AFP officers dismayed over Rabusa’s immunity grant

From the Daily Tribune (Mar 5): AFP officers dismayed over Rabusa’s immunity grant

Some military officers are dismayed over the Ombudsman decision giving immunity to former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) budget officer retired Lt. Col. George Rabusa on the plunder charge slapped against him by a former auditor of the Commission on Audit.

The officers, who requested anonymity, were one in saying that Rabusa was in the center of the top-level corruption in the AFP during his time as budget officer under the defunct AFP office of the deputy chief of staff for comptrollership or J6.

“Not fair,” a senior Army colonel described the decision issued by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales. “He was the architect (of military corruption during his time) and yet he is spared. He should have been in jail with Garcia,” he added.

The officer was referring to discharged Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, who was the AFP comptroller and was Rabusa’s immediate superior. Garcia is presently detained at the National Bilibid Prisons (NBP).

“He (Rabusa) is a principal and not a pawn. He was the one orchestrating everything. It’s not fair, but we can’t do anything it’s the decision of an independent body,” another officer based in Camp Aguindalo told The Tribune.

A senior field commander said that Rabusa also pocketed millions of pesos from the military coffer.

“He should surrender his ill gotten wealth. The immunity doesn’t morally exonerate him,” the Mindanao-based officer said.

“This is very disappointing. We expected President Aquino’s ‘daang matuwid’ to really go after corrupt people, that there will be no sacred cows. He (Rabusa) benefitted so much from corrupt activities during his time as budget officer, why spare him?” asked a mid-ranking officer.

The Ombudsman dismissed the plunder case filed against Rabusa by Arturo Besana, former resident auditor of CoA assigned to the AFP from 1994 to 1995 on the ground that he (Rabusa) enjoys immunity as a state witness.

Besana accused Rabusa as the “brains” behind the multi-billion corruption in the AFP during his tenure as budget officer.

But Morales stressed that the complainants against Rabusa could not question the decision of the Department of Justice (DoJ) turning Rabusa as witness.

Rabusa, during the Senate inquiry in 2011, revealed the hundreds of millions of pesos were given as “pabaon” to retiring military chiefs. His revelations led to the filing of criminal cases against three former AFP chiefs, namely, Angelo Reyes, Diomedio Villanueva and Roy Cimatu.

Reyes committed suicide at the height of the Senate hearing on the alleged military corruption.

Others implicated by Rabusa were Garcia, former AFP comptroller retired Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot ; retired Maj. Gen. Hilario Atendido, who served as executive assistant to Villanueva; Brig. Gen. Benito de Leon, who served under Cimatu; Col. Roy Devesa, executive assistant of Reyes.

The AFP, for its part, said it respects the decision of the Ombudsman.

“We fully trust our justice system. The AFP respects the decision of the Ombudsman to dismiss the plunder and graft charges filed against retired Colonel Rabusa,” AFP-Public Affairs Office said in a statement.

“Every member of the AFP understands that the steps undertaken by any judicial or investigating body is part of the Judicial system under the Constitution which we have sworn to defend and uphold at all times,” it added.

http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/item/11286-afp-officers-dismayed-over-rabusa’s-immunity-grant.html