By Jefferson Antiporda and Angelo Samonte

The Manila Times.Net; 24 January 2010

THE Magdalo group has joined the call for the term extension of General Victor Ibrado, saying it would be embarrassing for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) if the present administration would appoint a new chief of staff.

According to First Lt. Ashley Acedillo, Magdalo group spokesman, Ibrado’s extension could be the best solution as there is a big chance that the incoming administration would replace the new appointee.

Acedillo said it would not be good for the military institution if Army Chief Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, one of the strongest candidates for Armed Forces’ top post, is appointed because of his connection with President Gloria Arroyo.

Bangit, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1978 that adopted the President, is said to be extremely loyal to Mrs. Arroyo.

“Deserving or not, he will always carry that over his head, and the AFP does not need that kind of baggage. [It is best] to insulate the AFP from such insinuations,” Acedillo added.

But Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the President has not made any decision on the issue.

Asked if Bangit would take over if the President would allow Ibrado to retire, Ermita said “it is just speculations,” adding Mrs. Arroyo will consider the fact that there are officers more senior than Bangit.

“I have no idea of the plans of the president because she has not discussed this matter with us. But in principle, the President can extend the term of general officers and for that matter even the chief of staff,” he said.

Ermita said Mrs. Arroyo extended the term of the former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon. The late President Corazon Aquino also extended the term of former Armed Forces chief Renato de Villa who served from 1988 to 1992.

If appointed, Bangit will bypass senior military officers of PMA Class of 1977, several of whom are strong contenders for the highest military position.

The President is barred from making new appointments two months before the election and until the end of her term on June 30.

The Magdalo spokesman said most of the military generals that would likely replace Ibrado, who is turning 56 and retiring in March, will stay only until after the elections. The next president can renew his appointment and make it permanent, or he may choose a new Armed Forces chief of staff.

“The next president who will most likely come from the opposition will definitely appoint a different chief of staff, so the best solution would be to extend the term of Ibrado,” Acedillo said.

Acedillo also noted that Ibrado’s extension would boost the confidence of the electorate and the people in general, because he is known to be professional and nonpartisan.

In a related development, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales reminded the AFP of its role in the May election and that is to safeguard its sanctity and not to engage in partisan politics and more so in cheating.

The Defense chief emphasized to the military officers the need for the AFP to regain the people’s respect and trust in its
professionalism. He said this is the reason he had put the AFP at the full disposal of the Commission on Elections.

“In the coming election, we will be there. We will be performing our job. I want us to prove that the AFP is the true guardian of our democracy,” Gonzales explained.

PRESS STATEMENT OF THE MAGDALO GROUP

Marso Café and Restaurant – October 30, 2009

With due respect to the Second Division of the Honorable Commission on Elections, ang Grupong Magdalo ay naniniwala na ang RESOLUSYON na inilabas nila kamakailan lamang patungkol sa aming petition for accreditation bilang partido politikal ay HINDI PATAS, WALA SA AYOS, at PUNO NG BUTAS dahil sa mga sumusunod na dahilan:

1. Ang RESOLUSYON ay base sa espekulasyon lamang, at nakatuon sa mga MOTIBO raw ng mga tagapagtatag ng grupong MAGDALO PARA SA PAGBABAGO (“Magdalo”). Ang RESOLUSYON ay hindi po base sa ebidensiya but on pure conjecture and presuppositions;

2. The RESOLUTION preempts the Court trying the case, kung saan ngayon ay nililitis pa po sa Makati Regional Trial Court, Branch 148. The RESOLUTION unfairly jumped at the conclusion that the founders of the Magdalo “employed violence” and “use unlawful means” and “in the process defied the laws of organized society” during the Oakwood Incident samantalang ang Korte mismong naglilitis sa kaso ay HINDI PA PO NAGLALABAS NG DESISYON patungkol dito.

3. Because of this, the RESOLUTION violated our Constitutional right to the presumption of innocence, lalung-lalong na ng mga tagapagtatag, and the right of the Magdalo to due process of law.

4. The RESOLUTION also cites documents which were never presented as evidence during our petition hearing and which are not part of the records of the case [i.e., the supposed records of the court martial hearing referred to in Letter (c) of the observations of the ponente as appearing on Pages 5 & 6 of the RESOLUTION].

5. The RESOLUTION also assumes facts NA HINDI BASE SA EBIDENSIYA. Its conclusions regarding the Oakwood Incident have no basis on record SA ANUMANG KORTE at sa katunayan ay HITIK PO SA PAGKAKAMALI. A case in point are the claims in the RESOLUTION that “several innocent civilian personnel were held hostage” and the Magdalo group used “violence” which are completely false and utterly baseless.

