EMPOWERED BANGIT AGAINST LEADERSHIP POLITICKING

After the Congress evaded on the appointments of General Delfin Bangit together with the 301 officers this week, the public speculates the political mudslinging will create negative swing to the country’s strongest and oldest institutions. Regrettably, this egotistic exploitation of so-called civilian leadership over the military could produce alarming demoralization within its ranks; intentionally endangering state security and possibly destabilizing the leadership of newly-elected Pres. Noynoy Aquino. Even the innocent would discover that the bypass was intended to curtail Bangit’s control over the military; making his position as appointed Armed Forces Chief of Staff abolish. This is what the Congress said to be big surprise for the now “useless” administration of Gloria. This is said to be the expensive punishment Gloria appointees have to suffer before the Arroyo administration turns-over the presidency.

But do we think that this political punishment is unknown? Honestly, the controversial appointment of Bangit in the AFP hierarchy came as a source of inevitable “surprise” to most already tag the 2010 elections as a cooked-up plot for the “Gloria” people to sabotage it prolonging her term for office. At the later, they were shocked unfolding the automation that turned-out swift in favor of the supposed newly hailed Juan dela Cruz’s champion. The more we think that the influential pawns of Bangit that would see to it that the automation fails only would tell us that this is only all dished-out political propaganda against PGMA. If not of political bigotry, Bangit should have least won the public’s trust and the military confidence through the outcome of election. Ironically, this threat against the AFP particularly on its leadership will back-fire on us; leaving us afloat and trudging unstable military forces amid the growing number of insurgents and terrorist menace. Leadership after all is the key in maintaining a stable and solid institution. The newly elected officials should know that.

The Congress owes their bragged-about “social status” or political names to the people who casted them votes. They sleep on secured air- conditioned offices with their pockets and pork barrel intact while these generals and colonels journeyed enemy based camps and sleepless patrols, their badges and ranks won with the fight of their very lives. The Constitution derogated the armed forces compared with the self interests of elected heads is not just a reason to distract the institution to which 19 million Filipinos depend on for the safety of their freedom.

Bangit was accurate when he asked that the AFP should stay clear of lethal political adventurism. He was right when he asked that the other 301 officers be not bare-off their ranks, which they fought for fair and square in service of state’s well-being. If the Congress will continue to this again and again that they think was just in the eyes of the legal and civil servitude that they tend to expand it to the AFP then politicking has yet to commit its most heinous crime.