Aquino satisfied with military's performance

source: mb.com.ph

MANILA, Philippines — Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo SL Oban Jr. said President Aquino is satisfied with the performance of the military, especially in the first six months of its implementation of the Internal Peace and Security Plan (IPSP) “Bayanihan.”

In a press briefing at the AFP general headquarters last Friday afternoon, Oban said they appraised the President during the command conference about the Armed Forces’ accomplishments, assessment and critical enablers with regard to the IPSP “Bayanihan.”

“We also appraised him of the progress of our logistical and financial reforms and we also presented to him the progress of the modernization program and our presentation on the medium term list of projects that covers 2012 to 2016,” said the AFP chief.

Asked if Aquino was satisfied with their report, the AFP chief said, “Yes, yes at the rate we’re progressing in the reforms that we started instituting this year.”

Oban also said they were given guidance by the President, who is also their Commander-in-Chief, to further their efforts towards the government’s intent of winning the peace, particularly through IPSP “Bayanihan,” which has for its time frame 2011 to 2016.

This developed as Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Commodore Miguel Jose S. Rodriguez stressed that the commander-in-chief is in full control in the wake of the latest controversy stirred by a retiring Marine colonel who was shown in a video calling for a change in government.

The video showed Col. Generoso Mariano reading a statement wherein he criticized the apparent failure of the present administration to address the rising cost of commodities, including medicine. The video was circulated in military camps and to members of the media.

Navy Flag Officer-in-Command (FOIC) Vice Admiral Alexander Pama said Mariano, deputy commander of the Naval Reserve Command, was due to retire Sunday when he turns 56. The Marine colonel’s video came out on the same day Aquino held a command conference with the AFP at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

Asked if there is a guarantee that the AFP remains fully behind and in support of President Aquino, Rodriguez said: “Definitely. The Commander-in-Chief is in full control. We have never had it this good.”

The AFP chief likewise said with regard to the threat groups like the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), “there has not been any remarkable decrease in so far as the strength and the firearms are concerned.”

“What we have indicated as some development are the marked decrease in engagements and in violent incidents,” he added.

source: mb.com.ph