A bill that seeks to end the “revolving door” among military commanders has been revived by Surigao del Sur Representative Johnny Pimentel.
“The quick turnover of AFP chiefs of staff has become counterproductive -- even somewhat disruptive,” Pimentel, a member of the House committee on national defense and security, said of House Bill 3402 in a statement Saturday.
Noting that President Benigno Aquino III vetoed a similar measure four years ago, Pimentel said he hopes President Rodrigo Duterte approves the bill if it is passed.
“Over the last 30 years, the AFP has had 28 chiefs of staff who each served an average of only 12 months. In the case of our last 10 chiefs of staff, each actually served only an average of seven months,” Pimentel said, noting that in the US, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has a fixed two-year term.
After the 1986 People Power uprising, he added, the AFP has had only two chiefs of staff -- Generals Renato de Villa and Lisandro Abadia -- who served the maximum three years allowed by the 1987 Constitution.
The shortest stint, only 10 days, was that of acting chief of staff Nestor Ochoa.
“If we are to reinforce the military as our protector and defender of the national territory, we should give its chief operating officer a stable stint to carry out programs and projects with some degree of constancy,” Pimentel said.
The measure would defer the mandatory retirement of an incumbent chief of staff who turns 56. At the same time, it affirms the power of the president, as commander-in-chief, to remove the AFP chief at any time within the 36-month term.
http://interaksyon.com/article/132307/bill-to-end-revolving-door-among-afp-chiefs-revived
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