6. The RESOLUTION was not based on a determination of whether or not the MAGDALO met all of the requirements for accreditation as a Political Party – AND WE HAVE MET THE REQUIREMENTS po — but apparently, the RESOLUTION is based on the personal bias and prejudice of the ponente.

These bring to light other issues:

1. Fundamental fairness of the COMELEC

DAHIL PO SA RESOLUSYON na ito, it brings to the fore the issue of the fundamental fairness of the COMELEC. Mawalang-galang na po sa mga makakaliwang-grupo, but why is it that left-leaning groups, even those identified with the NPA, have been accredited by the COMELEC and have in fact been allowed to participate in the National, Local and Party-List elections while the Magdalo, which is composed of former officers and enlisted personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, and now even civilians, are denied the same opportunity? Does the COMELEC have a bias against former members of the AFP? O dapat po bang maging retirado ka munang heneral ng AFP na kahit nabansagan kang berdugo pero dahil ka-alyado ng administrasyon ay papaboran ka?

2. Faulty Logic of the Reason Cited for the Denial

The view expressed by the RESOLUTION is also myopic and short-sighted. The logic is also defective. If the desire of Magdalo is to merely “recruit and indoctrinate disciplined followers who may become their blind followers”, we would not go to the trouble of filing a petition for accreditation with the COMELEC. We could very well have achieved this purpose by forming even an informal group or a secret or clandestine organization at patagong mag-recruit ng mga miyembro, at kung ano pa.

The fact that the Magdalo have decided to form a group and apply for accreditation as a political party signifies the group’s desire and firm resolve to continue its advocacy for reforms through legitimate and lawful means, particularly by participating in the electoral process.

In fact, it is in the best interest of the country for COMELEC to encourage the Magdalo group to join the mainstream of Filipino society and allow it to participate in the democratic process, especially in elections, by approving its application for accreditation as a political party sa halip na I-ISOLATE KAMI at ITULAK KAMI SA FRINGES sa pagbasura n gaming petisyon.

Steps Moving Forward

Because of the issues na kababanggit ko po lamang, amin pong i-aapila sa Kagalang-galang na COMELEC en banc, lalo na kay Chairman Jose Melo, within the period prescribed by the rules PARA PO MAANYAYAHAN ang Commission on Elections to reconsider, at kung maari, rebisahin ang RESOLUSYON po na ito.

Maraming salamat po.

By Gerard Naval

Malaya; 28 Oct 2009

THE Commission on Elections yesterday denied the bid of Magdalo Para sa Pagbabago (Magdalo) for accreditation as a regional political party based in the National Capital Region.

“The Magdalo Party remains unrepentant and they still harbor the propensity to engage in another illegal adventure similar to the failed 2003 Oakwood Mutiny, should they fail to achieve their goal – this time with the use of the political party that they are now applying for accreditation and which may very well be used by them to recruit and indoctrinate disciplined followers who may become their blind followers,” the Comelec Second Division said a six-page decision set to be promulgated by the Comelec secretariat.

The Second Division said its findings contradict the group’s claim that “the party does not advocate the use of force or violence or other unlawful means to achieve its goals.”

It noted the testimony of former Air Force 1Lt. Ashley Acedillo, the party’s secretary general and spokesman, during the September 3 hearing that the Oakwood incident was not illegal.

Some 300 junior officers and men calling themselves the Magdalo group staged the mutiny in July 2003 to protest what they said was rampant graft and corruption in the military and the government as a whole.

Acedillo said they have not received a copy of the decision but it did not come as a surprise.

“As much as we were hopeful, since we complied with the substantial requirements of Comelec, we were also expecting the decision to be unfavorable to us. We recognize that adverse political forces are at play here,” he said.

Acedillo said his group will file a motion for reconsideration.

The Second Division invoked the Omnibus Election Code denying accreditation to any political party which seeks to achieve its goal through violence.

It also noted that the party’s chairman, detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, were among the officers who did not plead guilty before a Makati court hearing their coup case.

Trillanes was among the six core leaders of the Magdalo during the mutiny.

Last Sunday, the group endorsed the presidential bid of Sen. Francis Escudero as well as the senatorial candidacy of former Scout Ranger chief Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and Marines Col. Ariel Querubin.

Lim and Querubin, a Medal of Valor awardee, are among 28 officers facing court martial for an alleged plot to overthrow the Arroyo government in February 2006.

The group also endorsed the candidacies of four others participated in the mutiny, including Acedillo who is running for congressman at Cebu City’s second district.

The three others are Navy Lt. (s.g.) James Layug, for the second district of Taguig City; Army Capt. Dante Langkit, for the lone district of Kalinga province; and Marines Capt. Gary Alejano, for mayor of Sipalay City in Negros Occidental. – With Ashzel Hachero