(The following article was written by Caloy Conde for Davao Today)
DAVAO CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may be lucky for having
Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., the chief of Philippine Army, by her
side. But while he may be a blessing to her, he could also be a curse,
according to the U.S. company Pacific Strategies and Assessments
(PSA), one of the most respected risk-analysis groups in Southeast
Asia with deep sources within the Philippine military.In its March 27 advisory to its clients in the Philippines, mostly
foreign-owned or multinational companies, the PSA said Esperon, who
might succeed Gen. Generoso Senga as armed forces chief of staff, will
“likely do more than just install his favorite people, collect his
payoff, and retire” once Arroyo names him as the top military
commander.“Depending on how he (Esperon) uses this power, this could be a
blessing or a curse for Arroyo,” PSA said. “An ambitious, powerful
military chief to whom Arroyo owes favors could be a destabilizing
factor in politics.”PSA said Esperon has a good chance of getting the position. “Arroyo is
deeply indebted to Esperon, reportedly one of the people who
engineered her 2004 election win. It is no secret, either, that
Esperon was instrumental in spoiling soldiers’ plans to withdraw
support from Arroyo” last February.If Esperon gets appointed as chief of staff, he will serve for two
years, one of the longest under the Arroyo administration. Esperon,
the PSA said, may be doing some “house cleaning,” as indicated by his
recommendation last month for the court martial or 96 army officers
and soldiers involved in the February mutiny, in anticipation of his
appointment.“The leadership succession in July should be interesting to watch,”
PSA said, referring to the retirement of Senga.Esperon, along with four other generals, was implicated in the alleged
rigging of the 2004 polls. He was one of the generals mentioned in the
“Hello Garci” recordings.In February, he was instrumental in quashing the alleged coup d’etat
against Arroyo. The president’s political foes later said the plot was
a result of the restiveness in the military that was the caused, in
turn, by the failure by the generals and by Malacanang to disclose the
results of an investigation that looked into the alleged complicity by
some military elements, among them Esperon and the other generals, in
the election fraud.Experts have said the Philippine military has become more politicized
today, with politicians using them to protect their interests and
ensure their victory in elections. Aside from this, the armed forces
is bedeviled with corruption, low morale and an image as human-rights
violator.Ever since they figured in the movement to topple Ferdinand Marcos,
some sections within the armed forces have attempted several times to
topple governments.
Ellen,
Esperon is being touted to replace General Senga as the next chief of staff, Armed forces of the Philippines.
I am pretty sure that the US State Department is waiting to see if Gloria will indeed appoint Esperon as her Chief of Staff AFP (the general who gets the post is a political appointee and may be correctly TAGGED as HER chief of staff, AFP).
If she does, she must expect a rebuke by the US because the through US envoy Keeney will see the appointment of Esperon in a bad light. Keeny knows that if Esperon becomes assumes the top gun position in the military, Gloria’s reliability will become all the more suspect because far from re-assuring the rank and file in the military Esperon’s appointment to the top post is bound to cause more restiveness in the military thus putting Gloria’s reliability as a democratic partner in serious doubt.
Keeney, undoubtedly has the PSA report already in her hand, a copy of which has been sent promptly to the US State Dept with the new envoy’s comments and observations.
There is no doubt that her comments will highlight the following: “Esperon, along with four other generals, was implicated in the alleged rigging of the 2004 polls. He was one of the generals mentioned in the “Hello Garci” recordings.”
Gloria knows that the US embassy is under obligation to report on the Philippine situation as is where is. (It doesn’t take an intel gathering genius to figure that.) I have no doubt that she is quite terrified now and is becoming vulnerable!
I say, Filipinos must muster their physical and moral courage to go for the “coup de grace”!
Email from Durian:
I salute the Officers and Soldiers of the Armed Forces Philippines (YOU, MAGDALO – MAGDIWANG would have been a better name and other nationalist and enlightened elements of force) who have realized that their first duty is to the oppressed, enslaved, exploited, subjugated and starved people of the Philippines.
