New defense chief Gonzales allays 'No-El' fears

In an attempt to quell speculations, newly-installed head of the Department of National Defense (DND) Norberto Gonzales on Monday assured that clean and “credible" elections would push through next year. Gonzales gave the assurance after his appointment revived fears that President Gloria Arroyo was plotting to stay in power via a failure-of-elections scenario. [See: Gonzales’ appointment revives ‘no-el’ fears] At a press briefing, the concurrent National Security Adviser explained that credible polls are necessary in order for the Armed Forces to regain the public trust, following the alleged vote rigging in the 2004 presidential elections. Gonzales likewise guaranteed that the AFP would not support any candidate, even as he addressed his predecessor Gilberto Teodoro Jr. as “our incoming president" during his acceptance speech. Teodoro is the administration’s standard bearer. “We need to have a proper election because we were doubted on the result of the (past) elections. It’s hard to run a government if you are being doubted. That is why we need to make that in order for the sake of the next president," he said. Three military officials were implicated in the controversial “Hello Garci" tapes, which were a compilation of alleged conversations between President Arroyo and then Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. The three officials were then AFP deputy chief of staff Hermogenes Esperon, who eventually became AFP chief and head of the Presidential Management Staff at present; former AFP Southern Command chief Lt. Gen. Roy Kyamko; and then 1st Infantry Division chief Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon. The new Defense chief also dismissed criticisms, mostly by leftists, that his appointment would aggravate human rights violations in the country. [See: Arroyo gets flak for appointing Norberto Gonzales as DND chief] Although putting a stop to insurgency is one of the DND’s top agendas, Gonzales said upholding human rights would be a “paramount mission" while he is at the helm of the department. He also assured that the government would remain supportive of the efforts to hold peace negotiations with "threat groups," which include communists and the secessionists. Meanwhile, problems in Mindanao, particularly those of kidnapping and related murders, would be among the issues that Gonzales said he would take up. He added that he would also continue Teodoro’s effort to upgrade the AFP’s capability by adding more equipment and improving its capability to address external threats. – Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV