Politics seen in Armed Forces officers’ exchange of positions

From the Business Mirror (Mar 10): Politics seen in Armed Forces officers’ exchange of positions

TWO senior military officers swapped positions on Thursday in what the Armed Forces said was still part of its effort to meet its “mandate,” although some officers had termed it as an “election move” by the Aquino administration, in support of its presidential candidate.

The exchange of positions between the Armed Forces vice chief of staff  Lt. Gen. Romeo Tanalgo and the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) chief  Lt. Gen. Glorioso Miranda, took place a day after former Armed Forces deputy chief of staff Lt. Gen. Edgar Fallorina assumed command of the Air Force.

Tanalgo, a Marine, and Miranda, an Army man, are classmates of the Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hernando Iriberri. They are members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1983.

The Armed Forces had termed the exercise as a mere “swapping of posts” between Tanalgo and Miranda, but legally, it was a relief or even a demotion in position for the Marine general, who was the No. 2 man of the whole military, before he was ordered to take Miranda’s post.

The post of the Armed Forces vice chief of staff is the second highest position in the military, while the post of Northern Luzon commander is just equal with the Western Command, Southern Luzon Command, Eastern Mindanao Command and other area commands of the military.

Fending off criticisms that it was an election-related move to benefit administration presidential candidate Manuel A. Roxas II or even a demotion for Tanalgo, Armed Forces Public Affairs Office chief Col. Noel Detoyato merely said it was in pursuit of military objectives.

“The consideration in this are the imperatives of our national military objectives, there are four of them, these are always the considerations if commanders are given major commands,” Detoyato said.

“These imperatives are securing the sovereignty and integrity of national territory, protection of maritime interest and defeating internal threats; supporting national development, security and stability; contributing to regional and international peace and security; and supporting the disaster risk-reduction management effort of the government,” he added.

Detoyato said the military has always been upholding its best interest, that of the country and the Filipinos every time it makes a decision.

“It is always the best interest, we always want to tap the expertise [of commanders], to maximize the positions. Anyway, these are two three-star positions and that is why it was only swapped,” he said.

Since the exchange was a “demotion” for Tanalgo, some officers said he had been relieved of his post because his branch of service is the Marines wherein opposition presidential front-runner Jejomar C. Binay is a Marine reservist with the rank of colonel, and is known to be close to several Marine officers. Binays security men are Marines, although these troops are technically assigned to the Officer of the Base Commander of Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, where the Armed Forces General Headquarters and the Department of Defense are located.

Roxas is an adopted member of a PMA.

The officers noted that, while Defense Secretary Voltaire T. Gazmin and Irriberi have been constantly reminding the troops to remain apolitical, this same directive is not being obeyed or practiced in the General Headquarters, with President Aquino, being the commander in chief, as the primary violator.

Aquino signed the relief of Tanalgo over the weekend.

“Where is moral ascendancy in that?” One junior officer asked.

Detoyato said Tanalgo, the Marines commandant when he was appointed as the No. 2 man of the Armed Forces, was also assigned at the Nolcom because of maritime consideration, apparently referring to the Scarborough Shoal near Zambales, over which China already exercises de-facto control.

But the operational jurisdiction over the Scarborough Shoal has long been transferred to the Western Command, which is based in Palawan.

http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/politics-seen-in-armed-forces-officers-exchange-of-positions/