Military pensioners smile on AFP Day

Retired military personnel wish to thank Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin for his prompt action on complaints regarding the planned disbursement of their pensions through a mechanism that would require them to open accounts with the Land Bank of the Philippines. While quite a number of pensioners avail themselves of Land Bank services for this purpose, there is also a substantial bloc that utilizes other existing financial institutions such as the AFP Savings and Loan Association Inc. to access their pensions.

The problem started last month when the AFP Finance Center suddenly required all military pensioners to change their mode of pension delivery through a Land Bank branch most convenient for them. This was followed by a series of contradictory information regarding the new procedure that resulted in confusion and a distinct rise in blood pressure readings for senior pensioners who were caught unaware by the impending change. Implementation was set for the New Year—all this without prior consultation or determination as to the difficulties that would likely be encountered by the retirees.

As I mentioned in an earlier column, at the start of the

Arroyo administration, GSIS retirees were being paid through the Land Bank. After her election in 2004, President Gloria Arroyo decided to transfer GSIS pension funds from Land Bank to a private bank of her choice. Transferring military pension funds to the Land Bank could one day place those funds in jeopardy of being utilized to repay political favors by moving the funds to another bank as was done during the previous administration.

As a result, a group of senior military officers no longer on active duty decided to seek an audience with Secretary Gazmin in order to apprise him of the situation. By the way, Secretary Gazmin, PMA Class 1968, is also a military pensioner. But apparently he was caught unaware by the proposed change. When the group raised the issue, Gazmin immediately directed AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Emmanuel Bautista, who incidentally will also soon become a retiree and future pensioner, to suspend implementation of the changes.

The AFP Finance Center was directed to review the entire matter and to come up with other solutions basically aimed at clearing up the pension list and allowing pensioners to retain their desired mode of payment.

As someone put it, it was a case of mass punishment for the abuses of a few who were taking advantage of the system. Shades of academy life, when an entire plebe class would be subjected to punishment for the laxities and offenses of a few.

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On Friday, the Armed Forces of the Philippines will mark its 78th anniversary. The commemoration, a day ahead of schedule, is based on the enactment of the National Defense Act by the National Assembly during the Commonwealth period. The bill, with Sen. Camilo Osias of La Union as principal opponent, was passed at midnight of Dec. 20, 1935. President Manuel Quezon signed the measure into law the following morning, Dec. 21, 1935.

There is room for debate and discussions on the proper date for the observance of AFP Day. Consider the following events:

• The Philippine Army marks the establishment of the organization on March 22, 1897, when at the Tejeros Convention, members of the Magdalo and Magdiwang factions met to dissolve the Katipunan and prepare for a republic. Artemio Ricarte was elected captain-general of the Filipino Revolutionary Army, a position comparable to the present office of AFP chief of staff. Ricarte, also known by his nom de guerre “Vibora,” is hailed as the “Father of the Philippine Army.” He is best known for his refusal to take an oath of

allegiance to the United States after the end of the Philippine-American War.

• The Philippine Navy was organized in 1898, after the First Philippine Republic was inaugurated on June 12, 1898, with Pascual Ledesma designated as director for the Navy, the first such appointment in the revolutionary government.

• The Academia Militar, now the Philippine Military Academy, was organized in 1898.

With the Army and Navy and the military academy being established in 1897 and 1898 respectively, how could AFP Day be reckoned from legislation passed in 1935 under a Commonwealth administration? Celebrating AFP Day on Dec. 21 is completely out of sync with the realities of our history. We continue to be held hostage to our colonial past. There will be objections from sectors of society that frown on changing historical dates; we acknowledge such arguments and we respect those perspectives.

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In keeping with the times, this year’s AFP Day celebrations will be decidedly low key. There will be no parade and review; however, an inspection of brand new Philippine Navy helicopters recently acquired from Italy will be conducted by President Aquino. The three choppers purchased through the use of Department of Energy funds (Malampaya Project) will be for search-and-rescue operations as well as disaster response. Navy pilots and air crew members underwent six months of training in Italy prior to the delivery of the aircraft.

Whatever happened to the 20 helicopters that the Philippine Air Force was supposed to purchase early this year? We may not get Korean-built jet fighters as earlier announced, but helicopters are essential for disaster and rescue situations. Defense Undersecretary Fernando Manalo should be able provide some answers to these questions.

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Indonesian Senior Minister Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, who was responsible for the successful rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Aceh, Indonesia, is in town to share his experiences and to contribute his expertise in designing a recovery plan for the “Yolanda”-devastated areas in Central Visayas.

At the request of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, the UN Development program office has organized the visit of Mangkusubroto to include meetings with selected Cabinet secretaries and will conduct a technical workshop on postdisaster situations. Mangkusubroto was appointed director of the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency for Aceh and Nias after the December 2004 tsunami that hit Indonesia, Thailand, and other countries in the region. His work was hailed by the international community as a success story.

There is much we can learn from the Indonesian experience with natural calamities. An exchange of ideas with rehab czar Panfilo Lacson should prove advantageous and fruitful.