Defense leadership welcomes Ebdane’s appointment as its new head; vows to stick to agreement with Comelec

By Ronron
January 31, 2007

The incumbent top Defense department officials welcome the appointment of Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. as their new head effective today (Thursday) even if it is contrary to a recommendation of a body that investigated the 2003 military uprising in Makati City now popularly called as the “Oakwood Mutiny.”

“In the Defense and Armed Forces (organizations), it’s like a part of our culture already that we know that our commander-in-chief knows what is best. And we have always respected (that), and we know it is the prerogative of the President. So, the President could have announced anybody and it would have been okay to the Defense and the military. But if it is Sec. Ebdane, then much better,” Defense Undersecretary for Civil, Veterans and Reserve Affairs Ernesto Carolina said Tuesday.

In an interview at Camp Aguinaldo after a close-door and their last meeting with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who held the Defense post in the last 60 days, Carolina said Ebdane’s appointment does not really violate any law because the Feliciano Commission’s recommendations are not mandatory.

“It’s just a recommendation. I mean, it’s not a law,” Carolina said.

After probing into the root causes of the Oakwood mutiny, the Feliciano Commission recommended that a civilian be assigned at the Defense portfolio to balance off the military organization. This resulted in the appointment of then Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, Jr.

Ebdane is a former chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Cruz resigned in November last year over policy differences with other cabinet members over the Charter Change issue. Cruz was against the Malacanang-backed People’s Initiative (PI) mode to effect a Constituent Assembly. The PI was killed by the Supreme Court.

“Secretary Ebdane went through a lot of civilian agencies. He was a National Security Adviser, then went to the Department of Public Works and Highways. And then, he came from the police, not from the military,” Carolina said.

He said there is no assurance also that even if the appointed official is a civilian, he would run the organization better as against a former military man would do.

“The best is you get somebody that has a blend of both (civilian and military). Because, if it’s always extreme, extremes are always not good. So it’s really nice if you get someone with experience, meaning you have some knowledge about the military because you’ve been with the men and you’ve been on the ground, and yet, you are not lacking in experience when it comes to dealing with the civilians and doing work in civilian government,” Carolina explained.

He said the public should not even be bothered by allegations that Ebdane was involved in the vote-rigging activities in the 2004 polls that allegedly swept Arroyo into power since it remains to be proven.

The allegations stemmed from the mention of Ebdane’s name in the controversial “Hello Garci” tape. Ebdane was the PNP chief during the May 10, 2004 national elections where Arroyo participated as a Presidential aspirant.

“We do not think about it because if there is evidence against him, then bring the issue to court. Just like anybody, I think it’s fair to consider anybody innocent until he is proven guilty… Let’s be forward-looking. Let’s look at what a person can do, not what we perceive he might have done because of implications,” Carolina said.

The Defense official also assured that the department would stick to its Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) signed in October last year to disassociate the military from taking active role in the upcoming May 14, 2007 polls even if Ebdane is already the Defense Secretary.

“That’s a MOA of the DND. That’s not a MOA of a person. And the Comelec issued already a resolution according to that MOA,” Carolina said.

The military was also dragged into the alleged electoral fraud in 2004 after military officials’ names were also mentioned in the “Hello Garci” taped conversation./DMS