Rene Jarque: Reforming the Armed Forces
Tuesday
Oct 26, 2004
Retired Captain Rene Jarque writes on the need to reform the Armed Forces of the Philippines. While this dates back to late 2003, this may still be relevant at this time especially in view of the corruption scandals the military top brass are currently facing.
An excerpt:
No amount of lessons in democracy nor instilling the concept of civilian authority over the military can prevent another military mutiny or coup attempt in the future. Only by reforming the Armed Forces and creating a professional and honest Officer Corps can we be assured that the military will know its rightful place in a democratic society. For the sake of the country and our people, for our children and posterity, the Armed Forces of the Philippines must be reformed.
Relatedly, another paper by Capt. Jarque, “THE FACT-FINDING COMMISSION REPORT AND THE ARMED FORCES IN PHILIPPINE POLITICS,” deals with the Report of the Fact Finding Commission to investigate the Oakwood Incident (links here and here) and discusses what the report says and does not say, and looks at the role of the Armed Forces in Philippine politics describing a politicized AFP amidst an unstable political situation and the need for both military and government reform.
An excerpt:
It is the people who elect the political leaders and it is unfortunate that many of our people do not know much where they want to go and what they want and then choose the right leaders who will lead them there. Due to the indifference of a majority of our people, we have all become victims of a political system that is ruled by patronage and populism. To correct this, we must all act together to first, understand what is happening and then, to do something about it. We owe it to ourselves and to our children that the military and the government is transformed to a better one than it is today. In the people reside the strength to change and the building of a true democracy. However, we cannot change government by always taking to the streets and staging people power for it shows how fragile our democratic processes are and that we, as a people, have not matured from mob rule. Personally, I am not discouraging people power because when the political system fails and the rulers continue to be corrupt and rule irresponsible and government does not listen and act, it is in all event the only way to go.
J. Angelo Racoma is a technology journalist and blogger. See more of his blog posts here at racoma.com.ph, commentaries at racoma.net, and Twitter feed at @jangelo.
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