No need to revise MOA of Comelec and DND on military role during elections – Defense chief

By Ronron
October 14, 2007

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, Jr. does not see the need now to revise the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) of his department and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) even as he admitted that insurgency is indeed a bigger problem during elections compared to local political rivalry.

“The MOA is basically sound,” Teodoro told Camp Aguinaldo reporters last Thursday in reaction to Comelec acting Chairman Resurreccion Borra’s statement that he is open to revisiting the agreement because of the insurgency threat in the countryside that heightens during election period.

The MOA was entered into in October 2006 upon the initiative of then Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, Jr. to shield the military from allegations of being engaged in political activities, particularly similar to what happened in the 2004 polls wherein military officers were implicated in the alleged electoral fraud to favor President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo over close rival oppositionist Fernando Poe, Jr.

Under the MOA, soldiers are no longer allowed to go near the polling centers and will only provide security but not actually bring ballot boxes when it is transported from the polling center to canvassing centers.

Because of the restrictions on the part of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Comelec deputized the Philippine National Police (PNP) to take the lead role as far as security is concerned during this year’s May 14 mid-term polls.

During last Wednesday’s command conference of the PNP and the Comelec for the October 29 village and youth elections, the PNP said there are more barangays that are under threat from insurgency as against those that are volatile due to intense political rivalry. Out of the more than 41,000 villages nationwide, the PNP said 10 percent are likely to be violent and disorderly due to insurgents, while only four percent will suffer the same fate due to political fued.

“Well, it is a natural target of the insurgency to take advantage of the local elections, with a potential of influencing the outcome of the elections. That’s an admitted fact,” Teodoro said in accord with the PNP’s assessment.

AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. echoed the same view. “To a large extent, I agree with that. They are armed groups, the New People’s Army are in the barangays and so they could really influence.”

Esperon said NPA members “are not exactly the people who would uphold the democratic way of life… and only want to impose totalitarian system of governance, so (they) are really a big threat to the barangay elections.”

But when asked if he would advocate for are more active role of the military in securing the elections given this condition, he said he is submitting to the policy of the Comelec.

Teodoro, for his part, would rather that the present MOA be explored first as far as its “flexibility” for the military to address perceived threats, than revise it.

“We are subject to the authority of the Comelec and I think, the MOA has enough flexibility or enough safeguards on the other hand to allow us to respond in case there is any threat or potential or actual violent incident, with proper coordination with the Comelec and the PNP,” the Defense Secretary said.

But he said that if the Comelec initiates a modification of the MOA because of “things (that) were not there at the time the MOA was signed or entered into,” “we will certainly comply with whatever the Comelec tells us to do.”

“After all, we’ll just be deputies of the Comelec. The bottom line here is, because the barangay elections are very important, then whatever actions we can take, whatever resources we have, if these are harnessed to the good or towards an honest, orderly and peaceful elections, then why not,” Esperon, for his part, said.

“We would gladly contribute that to the exercise,” he added./DMS