AFP confident Iriberri will secure CA nod despite case before Ombudsman

MANILA, Philippines - The military is confident that Armed Forces chief Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri will be confirmed by the Commission of Appointments (CA) despite the case filed against him before the Ombudsman.

Iriberri, who assumed as chief of the 125,000-strong military last July 10, was promoted to four-star general on Thursday, said Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Noel Detoyato.

The promotion of military officers with the rank of colonel or higher has to be confirmed by the Commission of Appointments (CA), a congressional body composed of 13 senators and 12 House members.

Detoyato is optimistic that Iriberri would be confirmed by the CA despite the complaint filed against the military chief before the Ombudsman.

“Despite the allegation and complaints against chief of staff, I am confident he is going to be confirmed by the Commission of Appointment because those are just allegations and he is also ready to answer the allegations in a proper forum,” Detoyato said.

Iriberri has been charged with graft before the Ombudsman in connection with the shelving of three ammunition projects worth P97.7 million.

Complainants claimed that Iriberri, then the Army chief, had failed to issue documents that would have facilitated the delivery of ammunition. Iriberri’s supposed inaction reportedly led to the shelving of contracts bagged by supplier Joavi Philippines.

Detoyato is also confident that the accusations of human rights abuses against Iriberri will not hamper the military chief’s promotion.

“Allegations are allegations. They have to prove it,” Detoyato said.

Earlier, human rights group Karapatan slammed the appointment of Iriberri as the Armed Force chief, saying he perpetrated abusive practices.

“Lt. Gen. Hernando Iriberri led the whole Philippine Army in perpetrating human rights violations and international humanitarian law across the country, especially in the Mindanao regions,” Karapatan Secretary-General Cristina Palabay said in a previous statement.

“The AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) should not boast of killing and jailing members of the NPAs (New People’s Army) because as far as our records show, those killed were civilians and all of the arrests were illegal,” she added.

New assignments

Meanwhile, two senior officers have been appointed as members of the AFP Joint Staff.

Brig. Gen. Guillermo Molina, the former deputy chief of the Western Command, has been named Deputy Chief of Staff for Plans.

Molina, a graduate of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) class ‘86, succeeded Maj. Gen. Raul Del Rosario who has been appointed chief of the 1st Air Division based in Clark, Pampanga.

Brig. Gen. Job Yucoco, a graduate of PMA class ’84, is now the deputy chief of staff for logistics. He succeeded Maj. Gen. Victor Bayani who will retire from the service on Friday.