Short stint AFP chiefs of staff part of the reason behind stagnation of the military? Read on.

THE slow progress within the Armed Forces of the Philippines can be partly blamed on the “revolving-door policy” being carried out by Malacañang in choosing its chiefs of staff.

This policy consists in accommodating a retiring official and giving him a chance to occupy a top position and command an organization even for a short period.

Sources at Camp Aguinaldo said President Arroyo’s goal in carrying out the revolving-door policy fulfills the dreams of her “military cronies” rather than improves the military institution.

“What can a chief of staff do to improve the military if he has only less than five months to serve?” a ranking Army official said, expressing dismay at the practice.

Past AFP chiefs who have served less than five months in office include Generals Roy Cimatu (three months) and Benjamin Defensor (two months). Gen. Dionisio Santiago served for six months.

In an earlier interview, Defensor, however, said the revolving-door policy does not weaken the military.

“On the contrary, it strengthens the institution,” he said without elaborating.

AFP insiders disagree, saying the brief stints of AFP chiefs of staff are working against the long-term goals and programs of the military.

In choosing the leader of the 113, 000-strong Armed Forces, President Arroyo should choose someone with at least a year left before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56, insiders said.

The present AFP chief of staff, Gen. Narciso Abaya, will retire in October. No word is out yet on his replacement, but insiders said President Arroyo should base her decision on a candidate’s qualifications and not on his personal connection in the government.

“If she chooses someone undeserving, that will send a wrong signal to the other officials. If that happens, then you can be sure there’ll be resentful soldiers in every quarter within the military,” a retired general said.

Full Story

FROM INQ7

Arroyo, Abu vow to wipe out graft in military

Updated 05:03pm (Mla time) Oct 29, 2004
Agence France-Presse, INQ7.net



(UPDATE) PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo swore into office a new military chief of staff here Friday and ordered him to wipe out corruption in the armed forces.

Lieutenant General Efren Abu took over from General Narciso Abaya, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 56.

Abu promptly abolished the position of deputy chief of staff or J-6 following allegations that the former holder of that post, Major-General Carlos Garcia had amassed a huge fortune illegally.

Arroyo said Abu would oversee the forthcoming court martial of Garcia and the investigation of other officers for possible graft. She did not identify any other suspect.

"Now, the weight of promulgating military justice bears heavily on the shoulders of the new chief of staff," Arroyo said. "In this heavy task, you have my full support."

Abu, for his part said he would “vigorously” continue the reforms initiated by Abaya.

The military said Garcia would be charged with unbecoming conduct for false declarations of his assets and possession of a "Green Card" as a permanent resident of the United States. He could also face additional charges in a civilian court.

“The root cause of our situation today is an entrenched culture of corruption. Like cancer it must be cut out if the patient is to survive. And I’m glad that Abu gave words as strong as that,” she said.

Garcia and members of his family allegedly brought nearly a million dollars into the United States over 10 years while he was earning about 7,200 dollars a year.

Some legislators have used Garcia's example to lambast the entire military command, alleging they must be involved in corruption as well.

This has led to speculation of a military destabilization attempt against Arroyo similar to the short-lived military mutiny in July 2003 by junior officers who accused their superiors of corruption.

Arroyo said she would not "allow the entire (armed forces) to be dishonored."

"The majority of our officers and soldiers are men and women of courage, integrity and duty," Arroyo said, as she scored "those who are trying to drive a wedge" between her and the military.

I was lucky enough to have watched the replay of the ceremony on PTV4, early enough to hear Abu and PGMA speech only though.

The speech given by PGMA and Abu were inspiring.

One thing i've noticed though.

When PGMA mentioned something about weeding out corruption NOT JUST IN THE AFP but in the other gov't offices as well, .... NOBODY APPLAUDED.

That only meant that even the people around her that time..... NEEDED TO SEE MORE CONVINCING RESULTS.

Nonetheless, the people are behind you Ma'am. :thumb: :thumb:

FIGHT ON !!!

There's a new bill in congress that's suggesting that the term of the AFP chief-of-staff is to befixed to 3 years, and they mean 3 years. Even if it means extending past the age of compulsory retirement. Maybe General Abu will stay a little longer.

:snipemo: :snipemo: :snipemo: :snipemo:

Semper Fidelis et Paratus

Not quite, only if he is still the CS by the time the bill is actually approved by the President.

I haven't seen the full text of that proposed bill but giving the chief of staff a three year fixed tenure could be dangerous. Methinks the commander-in-chief should have the sole prerogrative to extend the chief of staff term. I understand the current law has that provision, but at the discretion of the president.

