Presidential bets air slightly different views about AFP's Bangit

SURIGAO CITY, Surigao del Norte - Three presidential candidates aired slightly different views about newly-installed Armed Forces chief Lt. General Delfin Bangit, who is reportedly “loyal" to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Presidential aspirant Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III said on Thursday he was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt despite speculations that Bangit’s power and influence may be used by the administration to cheat in the May elections. He said that the public should still be cautious and maintained that President Arroyo should have appointed someone perceived to be more "neutral" to the military's top post. "I’d like to give [General Bangit] the benefit of the doubt, but still I think [there's a] side of me that says we should be cautious. When we err, let’s err on the side of caution," Aquino said in a press conference before his campaign rally at the Surigao State College of Technology. "The president has the right [to appoint the AFP chief] but she should have done everybody better if she got somebody not as close to her, in that sense give us a legacy or at least give the appearance of neutrality given the importance of this transition," he said. In the meantime, Nacionalista Party standard bearer Senator Manuel Villar Jr. refused to pass judgment on newly-installed Armed Forces chief of staff, saying he does not know him very well. "Mahirap ang speculation, syempre titingnan muna natin. Di ko talaga masyadong kilala si Gen. Bangit to be honest about it at gusto ko malaman pa mga background nya," he told reporters when asked if he would be able to trust the AFP chief of staff if he wins the presidency. (It’s hard to speculate. Of course, we will just wait and see. I don’t know Gen. Bangit that well to be honest about it and I still want to know what his background is like.) "Syempre kung ako’y magiging pangulo, nangangahulugan na hindi sya naging problema," Villar added. (Of course, if I become president, that will mean that he didn’t become a problem.) However, Villar admitted he would choose a different person if it is up to him to appoint the AFP head. For his part, administration party presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr. finds “no issues" regarding Bangit’s appointment. The former defense secretary has always believed that it is President Arroyo’s prerogative to extend Ibrado’s term or appoint a new AFP chief, Teodoro’s spokesperson, lawyer Mike Toledo, told GMANews.TV in a phone interview on Thursday. “If we follow the law, Ibrado is set to retire. It is the President’s choice, as commander-in-chief, if she will extend Ibrado’s term or appoint a new one. She appointed Bangit, and there are no issues there," Toledo said. Aquino also said he was wary about trusting Mrs. Arroyo's promise of a "smooth transition" to the next administration, emphasizing that she sought the presidency in 2004 even though she earlier promised that she would no longer do so. Bangit, who took over the AFP leadership from retired General Victor Ibrado, said in his assumption speech at the military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo Wednesday that there is no reason for government critics to fear that he could be used by President Arroyo to disrupt the polls and extend her term beyond June 30. "I will not allow anybody to use me for partisan politics. Sa Diyos lang ako magpapagamit (If there is any one who could use me, it would be God)," he told the audience gathered at the camp’s grandstand that included President Arroyo, the commander-in-chief of the military and police. In a related development, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) dismissed rumors that Bangit will be used by the administration to conduct widespread cheating in the May 2010 polls. "This is the political season. There are many rumors that go around these days," said Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, who heads the poll body's steering committee on automation. Larrazabal said that the only thing that they can do to gain the public's trust is to do their job. "People will have doubts and the best way to disprove is do our job," he said, adding that he is confident the country's very first automated polls will be a success. - Johanna Camille L. Sisante, Amita O. Legaspi, Kimberly Jane T. Tan, Andreo C. Calonzo/RJAB Jr./JV, GMANews.TV