ISAFP men want Corpus recalled

"A very serious breach of security."

This was how retired generals and former military intelligence officers viewed the appointment of Army Col. Victor Corpus, a former defector to the communist movement, as head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).

In a position paper, the group claimed that AFP chief Gen. Angelo Reyes blatantly disregarded security regulations in appointing Corpus as head of the ISAFP, adding it would definitely have a "negative impact on Reyes’ leadership."

Among those who signed the manifesto were former AFP chief and defense secretary Gen. Ernesto Mata; Brigadier Generals Godofredo Mendoza, Fidel Singson, Ismael Musico and Galileo Kintanar; and Colonels Agapito Heredia, Antonio Gonzales and Godofredo Carreon.

"This is a very serious breach of security committed by the AFP chief of staff," they stressed.

The group also alleged that Corpus’ appointment to a very sensitive post in the intelligence service has caused "widespread" demoralization among the rank and file of the ISAFP, prompting key officers of the elite unit to leave their posts since Corpus assumed the position last Jan. 23.

The concerned officers and retired generals said Corpus’ loyalty was "very, very doubtful, to say the least, and warned that his appointment has put in dire danger not only the security of the AFP, but also of the entire country, as well as the Arroyo administration."

The four former ISAFP chiefs said they were prompted to write the open letter to the President after they failed to convince Reyes about the adverse consequences of Corpus’ appointment.

Like Reyes, Corpus is a Harvard alumnus.

"Two weeks’ time was given to him (Reyes) to rethink and reconsider his action, (but) nothing happened," they said.

They pointed out that the ISAFP is the most sensitive unit of the military, adding that by the "very nature of its function," every personnel assigned to it must possess untainted loyalty over and above other qualifications.

They noted that Corpus was not even made to undergo a strict security process called complete background investigation (CBI) before his designation.

"In order to determine the loyalty of the individual, the person must undergo a strict security process called CBI as embodied in the time-honored and tested AFP Regulations Manual, the security bible of the military and defense establishments," they said,

Any soldier who fails to pass the CBI is considered a security risk.

"It is enough that he (Corpus) was pardoned. To reappoint him to the military service and assign him to a very sensitive position where loyalty is the premium qualification is giving the wrong signal to our young officers," they said.

They also said while the President’s decision to recall the extension of Reyes’ term is laudable, it would be "more laudable" if she also retires Corpus.

On Dec. 29, 1970, Corpus, then a lieutenant, led a raid on the armory of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) at Fort Del Pilar in Baguio City where they took several high-powered firearms and ammunition before defecting to the New People’s Army (NPA), the military wing of the underground Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Corpus, who graduated from the PMA in 1967, became training officer of the NPA from 1971 to 1975 in Northern Luzon, and later rose to be a member of the central committee of the CPP.

Corpus later accused CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison and other ranking communist leaders of having ordered the August 1971 bombing of a political rally in Plaza Miranda. He surrendered to the military in 1976.