Filtered By: Topstories
News

DND confirms ‘irregularities’ in AFP


An official of the Department of National Defense (DND) on Wednesday admitted that there was corruption in the military in the past, but refused to elaborate, noting that the department is still finalizing its report on its independent investigation on the matter. “Well, evidently there were irregularities. Even to us, the department [and] the [Armed Forces of the Philippines]," said DND spokesman Eduardo Batac at a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo. “We cannot deny at this point. The amounts involved are staggering." Though mum on details of the findings, Batac said one of the proposed solutions has to do with “elevating certain positions to higher level and adopting civilians" in handling the procurement process in the AFP. The investigation stemmed from allegations made during congressional inquiries that some past AFP comptrollers and chiefs of staff earned millions of pesos worth in ill-gotten wealth during their stints in the military, which afforded their families luxuries in the Philippine and abroad. Batac, during the briefing, said the special panel under lawyer Patrick Velez is having difficulty in beating its self-imposed 30-day deadline to finish its investigation. He said they are having problems particularly in inviting resource persons to their own investigation because of the separate and ongoing investigations at the Senate and the House of Representatives. “Looking with the situation where we cannot access witnesses at hand, we have to focus on institutional reforms and be forward-looking," Batac said. He said the panel has decided to adopt whatever findings and recommendations that would come out of the Senate and House investigations. “No other choice. The committee did not have the time and opportunity to investigate first hand these people." He added, “I don’t think the committee can do better than what the Senate and lower house have done. We will follow the findings."


Transcripts Batac said the panel will just rely on the transcripts of the congressional hearings, although he admitted that securing copies of the transcripts has been difficult. Batac said instead of focusing on making their probe reliant on the testimonies of resource speakers, the panel has instead decided to just concentrate on drawing up a reform plan to review current practices in the disbursement of AFP funds. “Reforms are already in place [but] maybe there is still a need to further enhance a reform. We have to prevent as an organization these things from happening in the future," he said. As ordered by Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin, the special DND panel was created to conduct a separate probe on corruption allegations, hurled particularly by former military budget officer Lt. Col. George Rabusa and former government auditor Heidi Mendoza. [See related: DND to summon whistle-blowers for probe on AFP fund scam] The panel originally had 30 days, or until February 28, to come up with its report. But the unavailability of resource speakers forced the panel to seek a 15-day extension. It asked for another 15-day extension, or until March 30, after it shifted its focus to crafting reforms proposals. Batac said the panel held a two-day workshop to elicit ideas from officials and officers on how to reform the military. He said the workshop resulted in the formulation of 86 proposals, which have yet to be filtered then included in the panel’s final report. Batac refused to give details on the proposals but said they were about “procurement process, logistic management, fund disbursement, and several other aspects which will basically address the necessary check and balance mechanisms." - KBK, GMA News
LOADING CONTENT