What if a rogue chief of staff was put in place protected by a fixed three year tenure?

Then the president has the prerogative to replace him with a new chief-of-staff who also has a fixed term of 3 years. I also hope that the President has the power to extend the term of an excellent chief-of-staff.

Doesn't the President also have the prerogative to dismiss an erring Chief of Staff?

Why noy allow the CS to stay for three years?

Nonetheless, only 1 year of service should be fixed to give him ample time to implement his own ideas ... AND SO THAT HE WILL HAVE THE TIME TO RID CORRUPTION OR ANYTHING THAT TAINTS THE AFP DURING HIS TIME.

:exactly:

The President will then confirm whenever the CS reaches the end of each year if he will continue serving for the next year.

The CS shall continue to serve the AFP until he has completed serving his third year.

The bill fixing positions of chief of staff to three years and two years for major service commanders was filed by Congressman Golez. Among other issues, my being against that silly "revolving door policy" I agree with Golez.

I'm sure the honorable congressman has provided for the possibility but my imagination runs wild thus my wanting to read provisions of the proposed bill in entirety to preclude interpretation of "fixed term" as a tenured position. I dare not imagine a chief of staff being relieved then going to court seeking a restraining order for his relief citing the "fixed term" as provided by law.

:agree:

That's a serious thing.

That can be a big thing in this bill says so.

IMHO, Cong. Golez, must also see it that no provisions in that bill can be used to allow the CS and major service cmdrs to put the AFP and Malacanang in serious situations, which can even destabilize the nation.

What if, even if the CS gets his "fixed 1 year term", the President can still cut his term short whenever she finds him unfit to complement the President's plans?

This will definitely compel the CS to do his best and not abuse his power because he knows that the President can kick him out of office when he loses the latter's trust?

It's a safety precaution indeed.

Let's leave the decision to Madame President, shall we? :crawling:

:agree:

Come to think of it, the President is still human and her knowledgebase is limited like all other humans.

It is in our best interest to do all what we can to help her get a broader perspective on issues like this so that she may be able to get the best option to choose.

Who knows? An adviser or someone from the military who can help fine tune that bill for us is also reading this thread or this posting may find its way to them or even her or Cong. Golez?

:armywink:

:agree:

If the CS himself seeks for the extension of his tenure, then it's pretty obvious that something's fishy during his incumbency.

This guys will not leave their lair until their pockets will burst as they have considered their position as a goldmine preparatory to a lavish civilian lifestyle.

The proposed law change to a three-year fixed term tenure if it's purpose is honest to goodness, is a brain-dead idea. The real purpose is just to preserve the loyalty of the AFP to politicians and giving the former enough opportune time to explore the goldmine
of corruption.

Let's leave the decision to the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the President. If they make the wrong move, we can do something about it. :rifle:

what will you do, stage a one-man mutiny?

Are you, stupid? have you ever heard of People Power? :crazy:

Few people power to mess up things? :dunno:

Lt.Gen. Generoso Senga, commanding general of the Philippine Army, had been named by Malacañan as the new Armed Forces Chief-of-Staff, replacing General Efren Abu, it was learned Friday.

"President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has named Lt. Gen. Generoso Senga, currently commanding general of the Philippine Army, as the next Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, effective August of this year," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement posted on the government website www.ops.gov.ph.

Bunye said Abu will continue to serve as AFP Chief of Staff in the meantime to "ensure smooth transition of military leadership."

Once Senga assumes the top AFP post in August, Maj. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, currently commanding general of the Special Operations Command, will assume as commanding general of the Philippine Army.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=8739

Hope this guy is not inside Mr. Garcia's crystal ball.

General Generoso Senga CG PA CSAFP

Please Reclaim our Nation

I VOTED for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo not so much because I was convinced she was the best of the lot, but because of fear.

I feared that a vote against her would be a vote for Fernando Poe, Jr. who, at that time, I believed to be the greater evil; not so much because of his person who history has since judged to have been a good man with a noble heart and a sincere desire to serve our country. No. Like many, I feared FPJ because of his inexperience and especially because of the people behind him who had been shown to be opportunists. I voted defensively.

However, it was a defensive vote that carried with it the hope that by giving Ms Arroyo a clear mandate, she would perform as a good president should, with only the best interest of our nation and its people in mind. I did it for love of country.

But the events over the past several months, especially those of the last, have been enough to almost cause me to throw in the towel and declare, like so many of our countrymen, that indeed we are a hopeless nation. It is only the fighter and the dreamer in me that make me hold on.

