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Palace: Oban to achieve 'deliverables' in 9 mos.


Malacañang expressed confidence Tuesday that newly-appointed Armed Forces chief of staff Lt. Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. will be able to accomplish his “deliverables" within nine months. Oban will continue pursuing reforms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a press briefing in Malacañang. “[T]here were some deliverables that [Oban] promised, short term na iyon ay magagawa po niya [that he can do them in the short-term]. The reforms on the AFP tuloy tuloy po iyan [will be a continuing concern]. So, he will continue the policies laid down by his predecessors," Lacierda said. In his acceptance speech Monday, Oban, the 42nd AFP chief of staff, said the basic tenets of his leadership will be:

  1. reforming the AFP;
  2. strengthening the procurement process, and
  3. continuing the AFP's upgrading and modernization.
Lacierda said Oban is aware of his short, nine-month stint that will end when he retires December 13, 2011. “There are certain short-term deliverables that he intends to perform, the Palace spokesperson said, adding that Oban will also ensure the groundwork of further modernization and “long-term deliverables" that will go beyond his term “so that the next chief of staff will be able to continue the reform measures." Oban promised to implement fully the recommendations of the 2005 Feliciano Commission to address corruption in the military, "so the vestiges of the past will not reappear... as if they are of the present." The Feliciano Commission, so called because it was headed by former Supreme Court Associate Justice Florentino Feliciano, was formed by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2003 look into the circumstances that led to the Oakwood Mutiny in July 2003, including the mutineers’ allegations of widespread corruption among AFP officials. Oban vowed to institute reforms in the military procurement system and computerize it, so that all transactions can be fully documented based on their indelible trails. He also promised to undertake unannounced audits more frequently. The new AFP chief also promised "to safeguard funds from all sources including... Balikatan and the United Nations, and especially those coming from our taxes, the blood and sweat of our people. And I shall hold myself accountable for their proper and effective utilization." "We shall strengthen institutional checks and balances between program directors and program administrators, between budget officers and procurement officers and undertake unannounced audits more frequently," he said, vowing to ensure accountability of every resource manager in the AFP. "I pledge to strengthen enforcement and prosecution of those who are not willing to work on these same pledges," he added.—JV/VS, GMA News
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