AFP downplays new movement in military

From the Daily Tribune (Sep 13): AFP downplays new movement in military

The military leadership has dismissed a supposed disgruntled group within the uniformed services calling itself as Reformist Officers United (ROU) which came out with a statement last Wednesday criticizing the Aquino administration.

Armed Forces of the Philippines-Public Affairs Office (PAO) chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala expressed belief that ROU’s “Article of Faith” did not originate from the military.

“It appears the tone of the letter is not military,” Zagala told the Tribune.

Aside from non-military issues tackled in the “Article of Faith,” Zagala also noted non-military style of writing names and ranks of the supposed leaders of ROU who were signatories of the article.

The letter used comas and period in the names of the supposed signatories which is not the practice in the AFP.

The names were also written in sentence case, contrary to the all capitalized style in the military.

Another notable mistake was the used of “Capt.” as ranks of two of the supposed signatories the Philippine Army and the Marines. The Army and Marines use “CPT.”

The Tribune also tried to seek other military and police sources regarding ROU but they were one in dismissing the group as non-existent and bogus.

The manifesto, called an “Article of Faith,” carried the signatures of representatives from all the military commands, the Philippine Army, the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Marines and the Presidential Security Guard, and civilian security agencies Philippine National Police, Coast Guard and the National Bureau of Investigation.

The names in the manifesto, however, are all likely pseudonyms.

The ROU said it reached a “crucial decision,” which it did not state clearly, after many of its supposed members attended the recent rally at the Luneta Park or the Million People March last Aug. 26.

The decision was arrived at “after much contemplation of the political, social, economic and national security situations that turned from bad to worse, after we have vetted our organization, purged its ranks of opportunists and fake nationalists and after we have consulted some of our elders in the military, legal profession, farmers and those from the business, church, academe, labor and civil society groups.”

“Rest assured, together we will win this battle if possible with less bloodshed,” the ROU said in the manifesto.

Zagala, however, stressed the 120,000-strong military organization’s chain of command remains strong and professional.

“The AFP remains professional and loyal to the chain of command. We don’t engage in partisan activity,” he said.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/19107-afp-downplays-new-movement-in-military