The Armed Forces Wednesday dismissed reports 1st Marine Brigade head Brig. Gen. Alexander Balutan, the military officer who expressed sentiments about the misuse of pork barrel fund on his Facebook account, was relieved from his post.
"No, he is not relieved from his position," AFP public information office chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said.
He added what Balutan posted on his Facebook account is private and meant only for him and his friends.
"It is not meant for circulation or to be published, it is (his) personal sentiment and it was taken out without his permission," he added.
But Zagala clarified that military officials should be careful in making similar statements as they are in the uniformed service.
"And as members of the AFP (they) should maintain a certain degree of discipline and remain non-partisan no matter how the issue is justifiable to some. The AFP should remain neutral in (all) issues," Zagala stressed.
Balutan, in his Facebook post, earlier said that the misuse of the pork barrel fund is very disheartening considering that many soldiers are risking their lives in the battle field.
“That (money) should have been used to solve the lingering social issues leading to armed conflict. The deaths of these marine heroes are rendered useless. Nakapanlulumo (It’s disheartening),” he added.
The AFP public affairs office chief stressed that Balutan will not be punished for this.
"He will not (be punished) because it was never his intent to say those things in public, it was a sentiment and a lot of Filipinos have sentiments and this sentiment of his meant only for his friends and his family and never to be made public," Zagala stated.
Meanwhile, Navy spokesperson Lt. Cmdr. Gregory Fabic echoed Zagala's statements.
"As an individual, we are entitled to our own views. We even have the right to freely express our opinions given the fact that we are a democratic state. Yet, the Philippine Constitution provides that all members of the AFP shall take an oath or affirmation to uphold and defend the constitution and it shall be insulated from partisan politics. Thus, the command remains its apolitical stand to whatever issues attributed by political practice or exercise," he added.
The Philippine Navy directly supervises the day-to-day operations of the Marine Corps
Fabic also said that what Balutan posted on his Facebook account is more of an personal expression and not the stand of the PN and the Marine Corps.
http://www.pna.gov.ph/index.php?idn=&sid=&nid=&rid=559509
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