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No urgency in foreign service for Yano and Luna

The more General Alexander Yano and Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna justified their acceptance of ambassadorial assignment in exchange for early retirement from the Armed Forces, the more that they are unmasked as no better than the other amply-rewarded Gloria Arroyo generals.

Until last Friday , Yano and Luna were the two highest officials of the AFP. Yano agreed to cut short his term as AFP chief for 44 days and turned over the reins of the AFP to Gen. Victor Ibrado. Arroyo announced that she has named him ambassador to Brunei.

Luna, who is still due tor retire in September, also agreed for an early retirement and was named ambassador to Netherlands.

Ibrado’s ascension to the top position paved the way for Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, Arroyo’s most trusted general probably next to former AFP Chief Hermogenes Esperon, to move up to to the position of chief of the 80,000 strong Philippine Army. That assures Arroyo that in case of any political destabilization that arises from charter change that her minion in the House will be pushing in the coming days, Bangit would be able to contain the largest and the most potent Armed Forces service command.

No problem with Yano and Luna allowing themselves to eased out before their the end of their official term. The problem is they were dumped to foreign service where they created destabilization among the foreign service corps.

Yano was quoted to have said, “It’s not for me to worry about that (the foreign service corps protest). It’s not my worry.”

Yano is a big disappointment. After a decent stint as AFP chief, he makes an indecent entry to the foreign service.

Yano echoes the line of Arroyo that the reason his and Luna’s retirement from the military had to be advanced was because their confirmations have to be included in the last hearing of the Commission on Appointments which would be on June 5.

“If I won’t be confirmed before then, I’ll have to wait two to three months. That’s the urgency of it.,” Yano was quoted to have said.

What’s the urgency?The Brunei post is not vacant. Philippine -Brunei relations is competently being managed by Ambassador Virginia Benavides. So is the Netherlands post which is headed by Ambassador Romeo Arguelles.

Benavides is actually due for home recall and Arguelles is overstaying not only in Netherlands but also in foreign service. But there are career officers expecting to be assigned in these posts.

If Yano and Luna can’t make it to the June 5 confirmation, they can always face the CA when it reconvenes in July or August? What’s the urgency, as far as national interest is concerned, of their going to Brunei and Netherlands?

In their appeal to respect the career system in the Philippine foreign service, the DFA personnel said, “The political appointments of General Yano and General Luna are not only prejudicial to the career system of the foreign service; these appointments are also not cost effective. Political ambassadors are co-terminous with their appointing authority. Changing heads of posts with all its attendant costs would not be to the country’s best interest, given the current global recession. Political ambassadors’ term will end by May 2010. This means that they may serve at their proposed posts for less than one year. On the other hand, the tour of duty of a career ambassador is six (6) years.”

It is stated in the the implementing rules of the Foreign Service Act that no foreign service officer, staff officer or employee over 62 years old, three years before DFA’s retirement age of 65, shall be considered for foreign assignment.

The age requirement does not apply to Yano and Luna who will both be turning just 56 this year. But the rationale of this provision is relevant to their case.

The assignment of a foreign service officer to a specific country is for three years and can be extended for another three years. The reason for this is, it also takes a while for an ambassador to settle, develop contacts, and be effective as the country’s representative. The first year is usually spent familiarizing with the country and developing contacts. If the stint is less than three years, the ambassador could have hardly achieved anything.Also, it costs a lot, at least $30,000, to transport an ambassador, with his whole family, to a foreign post.

The term of Gloria Arroyo, Yano and Luna’s appointing authority, ends on June 30, 2010. That means they would only be ambassadors for one year.

Unless, Yano and Luna are privy to plans or info that make them believe they would be in their foreign assignments beyond June 2010.

Published inFeb '06Foreign AffairsMalaya

47 Comments

  1. habib habib

    paano ba naman, eh etching lang naman itong mga ambassadorial posts na ito, ah? para lamang maniwala sina yano at luna na meron silang kaagad na paglalagyan sa pagpayag na magretiro nang maaga.

    matalino man dawa ng kadete, mas magulang ang instraktor.

    ganyan sa academy of deceit ng mga arrovo!

  2. habib habib

    who wants to be an instant millionaire?

    join gloria’s league!

  3. Ellen,

    You are very generous to Yano… that he had a decent stint in the AFP is so very kind of you.

