MANILA, Philippines?A former member of the Feliciano Commission that investigated allegations of corruption in the military said it might be hopeless to reform the military in light of revelations of the so-called ?pabaon? system or send-off money given to retiring chiefs of staff.

Retired Navy Commodore Rex Robles, a former member of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement and an amnestied participant in a failed coup attempt against the government of President Corazon Aquino, said the ?pabaon? system has been a tradition in the military for a very long time.

?The systems are too vague and too resilient to be changed and challenged. There?s a certain hopelessness in reforming the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines),? Robles told the Inquirer in a phone interview Saturday.

To reform the military, Robles said, would need an ?Elliot Ness? personality, referring to the US government crusader who took on mobster Al Capone in the 1920s.

In a Senate hearing on Thursday, former military budget officer Lieutenant Colonel George Rabusa claimed former AFP Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes obtained a P50 million retirement ?pabaon,? or going-away present. Reyes, who was also at the hearing, denied the allegation.

Robles called on the government to expand the probe into the military slush fund.

?Why focus on Reyes? He did not invent the system. All previous commanders should also be put under the spotlight. If at all, Reyes is the least involved,? Robles said.

He said the Feliciano Commission, which was formed to look into issues in the military that led to the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny, recommended the strengthening of the powers of the military Inspector General?s Office to investigate and prosecute erring officers. Part of this involves the requirement that the Inspector General report directly to the President, as is the practice in the US military.

But Robles noted that the AFP never adopted the recommendation.

The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee hearing was meant to investigate the plea bargain agreement between government prosecutors and former military comptroller Carlos Garcia, who has been accused of plundering P300 million in military funds.