Esperon term extension possible only in case of war - Palace

Chief presidential legal counsel Sergio Antonio Apostol said Friday that an extension of the term of Armed Forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr is possible in the event of national emergency or war. When asked if there is an on going national emergency, Apostol said he is uncertain if the current government offensives against the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army and the Abu Sayyaf Group could be considered as an actual war or a national emergency. “It will depend on the interpretation. If it’s (campaign against CPP-NPA and ASG) interpreted as war, we always talk of war with the ASG and NPA… It will really depend on the situation. If we interpret national emergency to include NPA and ASG, then maybe [Esperon’s term could be extended]," he said. Apostol said he is not privy to supposed plans to extend the term of Esperon except on what has already came out in media. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye, who is in Davos in Switzerland with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, said he has “not received any information regarding the extension of term of Esperon." Apostol said a recommendation or endorsement from former president Fidel Ramos for a possible extension of Esperon would have some “weight" but Presidential Management Staff director general Cerge Remonde said “trust and confidence" is also a factor for a possible extension. Like Apostol and Bunye, however, Remonde said he is not privy to whether Esperon would be given an extension or not. “I can neither confirm nor deny that. I don't think you can get one within the day. There is a reason to extend or not. That's the President’s alone. It’s not wise to comment on speculations," he said. He, however, said Esperon would welcome such a move if approved by President Arroyo. Mrs Arroyo, in an interview with "Davos Today" Friday, reiterated the government’s commitment to neutralize communist rebels by 2010. “The communist rebels… have been in the Philippines as a low level threat. They have no chance of winning or taking over power from the Philippine government, but they do impede progress in a number of rural areas, and we have to stop their ideological nonsense once and for all," she said. The President said some of the human rights violations in the country are committed by the communist guerrillas. She said the government through a holistic approach composed of “a soft and hard power" intends to “stop their ideological nonsense." She said the hard power includes defeating them through military battles and the soft approach includes bringing development in the poorest part of the Philippines “so they will not fall prey to the sire song or the swan song of the communist rebels". She said part of these measures is the offering of peace both at the national and local level and amnesty for local rebels who wish to return to the folds of society. Mrs Arroyo also downplayed any plots to topple her administration, saying the military and the public “fully support" her. “They have been supporting me fully in all of the challenges to peace and order that we have been having and also the people do not want any more instability," she said. “We are having a good growth rate in the economy…our poverty rate is down, our unemployment rate is down, so people want peace and order, and they want progress and they want jobs, they don't want political instability," she added. - GMANews.TV