FOR A WHILE, there was this temptation to urge the Senate to “go on with the show” in reference to its investigation into corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The investigation has already cost the life of one of the resource persons grilled by a couple of grandstanding senators who seemed to relish in their role as inquisitors, thereby turning the probe into some kind of a “show” which has been suspended for a week in deference to the wake and burial of resource person and former AFP Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes.
Tragic as Reyes’ suicide is, the death of one former AFP general caught in the web of allegations he and some of his brothers in arms had illegally received hundreds of millions of Filipino taxpayers’ money from a so-called “slush fund”, should not derail the ongoing probe no matter where it may lead and what the consequences may be. The PROBE, not the SHOW, must continue to its inevitable conclusion so that the nation can move on.
Meantime, the two inquisitorial senators—Jinggoy Estrada and Antonio Trillanes IV–ought to inhibit themselves from the investigation after having shown palpable bias against the main target of their ire: Estrada, because of Reyes’ role in the ouster of then President Estrada in Edsa II, and Trillanes IV, because of his “payback!” mentality and desire to make up in a hurry for lost time in detention. Both had vendetta uppermost in their minds in their treatment of Reyes. Surely, there are others among their peers who can very well continue with the probe, but in a more civil manner, if only to get the probe back on the right track.
The Senate investigation into the controversial practice of giving an incoming chief of staff millions of pesos as “welcome gift”, a monthly payola in millions, and another “sendoff” (pabaon) money, again in the millions upon retirement—and God knows how many more millions in-between–is only one aspect of the corruption in the military. There is also the unfinished plunder case against former AFP general and comptroller Carlos Garcia involving mind-boggling amounts of people’s money. And many more such shenanigans.
There must be closure to this charade, or should we call it the “Game of the Generals”? A game they play by their own peculiar rules at the expense of Juan dela Cruz.
Meanwhile, our poorly paid foot soldiers out there in the field have to make do with what little they have to fight the enemies of democracy and civil authority, and wondering what the heck some of their generals are up to back in the comfort of their home-sweet-homes. It’s so unfair.
