Esperon to remain with gov’t; Yano assumes AFP post

By Sherwin C. Olaes and Gina Peralta-Elorde

05/13/2008

President Arroyo yesterday hinted that a civilian post awaits just retired military chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr., who officially retired yesterdayafter a three-month extension in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

In her speech during the change of com-mand at the AFP General Headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo where Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano was installed as the new AFP chief of staff, the President advised Esperon to hurry up from his scheduled vacation because he still needs to serve the people.

“Have a well-deserved vacation and hurry back to serve the people again,” the President said.

There were insinuations that Esperon will be appointed to a post in the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

But fugitive Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon, in a statement, the reason behind Mrs. Arroyo’s move to appoint a civilian position to Esperon is for the former military chief to act as a “personal guard dog” to keep the President in power.

“Today, the last of your ‘Garci’ generals retires from the military. Keep him (Esperon) close for he is rare among us in uniform: An officer willing to prostitute his own institution just to keep you, a fake President, in power. Even if he has officially retired from the service, you have corrupted a once worthy officer into a personal guard dog. He has persecuted those who chose to serve the people instead of you,” he noted.

Faeldon charged that the honors and awards Mrs. Arroyo lavish on him “may seem to prove that lying and stonewalling make for a rewarding career.”

“It certainly proves that Gen. Esperon was right when he told us, as he continues to tell young officers now, to always think of your careers first,” he added.

The fugitive soldier also said the President has “perfected lying into an art” and “corrupted” democratic institutions in her seven years in office.

According to Faeldon, they will continue to serve the people and fight the Arroyo administration, “which has given the Filipino people nothing but suffering.”

Esperon, for his part, said he was prepared to take another job in government,

He added he was surprised with the President’s remarks, saying, “serving the nation can come in a lot of forms in my own capacity as a private citizen as we all do, we could always serve the country.”

“What position will be offered to me, if I am going into that position, it’s only because it is my desire to continue serving the Filipino people...Well, service to the people is always noble, its always noble,” Esperon said.

In his farewell speech, Esperon stressed he is retiring from the military service in peace, knowing that Yano is equally talented.

“I shall be at peace in my retirement knowing that the AFP is in the hands of one who is able and competent, of one who shares the aspiration of every Filipino soldier, and of every Filipino for that matter,” Esperon also said of Yano.

Yano, in his acceptance speech, vowed the military will always follow the chain of command.

“Madame President, before you is a strong Team AFP: defender of our nation, protector of our democracy and servant of the people,” he added.

Yano also said he would focus on curbing military adventurism, intensifying internal security operations against threats to national security and reforming the military.

“Our soldiers renew their commitment: First, to continue our abhorrence and renunciation of military adventurism of any sort; second, to continue shielding the AFP organization from any and all overtures of, and involvement in partisan politics,” he stressed.

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