Fund Mess in Annual RP-US Balikatan Exercises

[chua_riwap]

Pati ba naman funds para sa Balikatan Exercises, niyayari pa ng mga corrupt officers natin? Kawawa talaga mga sundalo natin........

Babaeng officer ang "kumanta".




http://www.gmanews.tv/story/161150/F...--Navy-officer
13 May 2009

Dirty pattern’ seen in fund mess over RP-US exercises


MANILA, Philippines - Alleged irregularities in the handling of funds for the Balikatan exercises did not just happen in 2007. It is a “dirty pattern" that has been going on in the Philippine military’s annual joint exercises with US troops under the Visiting Forces Agreement.

This was the claim of Lt. Senior Grade Nancy Gandian as she bewailed the alleged financial mess in the Balikatan exercises, which had been conducted for 25 times with the last exercise held in the Bicol region last April 1 to 30.

“Hindi malinis, parang palaging may bawas. Sa experience ko, may pattern ito [It’s not clean, the amount requested always falls short of what is received. In my experience, this has a pattern]" Gandian told GMANews.TV on Wednesday in a telephone interview.

Gandian said she was the officer in charge of the Civil Military Operations (CMO) Fusion Cell for the 2007 Balikatan held in Jolo, Sulu. She also said that she was the public affairs officer of the Balikatan exercises in 2002 held in Angeles, Pampanga.

Recurring problem

According to the junior Navy officer, she stayed long in Mindanao wherein she was told by soldiers about the “recurring problem"on Balikatan funds, a portion of which often did not trickle down to Filipino troops for their mobility expenses during the exercises. Most Balikatan exercises were held in Mindanao.

“Tumagal ako sa area ng Mindanao. May mga sundalong nag-reveal sa akin na di nila maramdaman ang support. You can go directly to the ground, para ma-validate ninyo ang sinasabi ko," said Gandian.

[I stayed long in Mindanao. There were soldiers who revealed to me that they could not feel the support. You can go directly to the ground to validate what I am saying.]

According to Gandian, soldiers participating in the exercises were supposed to get daily allowance of P340 . But the money was not received by the soldiers despite the availability of funds as agreed by the Philippine and the US governments, Gandian claimed.

Hungry soldiers

Gandian said that at one instance, when she got involved in the exercises, battalion commanders engaged in the Balikatan, pestered her about the lack of funds.

“Ako ang pinupukpok ng battalion commanders on the ground. Wala silang support, food, transporation…Gutom ang sundalo. So tatawag namin sa GHQ [general headquarters]. Pero sasabihan pa kami na bahala kaming manghiram ng pera, na bahala kaming mangutang," she said.

[I was the one being pestered by battalion commanders on the ground. They didn’t have support, food, transportation…The soldiers were hungry. So we would call up the GHQ. But they would tell us that we should be the ones addressing the problem, that it would up to us to borrow money.]

Incomplete release

This was not the only problem about the alleged “irregular release" of Balikatan funds, according to Gandian.

She said that when Balikatan funds are released for various humanitarian projects, the disbursements always fell short of what was agreed by the two countries.

She cited the case of the P2.3 million fund released for Balikatan 2007’s CMO event, which she said was an “incomplete release" because the supposed disbursement should have amounted to P4 million.

“Yung P4 million na ‘yon napag-usapan na ng RP at US. Pag nag-agree na ang two countries, considered approved na ‘yon. Pero bakit ganito lang ang ibinigay sa amin?," she said.

[That P4 million was agreed upon by RP and US. When the two countries agree, it’s considered approved. But why is it that this was the only amount that was given to us?]

Earlier in the day, Gandian told GMANews.TV that she would spill more beans on the controversy and implicate bigger names but only at the proper forum and time.

She claimed that Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, former chief of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), was not the only official who allegedly benefited from the P46-million fund for the 23rd joint exercises between the Philippines and the US in 2007.

“Mayroon din matataas na tao. Pero sa tamang panahon ko po sasabihin. Isa lang ito sa mga pangyayari sa loob. Kapag dumating ang panahon malalaman ninyo," said Gadian over the phone.

[People with higher ranks than Cedo are also involved in this. But I will identify them at the right time. This is just one of the many anomalies happening inside the military. In due time, you will find out]

Gadian said she decided to squeal Cedo’s name in the controversy only because the latter was the reason why she is facing an investigation by the Navy’s Separation and Efficiency Board (SEB).