    The fact that he’s leaving the cases not remotely resolved is a proof that the didn’t take his stint seriously, preferring to leave this military question, over which he had absolute power, for someone else to deal with.

    The man, a military 4 star rank to boot, has no moral courage… and that to me is not decent at all.

  4. Let’s better do some accounting as to how many military officials are appointed as ambassadors since the Evil Bitch illegally took office. It’s very unfair to the career officers and those who have worked for so many years at DFA. We don’t mind if they are made military attaches but not ambassadors.

  5. Glorya Glorya

    Dapat mag-resign na lahat ng mga empleyado ng DFA na hindi PMA graduate at hindi naglingkod sa Hukbong Sandatahan ni Glorya. Dapat mahiya sila kasi binago na ni Glorya ang requirements para puwede ka sa Departamento.
    – ExGlorya-General
    – PMA Graduate
    – Uto-uto
    Kung wala kayo niyan, better evaporate.

  6. Why appoint these creeps as ambassadors when they can be sent overseas as military attaches? Bobo din ano?

    Meanwhile, one of the things that overseas Filipinos in Brunei and Netherlands can do is protest against the appointments of these political appointees, especially coming from the military, as ambassadors like what some Filipinos have done protesting against appointments of some shady appointees, et al to positions at the Philippine Embassy in Japan.

    We actually even send feedback to the Japanese government to refuse accrediting such appointees to Japan. Kaya hindi nakakalusot like a former consul wanting to come back to Japan as ambassador. Gusto kasing kumita ng limpak before the creep retires. Hindi iyan dapat pinapayagan.

  7. Anna,

    You forgot to mention another qualification of a dorobo appointee—SIPSIP! Yano is no different. Halatang-halata when he was shoulder to shoulder with Esperon before he became military chief. Nakakasuka!

  8. saxnviolins saxnviolins

    There may be a simpler reason for why Yano and Luna are to be deployed abroad. If it is true that they command the respect of the Armed Forces, then having them in the Philippines, if and when mass movements occur, would not be favorable to that woman.

    Better to have these men abroad in the interregnum, as Blas Ople once said.

  9. Good point. Generals who are not 100% trusted by the Evil Bitch are sent abroad while her loyal dogs like Esperon and Palparan remain in the country.

  10. kabute kabute

    When the national euphoria of Pacman’s win over Hitman Hatton has died down, we all will be back to the reality of corruption in GMA’s government and the grinding poverty she has exacerbated. Yes, I completely agree that there really is no urgency in Yano’s and Luna’s appointment as ambassadors of Brunei and the Netherlands. It’s part of the reward to both by GMA for having stayed silent and kept off the cases of detained soldiers (BG Lim and others). Yano now has been exposed by his own greed that he is no professional soldier. That what he claims as having improved on professionalizing the armed forces is nothing but show. Nothing has really improved What we have is a more pliant and compromised AFP with Bangit and the rest of the gang now in place. The scary thing is the civilian aspect of government is now more militarized than the military (DPWH, DOTC, DFA, Executive Branch and many other bureaus. If only the supreme court and the DOJ can be militarized, GMA will do it too.

  11. parasabayan parasabayan

    BE, obvious na obvious, hah. Si asspweron at si palparan eh hindi niya pinaalis. Nakapwesto kaagad sa Cabinet niya si ass at si palparan eh se tongress. All those with questionable loyalty to her are sent abroad. Senga too was shipped out.

  12. isagani gatmaitan isagani gatmaitan

    yes, i agree with the posters who are suggesting that the dfa career diplomats submit their resignations en masse. this is the only way to send the message across that dumping political appointees in the foreign service has gone too far. while the issue is still hot, it can potentially provide the needed boost to rid our country of this evil administration once and for all.

  13. Kejotee Kejotee

    My take is that Yano refused to dance with Gloria in her CHACHA

  14. Kejotee Kejotee

    Oooppss … submitted too soon by mistake …
    Yano claims in his refusal to kiss ass that the military protects the constitution, NOT gloria. Banishment to Brunei is therefore Gloria’s way of showing Yano who is the boss.

