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By Efren L. Danao, Senior Reporter
A military officer convicted twice of violating
the Articles of War and should have been automatically discharged,
was in fact recommended for promotion to the rank of colonel to the
Commission on Appointments (CA).
Sen. Richard Gordon, a CA member, was incensed
that the prospective promotion of Lt. Col. Jesus Anquilo of the
Philippine Army had reached the bicameral body.
He cited a background report on Anquilo by a CA
team that Anquilo had been found guilty of embezzling P130,000 of
government money and of conduct prejudicial to the service.
“Anquilo’s papers should not have been sent
to the CA with his conviction. If we approved his promotion, media
would have excoriated us!” Gordon said.
He had already inquired into the Philippine
Army’s policy on promotion to see why Anquilo’s conviction had
escaped its notice.
The Armed Forces of the Philippines’s J-1
normally sends to the CA all promotions cleared by the different
services.
Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, a former AFP chief of
staff, said that under the Articles of War, any officer found guilty
of embezzling more than P100 is sentenced to five years of hard
labor and automatic dishonorable discharge.
“Any soldier found guilty of conduct
prejudicial to the service also called for mandatory discharge,”
Biazon added.
Anquilo was neither detained nor discharged,
despite his two convictions, and was even recommended for promotion
to the next rank.
Gordon said he could have moved for the
immediate rejection of Anquilo’s promotion to the rank of colonel,
but wanted to see first how the Army determines who should be
promoted.
Meanwhile, the CA Committee on National Defense,
headed by Rep. Rodolfo Albano 3rd of Isabela, is now looking into
the human rights records of officers nominated for promotion before
the CA.
Sen. Jamby Madrigal said that the United States
had tied the military’s observance of human rights to the grant of
aid.
Her colleague, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, did not
agree with any standard set by another country, saying the
Philippines is a sovereign state and should not be dictated upon by
another.
Madrigal argued, however, that as long as the
Philippines is asking for aid from the United States, it has to
follow the conditions imposed by the donor country.
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