Military board against ‘midnight appointment’ of Navy chief replacement

The military’s Board of Generals is against the appointment of a permanent replacement for Navy chief Vice Admiral Ferdinand Golez, who is retiring in three weeks, given the 60-day election-related ban on appointments. A military official who did not wish to be named said the board, headed by Armed Forces chief Gen. Delfin Bangit, met last Friday and agreed to ask President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to name an acting Navy chief instead, preferably Navy vice commander Rear Admiral Danilo Cortez. "We are not going to recommend a permanent replacement. It should be in an acting [capacity]. We are pushing for that because according to the Constitution, she cannot designate [a permanent replacement]. We have a constitutional ban on appointments 60 days before elections," he said. The source said a "problem" could arise if the President, who is the military’s commander-in-chief, insists on appointing a permanent successor of Golez , who is reaching the retirement age of 56 on May 16. Among the officials qualified to become the permanent Navy chief are AFP National Capital Region Command chief Vice Admiral Feliciano Angue; AFP deputy chief of staff for intelligece Rear Admiral Victor Emmanuel Martir; and Naval Forces Western Mindanao chief Rear Admiral Pama. Angue and Martir are both from the Philippine Miltiary Academy class of 1978, which also comprises Bangit, Army chief Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu and Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Oscar Rabena as members and the President as an adopted member. Pama is from the PMA class of 1979. When asked who the board would recommend to become acting Navy chief, the source said: "None yet. We are still finalizing [the choice]. He said the board would insist for Mrs. Arroyo to name an acting chief so the next President can choose the permanent replacement. The source said the board was inclined to recommend Cortez, the Navy vice commander, to become acting Navy chief in a concurrent capacity. He also said all positions that will be vacated during the appointment ban should be also held by deputies, also in a concurrent capacity. Cortez is reaching the retirement age of 56 in January next year. He is the president of the PMA class of 1977, whose members are reportedly disgruntled for having been bypassed in the appointments of the AFP and Army chiefs last month. If the President decides to appoint a permanent replacement, Cortez will be out in contention because of the law that says an officer should have at least a year in service left before he can be named commander of the major services — Navy, Army and Air Force. The source said the board wants the officer who will be appointed acting Navy chief to serve in a concurrent capacity so can return to his previous position in case the new President rejects him. — NPA, GMANews.TV