Reveille : The crown jewel of our Armed Forces

By Ramon J. Farolan Philippine Daily Inquirer

Posted date: January 17, 2011

FIRST OF all, let me congratulate Col. Abraham Bagasin who last Saturday took over command of the First Scout Ranger Regiment in San Miguel, Bulacan. Bagasin, PMA Class 1983, is a younger brother of Defense Undersecretary Samuel Bagasin, Class 1973. Another Bagasin, Joel, Class 1984, resigned from the Air Force early in his career to join commercial aviation and is now with Eva Air, a Taiwanese airline. The Bagasins hail from Cagayan although Ilocos Norte was the original family home province. You may recall that in September 2005, Sam Bagasin was a principal figure in one of the most embarrassing snafus in AFP command arrangements. Maj. Gen. Samuel Bagasin, commanding general of the Fourth Infantry Division, was supposed to take over the all-important Southcom position in Mindanao. His parents had flown in from San Diego to attend his promotion. At the last minute President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cancelled his assumption and instead designated Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan, AFP deputy chief of staff, as officer in charge of Southcom. No explanation for the abrupt change in plans was ever made by the commander in chief. * * * Once again there is talk of selling military camps for the purpose of, among other things, modernizing our Armed Forces. The last time this was done, the government sold off Fort Bonifacio also in the name of AFP modernization goals. Today more than 10 years after, not a single peso can be identified from that sale as having benefited the Armed Forces. How ironic that we spend so much time and effort trying to recover some P300 million in plundered money from former AFP comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, and yet we do not see any need to account for some P6 billion in funds which rightfully should have been used for the men and women in uniform. This is not to condone the actions of General Garcia. He has brought disgrace to the military institution and should be punished, and all ill-gotten wealth taken back. Perhaps just as important as recovering ill-gotten wealth is the need to determine who were his partners in crime. General Garcia certainly could not have amassed so much money all by his lonesome self. Someone, some people must have given him the green light or go signal, in exchange for a share of the loot. Now we are talking about selling off the crown jewel of our Armed Forces, the home of the AFP—Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Perhaps even more than Fort Bonifacio, Camp Aguinaldo represents hallowed ground. For more than half a century, it is here where military formations have marched in review each year to salute the commander in chief and to pay their respects to the office he represents. The ceremony on AFP grounds has come to symbolize acceptance by the military organization of civilian supremacy over the Armed Forces. This significance is sometimes lost or is taken for granted in the pomp and pageantry that accompanies the event. Some 35 AFP chiefs of staff have used these grounds to pledge support for the Constitution and the protection of our people. It is also at Camp Aguinaldo that we witness the never-ending change of command rituals that mark the assumption of new leadership in the Armed Forces. There are conflicting reports on the origins of Camp Aguinaldo. But let me try to provide you with a brief history of the Camp for a better appreciation of its historical value. The negotiations for the acquisition of the present site started as early as 1932. Gen. Basilio Valdes was tasked to look around for an area suitable for development as a future Constabulary Headquarters. Valdes came across a possible site on the present Santolan Road in Quezon City and realized that the property belonged to a family friend, Francisco Ortigas. Ortigas offered the land for the price of P0.50 centavos per square meter, or about P125,000 for the whole area. With the lack of funds, the purchase was set aside for a while. The following year Ortigas lowered his price but there were still not enough funds available. Negotiations between Ortigas and the government continued until the former graciously offered the land for free on condition that the authorities immediately put up barracks for a detachment of Constabulary officers and men. It may not have been a purely altruistic spirit that led to the donation. I suspect that having a security detachment in such a remote area (at that time) would eventually lead to the opening up of valuable land with possibilities that only a far-sighted real estate developer could appreciate. In March 1934, 25 hectares were donated to the government with the stated purpose: “For Philippine Constabulary barracks and officers’ quarters, or for any other armed institution which may in the future perform the functions of the Philippine Constabulary.” This was followed much later in 1974 by another donation of a smaller area of 1.2 hectares along EDSA (Epifanio delos Santos Avenue). The remainder of Camp Aguinaldo, consisting of 152 hectares, was purchased by the government from Ortigas, Madrigal and Company at prices ranging from P0.13 to P0.50 per square meter. After the land acquisition, prison labor was used for the clearing of the forested areas, and in 1935 Maj. Mariano Castañeda moved a PC service battalion to the camp site, and became the first camp commander. Later the site was named Camp Murphy after Frank Murphy, the last of the American governors general in the country, and the first US high commissioner after the establishment of the Philippine Commonwealth. In 1964, the installation was renamed Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo, in honor of the President of the First Philippine Republic. Today Camp Aguinaldo is home to the main headquarters of the Armed Forces, the Defense Department, the National Defense College of the Philippines, the Command and General Staff College, the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office, the AFP Museum, the AFP Commissioned Officers Club and various other key offices of the military high command. It also provides quarters for officers and enlisted men, including an 18-hole golf facility for military personnel and civilian guests. Real estate financial experts say the Camp could easily fetch P55 billion if it is put up for sale. For President Aquino, Secretary Cesar Purisima and Secretary Voltaire Gazmin: Let us learn from the past and not rush into the disposal of valuable assets without first knowing what exactly we need and what are our priorities so as to be able to maximize the funds to be raised from any sale. And if the money is truly for AFP modernization needs (a better term would be capability upgrade), let us ensure that the funds are not diverted elsewhere for other purposes or even worse, end up in the pockets of unscrupulous individuals who this early, are beginning to smell the sweet scent of money in what may be the first big deal of this century.