  15. nahnah nahnah

    Numero unong ugali ng most pinoys ang maging sipsip. Iyan ang pinag uugatan ng mga katiwalian sa gobyerno, dahil sa mga sipsip, lumalakas ang loob ng mga nasa poder, sa kahit na anong antas ng bureaucracy. Kasama dito iyong mapagbigay ng regalo. Sa probisiya Kung may bisitang mataas ang puwesto, kailangang asikasuhin ng husto, pakainin, bigyan ng pabaon, at pag minsan hangang i treat sa gabi, may kasamang alam nyo na. Sa Pinas, kung may pwesto ka, bida ka, maraming hihimud ng p–it mo.

  16. Did you hear that Joc Joc Bolante is running for Governor of Capiz?

  17. iwatcher2010 iwatcher2010

    kaibigang bitchevil,

    dapat sa congressman ang puntirya ni jocjoc kaya lang nag compromise and kaalyado yung kalaban, may basbas ni kingpin pidal at all-out support ang malacanang mafia at arroyo corrupt-poration ang gobernatorial plans niya but still puede bumalik sa congressional ambition depende sa usapan ng mga local politicos.

    si jocjoc,ay isang magaling at succesfull business execs na nasira lamang dahil sa pakikisama kay kingpin pidal…nilunok ang hiya at pikit-matang sumunod sa kagustuhan ni kingpin pidal at nalagay sa alanganin ang pangalan at pamilya pero isasalba uli ni kingpin pidal.

    nakinabang din ng husto si jocjoc dami niya nirekomenda sa govt position at hindi siya napahiya kay kingpin pidal.

    sana ms. ellen, magkaroon ka ng posting sa mga local politicos, at govt officials sa kanilang mga anomalya para malaman ng publiko at di na makalusot sa 2010.

    itutuloy nila ang election 2010 pero maraming kagulat-gulat na kaganapan at si teodoro ang napipisil nilang manok habang patuloy pa ang pakikipag-usap sa isang malaking haligi nila sa katauhan ni bigboss danding.

    tuloy-tuloy pa rin ang cha-cha nila at delay tactics lang at ang sinisiguro nila ang loyalty ng lower house at senate kaya nga ubos biyaya ang pork barrel at civil works projects sa mga dakilang alipin at alipores para manatili sa puwesto at madagdagan ang kanilang kapanalig sa 2010.
    ang labanan ay nasa local levels sapagkat kailangan nila ang lubusang suporta ng mga local politicos and to strengthen support sa lower house to gain a majority hold para sa charter change kapalit ang pangakong decentralization thru federalism/ parliamentary at political dynasty sa mga amendments ng saligang batas.

    they are investing billions thru pork barrels para busugin ang mga local politicos,isusulong nila ang charter change sa anumang paraan, hindi man makalusot bago mag-recess ang congress this june ay susubukan nila ang nasabing usapin after 2010 at maging mapagmatyag sa kanila na namang isang malaking panlilinlang sa bayan.

    karamihan sa mga local politicos ay instant contractor, daang milyong pondo para sa kanilang pansariling kapakinabangan na lalo pang binubusog ni gloria.

    gaano na ba kayaman ang malacanang mafia at arroyo corrupt-poration? mga dept secretaries na panay bili ng properties? arroyo sibling patuloy ang paglobo ng kayamanan…walang patawad, kahit barya ay ibubulsa.

  18. Gabriela Gabriela

    Saxnviolins:”There may be a simpler reason for why Yano and Luna are to be deployed abroad. If it is true that they command the respect of the Armed Forces, then having them in the Philippines, if and when mass movements occur, would not be favorable to that woman.”

    Then he should not have accepted if he were a principled person. Yes, it turned out he was just like the others, Esperon etc.

  19. Gabriela Gabriela

    He also looks and sounds mayabang.

  20. Nasusuka ako kay Gloria.

  21. Karina Constantino-David – former chair of the Civil Service Commission:

    “Akala ko rin mga propesyunal at may prinsipyong heneral yung dalawa. Haaay”

  22. Anna, I’m disappointed with Yano but yes, I’m being generous with him. Because there were some decisions he made that tried to correct the injustice done to the officers who are now detained for making a stand against the use by Gloria Arroyo of the military in the cheating in the 2004 elections.

    Like when the minor charges of “conduct unbecoming of an officer and gentleman” prescribed, he did not intervene in the decision of the court to let the law takes its course. In this regime where the Constitution and the laws are perverted to protect Arroyo, that’s a brave act for an AFP chief.

    Remember Esperon overruled the findings and recommendation of the Pre-Trial Investigatioon team that there is no legal and factual basis to charge the officers of mutiny.

