National ROTC Alumni Association confirms recruitment attempts of retired officers to join Feb. 29 rally

By Ronron
March 5, 2008

The National ROTC (Reserved Officers Training Corps) Alumni Association (NARAA) confirmed Wednesday that some of their members were recruited by retired military officers to join the rally last February 29 at Makati City for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

But no one from them heeded to the recruitment attempt, said NARAA spokesman Army Col. Juanito Dalmas.

"The (NARAA) President, Brig. Gen. Jerry Jalandoni, has confirmed that there were indeed attempts of recruitment from the ranks of the NARAA to join the destabilization moves," Dalmas said.

"But he (Jalandoni) has outright rejected these recruitment offers and has instructed all Chapter Presidents in the Army, Navy, Air Force and GHQ (General Headquarters) to do likewise," he added.

The NARAA is an organization outside of the Armed Forces of the Philippines but consists of alumni of the ROTC program in all schools nationwide. It has a member of 15,000 officers, about two-thirds or 70 percent of them are in the active service of the AFP.

Dalmas said the recruitment attempts were made "immediately prior to February 29" to get "active military men to join the rally."

But he said "the NARAA is committed to support the decision of the AFP leadership not to participate in the present call to take sides in the ongoing political exercise and instead focus on carrying out its Constitutional mandate and to follow the chian of command."

Dalmas identified the recruiters as "retired military officers," but would not name names.

AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., however, did not hesitate to identify retired Commodore Ismael Aparri as among those who approached NARAA members.

"Commodore Aparri was trying to get in touch with some of the members of the NARAA… But he is not gaining headway, I tell you," Esperon said.

Aparri denied the allegation, saying he is focused on fighting to getting the benefits due to 256,000 veterans, which, he said, has ballooned now to about P40 billion.

Aparri said he does not even know Jalandoni, the NARAA President who is also the AFP Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics.

"No, I am not involved. But if he keeps on hitting me, and since there are more people recruiting now, I might as well join them, I will include my voice," Aparri said, referring to Esperon.

Aside from retired officers, Esperon said detained officers who were involved in the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny and the 2006 alleged coup plot are also actively recruiting their fellow soldiers for present destabilization efforts.

"They are even admitting that, that they will not stop (to fight this government)," Esperon said.

Asked how they could do that when they are detained, Esperon said: "Well, they can make statements. They are able to use some (to) relay messages through means that they are able to devise."

Sought for comment on this, Atty. Trixie Angeles, lawyer of some of the detained officers said: "My clients must be very good, they are already detained but they could still recruit."

"But let's formalize this… He (Esperon) is basically accusing people who are in jail, have no access to the media, who have had no visitors for over a week of recruiting, and he is basing this on hearsay," Angeles said.

Denying that his clients are recruiting fellow soldiers, Angeles hit Esperon's allegation as "an oppressive statement," and "baseless."/DMS