DND confirms ‘irregularities’ in AFP
An official of the Department of National Defense (DND) on Wednesday admitted that there was corruption in the military in the past, but refused to elaborate, noting that the department is still finalizing its report on its independent investigation on the matter. “Well, evidently there were irregularities. Even to us, the department [and] the [Armed Forces of the Philippines]," said DND spokesman Eduardo Batac at a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo. “We cannot deny at this point. The amounts involved are staggering." Though mum on details of the findings, Batac said one of the proposed solutions has to do with “elevating certain positions to higher level and adopting civilians" in handling the procurement process in the AFP. The investigation stemmed from allegations made during congressional inquiries that some past AFP comptrollers and chiefs of staff earned millions of pesos worth in ill-gotten wealth during their stints in the military, which afforded their families luxuries in the Philippine and abroad. Batac, during the briefing, said the special panel under lawyer Patrick Velez is having difficulty in beating its self-imposed 30-day deadline to finish its investigation. He said they are having problems particularly in inviting resource persons to their own investigation because of the separate and ongoing investigations at the Senate and the House of Representatives. “Looking with the situation where we cannot access witnesses at hand, we have to focus on institutional reforms and be forward-looking," Batac said. He said the panel has decided to adopt whatever findings and recommendations that would come out of the Senate and House investigations. “No other choice. The committee did not have the time and opportunity to investigate first hand these people." He added, “I don’t think the committee can do better than what the Senate and lower house have done. We will follow the findings."