AFP chief to troops: Obey chain of command

MANILA, Philippines — Amid reports of restiveness and discontent in the military, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Carlito Galvez yesterday ordered troops to toe the line and follow the chain of command.

Galvez also reminded the military to follow its constitutional mandate and not take part in any political activity.

“Our loyalty is to the Constitution. I command the troops to adhere to the rule of law and always obey the chain of command. Violation of these instructions will be dealt with severely and personnel who will get involved will be immediately relieved from their posts and investigated,” Galvez declared.

Galvez also issued the warning against groups or personalities that he said were trying to sow intrigue and discord in the uniformed service.

“Let me belie claims by some quarters of divisiveness or rumblings in the AFP. I assure our people that, as in many times in the past, the AFP will be united and strong as an organization,” Galvez said.

“Let me then, as the AFP chief of staff, take this occasion to warn persons or groups that attempt to divide the AFP by sowing intrigues and discord among its officers and enlisted personnel. You will not succeed,” he added.

While aware that troops have individual views on many issues, Galvez said these merely reflect how intelligent and mature the members of the AFP are.

“But we always put the interest of the organization and the nation above our own,” he said.

Galvez made the statement as the Supreme Court is set to tackle the petition of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV questioning the validity of President Duterte’s proclamation ordering his arrest on a flawed amnesty grant.

Duterte also ordered the Department of Justice and the military to pursue criminal and administrative complaints against the former rebel military officer.

Trillanes told the police and military not to follow Duterte’s “illegal order” for him to be arrested without a court warrant, saying his rebellion and coup cases were dismissed in 2011 after he accepted an amnesty offered by then president Benigno Aquino III.

Addressing military and police officers who may be pressured to enforce Duterte’s order out of fear, Trillanes urged them not to “do anything illegal or unconstitutional.”

Trillanes said he has reached out to his contacts within the AFP and he was given their guarantee that they would respect the agreement they had with the Senate leadership not to arrest him while inside the legislative chamber.

Galvez has commissioned a general court-martial to try Trillanes. He noted the former Navy officer has filed a petition before the Supreme Court questioning Duterte’s order so the court-martial was held in abeyance.

Galvez said the AFP will obey the order of the SC, which is why the military “will not anymore comment on its merits as we hope other parties would follow suit.”

Trillanes has filed a petition for prohibition and certiorari, seeking a TRO to stop the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) from arresting him under Proclamation 572.

Trillanes also asked the SC to declare as null and void the proclamation for alleged violation of the Constitution.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan, a former rebel military officer, also reminded the AFP to follow what he called “legal chain of command.”

“Uphold the rule of law and due process, obey the legally prescribed chain of command, allow the legal courts, not the media, to decide and rule on matters of law, implement policy and enforce the law and not interpret it,” Honasan said.

Moot and impossible

A veteran lawyer said the general court-martial cannot revive the case against Trillanes involving alleged violation of the Articles of War.

“The penalty for such an offense is merely dismissal from service which was rendered moot or impossible to implement since Trillanes is already out of the military service since 2007 when he was elected senator and up to the present,” Romulo Macalintal said.

Even if the case against Trillanes could be reopened by the court-martial it is still dismissible since the case involves an incident that happened 15 years ago, he said.

Macalintal said the Trillanes case will certainly qualify in the list of cases dismissed by the SC for “inordinate delay in the proceedings” that violates Article III, Section 16 of the Constitution, which states “all persons shall have the right to a speedy disposition of their cases before all judicial, quasi-judicial or administrative bodies.”  – With Paolo Romero, Helen Flores