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Arroyo pays ‘secret’ visit to soldiers in Camp Aguinaldo


President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday paid a “private visit" to Camp Aguinaldo, the military’s main headquarters, to bid farewell to soldiers and express gratitude for their services. “It was a private visit," said Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., chief of the Armed Forces public affairs office, in explaining why the President’s visit was not announced to reporters covering the defense and Malacañang beats. President Arroyo’s visit coincided with the start of campaign period for candidates seeking national posts, but Brawner said it was just a coincidence. “She did not campaign here at the camp. There was no mention of any politics." Brawner said President Arroyo arrived at about 2:30 p.m., addressed the soldiers for about five minutes, and joined them in a “boodle fight," a military style of eating where food is served and shared on top of leaves laid out on a series of long tables. She left shortly before 3 p.m. Armed Forces vice chief Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang welcomed the President on behalf of outgoing Armed Forces chief Gen. Victor Ibrado, who is on an exit call in Thailand. Ibrado is reaching the retirement age of 56 on March 10. Farewell visit “It was actually a farewell visit and she took that time to thank the soldiers for their loyal service to the country and she also said that she was genuinely concerned with the welfare of the soldiers," Brawner said of President Arroyo's visit. President Arroyo will step down from office on June 30, 2010 after nine years. Brawner said the President, who is also the military’s commander-in-chief, did not give any instruction to the Armed Forces during the visit. The May 10 elections were also not discussed. “She did give instructions; she didn’t give instructions in relation to the elections. She did not mention anything about the elections, even a reminder to the soldiers to become apolitical, none," Brawner said. President Arroyo has been accused of rigging the results of the 2004 elections to favor administration candidates with the help of the military, particularly in Mindanao. Several ranking military officers were mentioned in the so-called Hello Garci tapes. The Hello Garci scandal refers to the alleged wiretapped conversations where vote rigging in the 2004 elections was discussed by, among others, a woman presumed to be President Arroyo and man presumed to be then Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. - KBK, GMANews.TV

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