Galvez warns groups against sowing disunity in military

The chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines yesterday warned groups attempting to split the military organisation that they would fail because the AFP is bigger than its officers and men.
“While I am aware that the troops have individual views on many issues, those merely are hallmarks of an intelligent and mature organisation like the AFP. But we always put the interest of the organisation and the nation above our own,” Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr said in a statement.
The statement came over a word war on the loyalty of soldiers between President Rodrigo Duterte and his staunch critic  Senator Antonio Trillanes.
“Let me take this occasion to warn persons or groups that attempt to divide the AFP by sowing intrigues and discord among its officers and enlisted personnel. You will not succeed,” Galvez said.
He reminded soldiers to stay away from politics after Duterte issued Proclamation 572 revoking Trillanes’ amnesty granted by then-President Benigno Aquino in 2011.
Duterte earlier said there was a plot to oust him by Trillanes, the Liberal Party and the communists.
Galvez said he has commissioned the general court martial (GCM) to resume hearings on the case of Trillanes, a former Philippine Navy lieutenant senior grade.
However, he said proceedings of the GCM shall be shelved pending Trillanes’ petition before the Supreme Court (SC) to determine the legality of Proclamation 572 issued by Duterte last week.
“In deference to the SC that has taken cognisance of the case, we will not anymore comment on its merits as we hope other parties would follow suit,” the AFP chief said.
A former Defence official also yesterday said Trillanes’ amnesty application and those of his fellow former mutineers went through proper procedures.
Honorio Azcueta, former Defense undersecretary and chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee that granted Trillanes’ amnesty application, added that the approval of the application was in accordance with Proclamation 75 issued by Aquino.
“I can honestly say that as chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on amnesty, I conscientiously did my job in accordance with Proclamation 75 and its rules,” Azcueta told reporters.
He said Trillanes, along with his comrades from the Magdalo group, admitted guilt over the Oakwood mutiny in 2003, the Marine standoff in 2006 and the Manila Peninsula siege in 2007, which were all attempts to have then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ousted via coup d’etat.
Apart from Trillanes, former Marine captain and now congressman Gary Alejano was also granted amnesty, as well as 22 other military officers and personnel. According to Azcueta, Trillanes and the other amnesty grantees’ narrations on the military uprisings “maybe different” when they applied for reprieve in 2011.
Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin granted the application of Trillanes.
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr said Aquino should have issued a “specific amnesty” to Trillanes.
Esperon was the Armed Forces chief when the Manila Peninsula siege transpired in 2007.
“(Trillanes) was not given amnesty by President Aquino. It was Secretary of National Defence (SND) Gazmin who issued the amnesty. (Aquino) simply issued a general amnesty via (Proclamation)  75,” he told Manila Times.
Esperon said the military can have jurisdiction over Trillanes if he will be tried by the court martial and if his amnesty is revoked.