Helplessness

We are a battered people, battered by administrations that have betrayed our dreams and shot down our hopes since we fought for our freedom in Edsa I. It is a "learned helplessness" that seems to have taken over the majority of our people, now grown cynical and numb in the face of scandal after scandal that has rocked the last two administrations. But we cannot allow anyone to rob us of hope. We do that and we lose everything.

Shocking as they may be, the latest jueteng scandal now being investigated in the Senate as well as the taped phone conversations of the President that allegedly point to her giving instructions to an official of the Commission on Elections to cheat during the last balloting are but the symptoms of a cancer (corruption) that has slowly and insidiously taken over our land and our people.

Should the taped conversation prove to be authentic, the brazen way the instructions for cheating were being given by the President to a Comelec official is again a symptom of how blas‚ we have become as a nation to corruption. The head of state and an official trusted to safeguard our votes would think nothing of mocking one of the most sacred rights of our people. And even sadder is that very few groups, save those with vested interests, are publicly demanding to get to the bottom of this serious charge.

Could it be because we are still stunned by what we are witnessing? Or could it be that we have sunk to such depths as a nation that we are no longer capable of outrage?

Crossroads

We are at another crossroads and we, citizens of good will who have not yet given up hope, must reclaim our nation. We must complete the unfinished Edsa I revolution that lacked an essential element-the transformation of heart. We do nothing now and we may again see our country held hostage by yet another group of people only too eager to oust the present regime so it can do what it is accusing the present leadership.

We need to be united as a nation during these difficult times. But it cannot be a "unity" that is achieved at the expense of truth and justice; a unity that simply helps to propagate all that is wrong with our present system. If we must be united, let it be in demanding that our leadership set things straight and stop skirting issues by fighting accusations only with counter-accusations. Let us demand that we be given the truth for a change. We have turned a blind eye to wrongdoing long enough and this is where it has led us.

Like most Filipinos, I so desire to see our country get back on track. I wish to see the sanctity of the ballot protected, the dignity of our institutions restored, our Constitution respected, and our nation's soul reclaimed. I am not a destabilizer. I am simply a Filipino who refuses to give up hope. I therefore beg the President to submit these taped telephone conversations for authentication by independent, international agencies.

If the version wherein she is speaking to the Comelec official is proven false, then everybody stands to gain. She would be vindicated and we would perhaps learn how to trust again. However, should it be proven authentic then she would be guilty of an impeachable offense. Should this be the case then she should do what is decent and best for our country. She must step down.

(Padilla, the founder and president of the Eye Bank, is also president of Sinag, a People's Crusade for Good Governance. The full text of this article can be accessed at minguita@pacific.net.ph.)

hope this one lasts for more than 1 year..... there's no continuity of programs and reforms (if there were any) because of the very short terms of past AFP Chiefs......

btw, That's a good development, right? The SOCOM chief taking over as PA chief? Perhaps there'll be greater support for SF/SR-led innovations in the Army in general? (Like the DMR program, DRCs, some others we don't know...)

Gen. Abu turned out to be a lemon. Maybe Gen. Senga is the mango we have been looking for. :armywink:

The General who led or initiated the infusion of the DRC concept is a good pick.

So is the General who helped improved the capability of the SR. This includes the development of DMR for every Inf Div and the new tactics that the SOCOM men are employing.

Those men know what leading at its highest level is all about.

Can anybody tell us what Gen. Senga contributed to the Army aside from being the SouthCom boss?

Many can be the SouthCom chief, right?

I believe Vice Admiral De Leon (?) deserves the post too.

Senga has had infinitely more combat experience than De Leon. Senga has been wounded in action. He has commanded troops at all levels, not just Southcom. Senga commands a lot of respect not just in the army. He is known to more occifers and codamners throughout the armed forces than De Leon.

Sorry Flipzi, the position of Chief of Staff is really lopsided in favor of the army. Our armed forces still follows an antiquated GHQ concept. Maybe when congress legislates in place a joint chiefs of staff concept.

Upon his graduation from the PMA, Senga saw action against the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels as platoon leader and company commander with the 27th Infantry Battalion. He was later assigned as chief of the Combat Research and Historical Branch at the office of the deputy chief for operations; and assistant group commander of the 11th Civil Relations Group of the 59th Infantry Battalion. He also served as chief of the Intelligence Research and Analysis Division at the office of the deputy chief for intelligence; operations officer of the Northern Luzon Command; and Nolcom chief of staff. He also had stints as assistant chief of staff for Army operations; chief of the Army's Counter-Terrorist Group; and commander of the 701st Brigade based in Davao. Senga served as AFP spokesman; and then as deputy chief for civil-military operations. He would then return to battle in Mindanao as commander of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, which was at the forefront of the battle against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). Senga holds a master's degree in Business Administration from the Ateneo de Manila University. He also attended the Ateneo College of Law. Senga went to school abroad -- finishing the Infantry Officers' Course and Civil Officers Course from the US Army Infantry School in Fort Bragg in North Carolina; Combined Strategic Intelligence Training Program at the US Defense Intelligence College; Intelligence and Security Course in the United Kingdom; International Program in Israel and East Asia Program in Hawaii. He is the recipient of eight distinguished service star medals, two bronze cross medals, 17 military merit medals, and a wounded personnel medal, among others.

