The Commander-in-chief

Over the weekend, President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III flew to Baguio City to join the traditional homecoming by graduates of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) at their campus grounds in Fort Del Pilar. This is an annual activity being observed in the country’s premier military school before commencement day of the latest batch of officer corps to enter the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

This is the first PMA homecoming activity that the newly minted Commander-in-chief attended since assuming office in June 30 last year. Despite obviously still nursing a case of heavy colds, the President proceeded to join the event after being under the weather for the past two days.

Malacañang officials disclosed P-Noy caught the colds a few days after his visit in Jolo, Sulu on Feb.11 when he inspected the government relief operations for the flood victims in the province. The last stop of his visit was a military briefing with government troopers stationed in Camp Teodulfo Bautista in Jolo where he got himself drenched in the rain along with the soldiers.

In fact, the Palace press office lost no time to distribute to private media the official photo release of that event at the camp showing a rain-drenched P-Noy speaking before the uniformed men in the field.

It was released a few days after the burial of the late AFP chief of staff Gen. Angelo Reyes (PMA Class 1966) whose suicide took away the limelight from the congressional hearings on the alleged past anomalies in the military involving him and other former AFP chiefs of staff.

This was during the height of the separate public hearings being done by the Senate and the House of Representatives into the plea bargain agreement entered into by former AFP comptroller, retired Maj. Gen.Carlos Garcia (PMA Class 1971) that reduced his crime of plunder to indirect bribery. Reyes shot himself dead before his parents’ grave at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina on Feb. 8. Coincidentally, it was the 51st birthday of P-Noy.

At the necrological rites, aired live over ANC News Channel, a very close friend and senior PMA cavalier of Reyes, retired Navy Commodore Rex Robles (PMA Class 1965) gave a very explosive eulogy. Robles echoed the general sentiments of the men in uniform about their being made to appear as the villains in the corruption issues rocking the military establishment.

To paraphrase Robles, he bewailed the perceived lack of caring by their Commander-in-chief for the military institution that serves as stabilizing factor during critical times in the country. Robles took issue to the deafening silence of President Aquino about a letter purportedly sent to him by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (PMA Class 1995) supposedly identifying the “powerful person” behind Garcia.

After being berated at the Senate hearing without being given the opportunity to explain his side, Reyes instead issued a paid advertisement in newspapers, including The STAR, to challenge Trillanes to name that “powerful person.” Trillanes pointed to Reyes as that “powerful person” when Senate reporters interviewed him on the paid ad challenge of Reyes.

But in fairness, P-Noy paid his last respects to Reyes. It was only a day after the burial of Reyes that President Aquino finally broke his silence on the matter. He said he has an idea of who is the supposed protector of Garcia in the corruption that festered the military.

As Chief Executive of the land, he stressed it is not his job to bring out allegations without supporting evidence and proof to ensure the prosecution and eventual conviction of the accused. So he tossed the matter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to build a strong case against whoever would eventually be unmasked as behind the reported corruption exposed at the Senate hearing by retired Lt. Col.George Rabusa (PMA Class 1981).

The DOJ investigation is separate and distinct from those being undertaken by the Department of National Defense (DND). Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin (PMA Class 1966) ordered a civilian-military panel to look into the alleged involvement of certain members of the AFP during the May 2004 presidential elections in favor of certain candidates.

With investigations being conducted all over the place, it was no wonder why the men in uniform felt besieged from all fronts. As Robles has put it, the men in uniform look up to their Commander-in-chief as a source of strength, if not comfort, while they are under fire.

So it was a good move on the part of President Aquino in his speech at the PMA homecoming to impress upon the officers and men of the AFP that as their Commander-in-chief, he is “feeling” their pains. Thus, he vowed to ensure all the culprits would suffer and not enjoy the loots they’ve taken from the military establishment.

Before this, the President called for a command conference with the military top brass, headed by outgoing chief of staff Gen. Ricardo David (PMA Class 1977), at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City last Wednesday.

The President was candid enough to say he really wanted to talk and personally relay to the AFP top brass about matters brought to his attention by his former colleagues in Congress. Without going into details, he said he shared with them the initial reports on what have come out so far from the legislative inquiries into the reported anomalies in the military.

The Chief Executive also announced to media after that command conference he has asked and has convinced already Gen. David to continue to serve in the government since the latter is still young. David turns 55 years old when he reaches the mandatory retirement age on March 8.

Two days before David’s retirement, though, the PMA Class 2011 Laon Alab, or short for, Lakas Tipon, Alagad ng Bayan, are set to graduate. It will be again a chance for President Aquino, as the Commander-in-chief, to inspire his new corps of officers commissioned to the AFP to lead the way to his Matuwid na Daan in the military.

As the Commander-in-chief who has no mistah at the PMA, P-Noy stands on high moral ground to protect the AFP institution from vultures in and out of the military ranks.