I salute the Philippine Left both the Armed and Unarmed for their undying efforts and struggle for a genuine Democratic Republic of the Philippines. They are your DREAMERS, without them your people have nothing.
In closing, It would be the best thing that would ever happened to your country if the Philippine Left , the YOU & MAGDALO. MAGDIWANG, I should say, and you guys, the fighting writers should work together, unite and embrace a common program and LEAD the STRUGLE a revolutionary one…. good bye!
Alam mo Ellen, PSA is right. Sino pa ba ang pwedeng magtaksil kay gloria kung hindi si Esperon? Nasa kasaysayan iyan, kung sino ang iyong pinagakakatiwalian at nakakaalam ng lahat ng baho mo ay siyang maghuhudas!!! Alangang ako ang maghudas ke gloria eh hindi ko naman alam kung anong pinaggagawa niya noon election at ngayon sa loob ng malacanang???
was it president park of south korea who
was shot dead by his own director of secret
service?
at the atmospheric level of power, people like gloria and esperon have already jumped for that
dunk shot of a lifetime, sunk the ball in and now hanging on the ring by their finger tips. No way to backdown or reverse that move. They made it and there’s no turning back – the adulation and rewards should equal the price, if a price there is to pay.
It is naivette to think that gloria and esperon
will be afraid of anything, physical, moral,
or spiritual or even US political might against themselves or members of their families, come what may. They have made it for themselves and their families. To fail to see that they are hanging by their fingertips is to be blind in the deadly game of political basketball. TOO LATE FOR A REFEREE’S WHISTLE.
BAD PLAYERS HAD RUINED THE GAME. THE CROWD MAY NOW THROW BOTTLES AND CHAIRS, OR SIT DOWN COWED IN SILENCE.
Kung si GLORYA pa ang naka-upo sa Trono siyempre pag-retire ni SENGA si ES(VER)ON ang ipapalit niya. Bakit siya magtatalaga doon sa puwesto ng hindi niya tao e di siya ang nalintikan … COMMON SENSE!!!! Pupuwede ba si GUDANI????? Bahala na kung anong gagawin ni EsVERon pag siya na ang nakaupo. Siya na lang ang nakaka-alam. Lahat naman na ang sangay ng Gobyerno .. puro bata naman lahat ni GLORYA .. pati na sa SC at COMELEC. Pati na rin mga TONG-ressman at pati nasa oposisyon. Pera lang ang katapat nila at alam yan ni GLORYA. Yang Escudero na yan puwede bang pagkatiwalaan … ina-anak yan ni GLORYA!!! Pinag-aralan lahat yan ni GLORYA kaya ganon na lang ang kapit niya sa inagaw niyang TRONO. DApat hindi lang si GLORYA ang mag-resign dapat lahat sila lalo na yang si DeVenecia, Enrile, Angara, Pimentel, Drillon, Lacson, Lapid, Revilla at ang mga Congressman na hindi bumoto sa impeachment ni GLORYA. Lahat sila ay hadlang sa pag-unlad ng ating bansa.
nonverse for gloria and esperon:
it is not as if you have cross your rubicon,
it is not as if you have reached your
points of no return,
it is not as if you have burned
all your bridges,
it is not as if you will last
riding your tigers
at that atmospheric level of power
beyond the cirrus of angels,
it is that simple: you have jumped
the plane not without your backpacks
but your parachutes.
Yes Ellen, Esperon could be a curse for Gloria. Dapat matakot si GMA sa pwedeng gawin ni Esperon dahil alam niya na ‘maitim din ang kaluluwa’ ng paborito nyang general… Katulad niyang may kawalanghiyaan ang ugali. But Esperon could be contemplating on ‘withdrawing his support from GMA’ just to save face from his wrongdoings and would ‘look good’ to his junior soldiers.
It would not be farfetched, upon his retirement Esperon might also be appointed ambassador.
Only fools rush into simple conclusions.