Any word on who will replace him as CG PA?

Maj Gen Hermogenes Esperon Jr.

Could be one of the reasons why Esperon opted to remain loyal to Glo. :funnypost:

:whogives: anyway. I know he's good at doing his job. :salute:

Race on for next AFP chief


By Joel Francis Guinto
Last updated 09:53pm (Mla time) 06/23/2006


THE RACE is on to see who will replace Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff General Generoso Senga when he retires on July 21.

Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr. said "track record and performance" would be President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's main consideration in choosing her next military commander.

"The President will choose based on track record and performance and what will be best for the country," he said.

Cruz said the Board of Generals would not submit a shortlist to the President since its members are also in the running for the post.

Traditionally, all three-star generals including the three major service commanders are candidates for the chief of staff position.

But all the three major service commanders are embroiled in controversy.

The Army Chief, Lieutenant General Hermogenes Esperon Jr., was one of four generals implicated in the "Hello Garci" wiretaps that allegedly detail cheating by the administration, including Arroyo, in the 2004 elections.

Navy Chief Vice Admiral Mateo Mayuga, on the other hand, came under fire for not fully disclosing the report of the investigation he undertook into the election fraud controversy.

Mayuga's fact-finding team cleared Esperon, Southern Command Chief Major General Gabriel Habacon, retired Lieutenant General Roy Kyamko, and retired Brigadier General Francisco Gudani of involvement in alleged vote-rigging operations.

Air Force Chief Lieutenant General Jose Reyes, for his part, was criticized for not fully disclosing how he spent 30 million pesos in savings by a disgruntled officer, Colonel Efren Daquil.

Cruz said he hoped that like the chiefs of staff he has worked with since he took over the defense portfolio in 2004, Senga's successor would be "very professional, very hardworking, and very dedicated."

"The Armed Forces of the Philippines is full of senior generals, full of competent and highly qualified officers. Anybody can qualify as chief of staff and carry on with the work that we started under the leadership of the secretary of national defense," Senga said for his part.

Senga is the eighth chief of staff under the Arroyo administration. He will have served for over 11 months when he relinquishes his post on July 21.

Arroyo has been widely criticized for her "revolving door" policy or appointing generals to top positions for political payback even if they have little time left in the active service.

One of Arroyo's military chiefs, General Benjamin Defensor, served for only 69 days.

Arroyo rose to power in January 2001 on the crest of a military-backed popular revolt. She won a fresh six-year term in May 2004 on alleged cheating supposedly carried out by the military.

http://newsinfo.inq7.net/topstories/topsto...article_id=6257
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I dont like this policy either. If the CSAFP is doing great, then why not just extend his term and let him do more?

The AFP should NOT assign a new one for CSAFP post if his retirement is nearing. IT IS A WASTE OF TIME AND THE BETTER ONES ARE DEPRIVED OF MORE TIME SERVING THE AFP.

BTW, why not try Gen. Palparan for the CSAFP post?

If i am PGMA, i'll extend his term for one year or until the rebellion is done. :thumb:

a stern warning to ATE GLU:

appoint your LEADING HOODLUM ESPERON as AFP Chief of Staff and you will see your own troops OVERTHROW YOU AND YOUR CORRUPTION-RIDDEN GOVERNMENT.


enough said. :armyroleyes:

After Palparan's retirement, we can reassign him in the Office of the National Security Adviser as Consultant. I mean the man is an icon for the idealistic PMAers and AFPers! And he's effective. And he's clean though controversial. Or better yet we can extract him here in Sydney. That is if our good Australian masters can spare him his immigration papers.

Esperon is next AFP chief
By Jaime Laude
The Philippine Star 07/12/2006

President Arroyo has named Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon as the new Armed Forces chief. Esperon, 54, takes the place of Gen. Generoso Senga Jr., who will retire on July 21.

Mrs. Arroyo will formally announce soon Esperon’s appointment as the 35th chief of the 125,000-strong Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Upon the instruction of Mrs. Arroyo, news of Esperon’s appointment was relayed by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita Monday night by telephone to STAR publisher Max V. Soliven.

