Gordon wants fixed terms, higher mandatory retirement age for AFP officials

MANILA, Philippines — A bill filed by Senator Richard Gordon seeks to bring the mandatory retirement age for military officials to 65 years old while providing generals fixed terms to ensure continuity of policies and programs.

Gordon said on Wednesday that he filed Senate Bill No. 1785 to remove military officials from the mercy of alleged personal and political patronage where officials succumb to politics to ensure promotion or to make their tenures secured.

According to the senator, this leads to problems in the implementation of programs within the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as one military official may have a different priority over the other, which means that previous initiatives may lack continuity.

“There is a clear need to curb the ‘revolving door’ policy in the leadership of the armed forces that is susceptible to personal and political patronage that favors a select few over the security and defense of the State,” Gordon said in a statement.

“The persons at the helm of the AFP should be given ample time — even better security of tenure — to develop, test, and implement effective reforms and meaningful long-term plans and programs of the AFP,” he added.

Under SB 1785, officials will be promoted using a merit system that would supposedly ensure that the AFP has a steady pool of competitive officials.  Members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other general holding key offices would also be given fixed three-year terms.

This means that only military officials with minimum remaining service of three years would be allowed to hold new positions within the AFP chain of command, except for the AFP Chief of Staff position; and the Philippine Military Superintendent post which would require a four-year term.

If an AFP chief of staff reaches the compulsory retirement age before his term ends, retirement would be deferred.

However, the bill, once enacted into law, will also allow a sitting president to remove a Chief of Staff for loss of confidence at any time before the three-year term ends.

“The tour of duty of the Chief of Staff of the AFP shall not exceed three years. However, in times of war or other national emergency declared by the Congress, the President may extend such tour of duty,” Gordon’s bill said.

Gordon believes these changes would enhance professionalism within the military brass, as only competent officials would be given a chance to serve in the organization with the merit system.

“The amendments proposed in the bill will enhance professionalization in the organization by strengthening the merit system and allow the new leadership a longer period to implement reforms and institutionalize good policies that will redound to the improvement of the AFP,” he claimed.

“They would also create a new culture of excellence in leadership and accountability in the AFP since only the most qualified officers of general rank would be promoted and it would also obviate revolving door accommodation promotions,” he added. [ac]