Junior and mid-ranking officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are now asking their senior officers to start correcting the “flawed” promotion system to ensure that only those deserving and qualified would be leading the military in the future.
The
officers, who requested anonymity, urged the current AFP leadership to act on
the defective promotion system that provides opportunity to non-performers in
the 125,000-strong military organization.
They called on their generals to act now before it’s too late.
“The promotion system is one challenge that current generals must start to act on. We can win battles and wars if the AFP would be led by capable and credible, and incorruptible officers who will do what is right for the organization,” a mid-grade Army officer told The Daily Tribune.
Another officer stressed the need to overhaul the promotion system, and get rid of the flawed senior lineal listing (SLL) system.
“Our current leaders must start the reforms before it is too late. We cannot afford to have poor leaders in the crucial years to come. It is high time to embrace merit system and jettison the SLL system,” the second source said.
The second officer said that the SLL does not promote meritocracy and runs contrary to the AFP Transformation Program (ATP) which is aimed at having a world-class armed forces by 2028.
“How can we have a world-class AFP if our leaders are not the best?” he asked.
Another officer said that the AFP leadership should promote meritocracy and get rid of the non-performers through normal attrition.
“There should be no accommodation. We must all work and earn our ranks, through sweat and blood,” the third officer said.
Currently, those vying for full-fledge colonels are clogged due to much lesser quota compared to the number of qualified officers,” he added.
Earlier, The Daily Tribune sources expressed demoralization over the continued observance of the “flawed” SLL which also gives room to favoritism.
“The current promotion system is demoralizing and it does not promote excellence,” a mid-ranking
“There is no guarantee that the best officers who possess the knowledge, skills and attitudes of a future leader of the AFP will have the fair chance to get the sensitive posts that require excellent leaders,” he added.
Currently, the AFP is observing the SLL as among the primary factors in the promotion of officers. The system is based on the officers’ grades and performance during pre-entry training — cadetship in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) or Officer Candidate Schools (OCS).
As such, cadets at the PMA or OCS who obtained high grades during school days but did not perform well after graduation will always be ahead in the SLL to those who excelled in their duties after commissionship in the active service but lower scholastic records.
On the other hand, getting rid with the SLL , the officers said, will ensure that only the “cream of the crop” will be climbing up the ranks.
“We, junior officers, want to implement meritocracy in promotion so that every officer will be rated properly according to their actual performance while in active duty,” an Army captain told The Daily Tribune.
“The non-performers or mediocre ones will be gradually separated through attrition system as they climb through the ladder of the bureaucracy,” he added.
http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/afp-junior-officers-ask-superiors-to-correct-flawed-promotion-system
The Daily Tribune has track record of publishing critiques of the military that are almost always based on comments from anonymous military sources.
ReplyDelete