As early as two weeks ago, before embarking on an official trip to Europe, Mrs. Arroyo intimated to Soliven at St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, where they were both confined, her decision to name Esperon as Senga’s replacement.

But Mrs. Arroyo asked Soliven to withhold the information until her return from abroad.

Senga is bowing out of the military service upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 56 nine days from now.

Being the commander of the Philippine Army, the biggest branch of the Armed Forces, was reportedly Esperon’s edge over the other contenders.

Esperon and Senga, with the other service commanders, stood by Mrs. Arroyo during the failed Feb. 24 attempt by military rebels to unseat her.

Among the other top contenders for Armed Forces chief were Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Jose Reyes and Navy chief Vice Adm. Mateo Mayuga.

Both Reyes and Mayuga belong to Philippine Military Academy Class ’73, while Esperon comes from Class ’74.

Military insiders bared that the race for the top AFP post was narrowed down between Esperon and Mayuga.

The 75,000-strong Army is considered a highly capable military force that could carry out Mrs. Arroyo’s vision of licking the three-decades old communist rebellion.

Earlier, Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr. hinted at Esperon’s appointment when he told reporters that the next AFP chief should have the capability to implement the six and 10-year program against the rebels.

"The next AFP chief should have the track record, the competence and the professionalism in carrying out the AFP’s tasks and missions," he said.

Before becoming Army chief, Esperon was commander of the Army’s Special Operations Command and served in the frontlines of Mindanao.

Right after graduation from the PMA, Esperon and other members of Class ’74 were deployed in Mindanao as platoon leaders and were pitted against guerrillas of the Moro National Liberation Front.

From platoon leader, Esperon moved up to company commander in Basilan, Jolo and Zamboanga, battalion commander in the Lanao provinces and brigade commander in Cotabato.

He was also commander of the Presidential Security Group under Mrs. Arroyo for almost a year before being promoted to two-star rank.

He was PSG deputy commander during the Ramos administration.

Esperon also served as deputy AFP chief for operations based at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

A number of military officers had predicted that the next AFP chief would come from the officer corps of the Philippine Army, following the administration’s pronouncements of a hard-line stance against the insurgents.

"It’s only the Army which has the force and might that could implement this anti-insurgency program of the government," one officer said, adding that except for the Marines, the Navy has no fighting force on land.

Mayuga, a batch ahead of Esperon at PMA, however seemed to have gained ground in the race for AFP chief when the President earlier announced she would go for seniority in choosing Senga’s replacement.

Reyes, Mayuga’s mistah at PMA, was one of the service commanders who foiled the Feb. 24 coup plot. The Air Force is also currently involved in the government’s anti-insurgency campaign in line with Mrs. Arroyo’s directive to wipe out the rebels in two years.

http://www.philstar.com/philstar/News200607120401.htm

Congratulations Sir Chief Esperon. It was Sir Esperon who inspired me and the rest of my kin to stand ground for any lawful incumbent. Constitutional mandate of Arroyo behooves us to protect and stand ground. No matter how hateful one is like the man who stole my fiancee or Estrada for example I will stand ground for him or for her if he is mandated by the Constitution. Anong magagawa mo eh ayon sa batas. Remain impartial and dispassionate! Just maintain the status quo and support the President. Arroyo appointed the best! Congrats again Sir Esperon! May your tribe increase.

Esperon... *sigh* never mind. :armyroleyes:

Arroyo is included among the roster of tolerant Presidents like Cory and Ramos whose Chief of Staffs were never involved in any scandalous incidents like murder, harrassment or any unlawful acts. Walang pinapatay yang mga yan. They're tolerant of critics and detractors. All in accordance with laws. Kaya mahal sila ng tao. Magdalo and RAM-SFP will not tolerate critics. Not even loose talk. They'll line us up against the wall. Kaya takot ang mga tao sa kanila.

What about all that talk about that NOLCOM General Tolentino? So it's definitely Esperon and not him?

That was his only edge over the other contenders? what about seniority?
and who was it that got involve in the Garci tape? was it just him? or all of them?
:dunno:

Looking at it objectively, Esperon may be right in claiming that his conscience is clear and was not involved in the election cheating. As we all know, the AFP is one of the deputized agencies of the COMELEC during elections, thus, when Garci requested that Gudani be relieved of his post during the election, for alleged electioneering, it might be a valid and legal order.

Yun nga lang, when the Garci tapes came, the complexion was changed, he could have been cleared beyond reasonable doubt if only the impeachment went through or the Mayuga reports were published.

Would like to reiterate though that this is just my own theory and has no factual basis.

:aberet: