ARMED FORCES Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ibrado is willing to have his term extended until after the 2010 elections if President Macapagal-Arroyo says so.

?Whatever is the decision of the President, if his term is extended, the chief of staff will, of course, follow and agree to that extension,? said AFP spokesperson Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. in an interview with reporters yesterday.

Presidential aspirants Senators Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III, Manuel ?Manny? Villar and Francis ?Chiz? Escudero have signed a manifesto urging President Arroyo to extend Ibrado?s term to ensure stability and continuity in the leadership of the AFP during the crucial May 2010 elections, which will determine Ms Arroyo?s successor.

?The elections are particularly crucial and important... because of the fact that this will be the very first time that the Philippines will be conducting automated elections,? read the manifesto, a copy of which was provided to reporters at Camp Aguinaldo yesterday.

Surprised by manifesto

The manifesto also pointed out that Ibrado?s term extension until June 30, 2010 would ensure the impartiality and reliability of the institution during the elections as the military chief continued to enjoy the support and respect of the entire AFP.

Brawner said Ibrado, who had intended to retire on March 10, 2010, was surprised by the manifesto. Whether or not his term will be extended by the president, the military chief will continue to exercise professionalism in his job, he said.

?He will do his best to accomplish the mission of the AFP until his term ends,? said Brawner.

When Ibrado retires in March, two months before the 2010 elections, he will relinquish the highest military post possibly to the general next in line, Army Chief Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, one of the trusted generals of Ms Arroyo.

For his part, acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales said he would not interfere in the selection or appointment of military officials in the AFP.

?I won?t mind whoever is there... I respect the institution in matters of making decisions for itself,? Gonzales told reporters during a fellowship dinner with the media at Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday night.

He conceded that the military had been perennially linked to the ?bad side? of the elections but in May, he would make sure the AFP will make it credible.

?We?re not going to argue with the people who are accusing us of manipulating the elections in the past. We?ll just do our job and let the people judge our performance to make sure that the election in 2010 becomes credible,? Gonzales said.