Ex-Defense Chief, House Rep Linked To Slush Fund

[Mr Lee]

I am wondering if many of the higher ups in the military were said to be corrupt, then how safe will the country be once all those peoples names are brought to light? It would seem to me if the top brass were getting that much money, then would it not follow that the current top brass might also wish or expect to get that type of money? The military of any country can basically control it, so if the rug is pulled out from under all these big shots, what is to stop them from wishing to protect themselves? How much power do they still wield? I guess we can only hope that the current leaders are not corrupt and that the inherent good in people will make them all want a change from the past practices, but who of us does not like money. Wow!!! p500,000 monthly? A former congressman allied with ex-President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and a former defense secretary other than Angelo Reyes were allegedly among the recipients of a slush fund from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).Sources told The STAR that the congressman, who received a P500,000 monthly allowance, was a member of the Commission on Appointments (CA), particularly the subcommittee on national defense, which scrutinizes the credentials of the defense secretary andAFP chief of staff as well as other officers up for promotion.The former defense secretary also allegedly received millions from the AFP fund, which he used to procure gadgets and for the electoral campaign in 2001, the sources said.The complete story HEREand in another story found HERE, Ex-chief of staff confirms payola, Rex Robles, a retired commodore and a member of the Feliciano Commission that looked into corruption in the AFP, said it might be impossible to reform the military because the pabaon system had been in practice for a long time.“The systems are too vague and too resilient to be changed and challenged. There’s a certain hopelessness in reforming the AFP,” Robles, also a former member of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, told the Inquirer on Saturday in a phone interview.

Edited January 29, 2011 by Mr. Lee
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