his alma mater and served for four years (1977-1981) before retiring for a second time.

The Gordon hearing ended with the bill providing for a four-year term of office for the PMA superintendent, the longest for any of the key officers in the entire AFP hierarchy.

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