The SEB earlier launched its proceedings after receiving an “adverse report" from Gadian’s superiors claiming that she had mishandled a portion of the Balikatan fund that was handed to her for her unit.

During the Balikatan 2007 – held from February 1 to March 16 – Gadian headed civil military operations (CMO) in three advance command posts in the provinces of Zamboanga del Sur, Sulu, and Cotabato. Her office was given a P2.3-million fund.

Gadian said she “properly disbursed" the allotted fund for her team, adding that she had already submitted to the headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo a liquidation report for their expenses – which mostly comprised communication expenses among others.

No stolen funds

But Cedo on Wednesday denied the allegations of a junior Navy officer that he pocketed money meant for the RP-US military exercises in Mindanao two years ago.

He said Gadian was just trying to get back at him for having her investigated for alleged illegal disbursement of funds.

“She is merely trying to destroy my reputation, she is destroying my name and my reputation as a general because Lieutenant Gadian is the subject of my formal report to chief of staff for malversation of funds that she received," said Cedo, a former chief of the military’s Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom).

Cedo said he could not have stolen any Balikatan fund since no money was released to the Wesmincom for the Balikatan exercises in 2007.

“During my tenure as commander of the Western Mindanao Command, the commander did not receive anything (money) for the Balikatan exercise, higher headquarters know that," he said.

He claimed he ordered Gadian investigated later when she attempted to disburse without authorization the amount of P2 million. He said the money came from Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), but did not say if this was for joint exercises.

Shed light on issue

Armed forces chief Lt. Gen. Victor Ibrado said it would be up to the SEB to investigate Gandian’s case, including her claims against Cedo.

"Ang alam ko, subject din siya sa imbestigasyon, kasi mayroon din siyang funds na hindi ma-account [What I know is that she is also subject of an investigation because there are funds that she could not account for]," Bombo Radyo quoted Ibrado as saying on Wednesday.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Malacañang would ask AFP officials to shed light on the issue.

“I suppose that must have been picked up also by appropriate authorities in the AFP and DND...This thing did not pass unseen or unnoticed by authorities of the AFP and I am going to find out if they heard about it, what they are doing about it and take a look at it," Ermita said during a press conference on Wednesday. - ARCS, GMANews.TV

[Zeus]

Pati ba naman funds para sa Balikatan Exercises, niyayari pa ng mga corrupt officers natin? Kawawa talaga mga sundalo natin........

Babaeng officer ang "kumanta".
13 May 2009

Ganyan ang 'Moral Force' sinasabi ni Chief Justice Puno 'Ako Mismo'...siya na mismo ang kumanta, sana sumunod ang mga kasama niya, ipalit ang bulok na systema, kung bulok ang commander nila,susunod at ipagtatakip pa ba nila yung nasa taas ng chain of command? Chop, saw and weld na sa chain

[vhenok]

Senate Inquiry??? Then what's next???

puro inquiry wala namang conclusion...sabagay election is just around the corners!

[valvura]

Senate Inquiry??? Then what's next???
puro inquiry wala namang conclusion...sabagay election is just around the corners!

Again, whistle blower Gadian same with Lozada may run in the Senate in 2010 & follow the footsteps of Trillanes.

[oliver1013]

Kung ako to di nako kumanta...wala din e, delikado pa pamilya ko...Sabi ni Ninoy the filipino is worth dying for...di na oi..

Dito sa Pilipinas ang gumawa ng tama, mali o kaya namumulitika, o kaya may plano tumakbo sa election...sus di na natuto dapat tumahimik nalang siya at humingi ng ambon






saracastic po ako..

[XTO]

Naka nakakatakot dito baka biglang ma "ambush" or magkaroon ng "engkwentro" si Gandian sa NPA or Abusayaf...tsk sana maprotektahan to...

or mag suicide daw parang yung isang officer din ng navy, a PMA gradute assigned in coast guard. nag suicide "daw" samantalang sinabi nya sa tatay niya na di nya gusto kalakaran sa serbisyo at gusto na umalis. mga sinasakay pala ng patrol ship nila is drugs and illegal logs coming and from mindanao.

tama kahit matino ka pag napasok ka dyan either tumahimik ka at makinabang or madali ka. chain of command kasi labanan dyan, mali or tama pag inutos ng mas mataas tama yun