THE commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps will officially relinquish his post on Monday amid reports of his alleged differences with Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad, but the latter has dispelled this, and said he maintains a professional relationship with his subordinate who is also his former classmate at the Philippine Military Academy.
Major Gen. Alvin Parreño will turn over the command of the Marines to Naval Inspector General Major Gen. Nathaniel Casem, five months before Parreño’s official retirement from the service. Reports had said his early exit was raising a howl among the senior officers of the Marines.
Empedrad said Parreño, his classmate in PMA Class of 1986, will be assigned to his office, apparently as the latter winds down his months into the service.
The Navy chief dismissed reports that Parreño’s decision to leave his post has something to do with an alleged quarrel between him and the outgoing Marine commandant, including Empedrad’s alleged meddling in the issue of promotions in the Marines.
The Philippine Marines is under the Navy.
“I do not meddle in the movement of minor positions in whatever unit of the Navy, but I officially decide in positions involving colonel and up because the positions of colonel and up in the Navy falls under my authority. I decide who will take up this or that position,” Empedrad said.
“But for the positions of Lt. Col. and down in any unit of the Navy, I do not. I do not meddle in any promotions. In fact, I encourage promotion,” adding “it was even me” who had been promoting people.
Empedrad said that when the vice commander of the Philippine Navy retired, he offered the post to Parreño, but the latter declined and said he would just give way to Casem.
“So there’s no truth to what you are hearing about,” Empedrad said.
“It’s just a plain rumor and I am assuring [the public] that the leadership of the Navy is solid and the incoming commander [of the Marines] is a seasoned commander and a veteran warrior of the Philippine Marine Corps,” he added.
The Navy chief admitted that previously, he and Parreño had differed on the issue of whether or not the Marines should be separated from the Navy and turned into another service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The Marine leadership had pushed and supported this.
However. the “rift” had been settled, with Empedrad allowing the Marines to take charge of their own budgetary requirement and spending.
“The President had said that instead of separating the Marines, it will just become a key budgetary unit, meaning, the Navy would no longer manage its finances, and that’s what we did. All of the budget of the Marines has been given to the Marines,” he said.
Empedrad said the Navy is a very professional organization and it is “professional enough” to handle any differences.
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