    But you are right, not brave enough. He should have approved the nolle prosequi recommendation of the prosecution panel to dismiss charges against the junior officers.

    Yes, you are right, in the end, he erred on the side of cowardice and opportunism.

  23. Mike Mike

    @AdeBrux, Hi Anna, wasn’t LGEN Cardozo Luna the one vying for AFPCS before GEN Yano? There was a lot of PR when GEN Esperon was retiring about LGEN Luna being the thinking general due to his Wharton degree, being eased out of the CS position etc. Now I’m wondering why he’s retiring a few months (a few days I could understand, but Sept. is 4 months away) before his mandatory retirement date of Sept. Are there any other movements within the AFP that gives way to junior officers for some juicy posts. There’s a 1 yr rule for major commands in the AFP, except for the CS which the president has prerogative over. Maybe there’s an old officer in the lower classes, possibly Gloria’s PMA ’78 that they want to accomodate for a higher position before he retires. Maybe there’s a sipsip that would be retiring between May and Sept next year that would benefit with the additional star, I think this is an O-8 officer, that by hook or by crook would want that third star.

  24. pugong_gala0101 pugong_gala0101

    Mike,

    Although you don’t want to name that vacuum cleaner, am sure it’s the rat.

    As I’ve had said in the related threat, Senga and Yano are the fathers of all cowards. Added in their list is this LtGen Cardozo Luna who should have persuaded Yano not to consider retiring earlier than he should have. One and a half month would be enough for the two to leave the AFP clean and saved the remaining honor the organization still has, if there left any. But sad to admit they meekly jumped to the trap.

    However, the gloria generals are religiously practicing only two codes of the academy, LOYALTY to gloria and her family of swines and COURAGE to face the smirking subordinates who chose to remain steadfast in their oath than being used by the cheat.

    These generals do not deserve respect but spit on their faces.

    If I were a soldier, I may chose to salute a monkey than these caponized flag officers!

  25. Ellen,

    What a way to end a rather undistinguished career! He could have made a real difference.

  26. Aha! finally got my gravatar! Heh

  27. Thanks Cocoy!

  28. Wow, Anna. That’s cute.

  29. I visited your new site. It’s classy.

  30. ellen,

    Thanks for the visit and the first comments! Would be nice if every commenter here had a gravatar…As Cocoy said, it’s really easy!

  31. Valdemar Valdemar

    They are rewarded for winning over the rallyists around Malacanan and losing every offensive of the righteous left.

  32. BE,MR you get na your own gravatar.

  33. Hi Mike,

    “…wasn’t LGEN Cardozo Luna the one vying for AFPCS before GEN Yano?”

    Not quite sure. Ellen knows about it more than I do; have been scarcely following the “qiueu” for the CSAFP position — I’m so disgusted with the way the AFP has become the Gloria’s jukebox that I’ve become less and less interested in the AFP as an institution. To me it’s now a failed “military organisation” much like a Failed State

  34. jose miguel jose miguel

    Yano is just an infected cell of a body which has developed an American Imperialism Denationalized Syndrome.

    After we became a nation when we became independent from Spain in 1898, we had a constitution, an Academia Militar, and a national identity. But then, the Americans invaded us in 1899. After 500,000 to 900,000 of us Filipinos died resisting the American invasion, the Americans transmitted to us a Heritage Injuring Virus to weaken our resistance. This virus was in the form of American directed education, political institution, constitution, military indoctrination and development and culture. This resulted to a society developed to have an American Instituded Dependency Syndrome which drains life selfishly out of the Filipino nation to rechannel it to the needs of the Americans and thus receive self gratification. This virus replicated through out the whole of society and from generation to the next. When the Americans determined that this American imperialism denationalization syndrome process can now self-replicate perpetually, they granted us a documented independence.

    This is the cause of why the actions of many of us including that of Yano and Luna, do not have any sense of nationhood. It is all for self and America. Or, it is all for America or self.

  35. jose miguel jose miguel

    In particular, our Academia Militar- our organic Filipino military academy was dismantled by the Americans. In its place, was the constabulary academy which was the precurser to the Philippine military academy. From here, developed doctrines, paradigms, definitions of friendly forces, definitions of enemy forces, definitions of mission of the Filipino soldier, identity of the Filipino soldier and the whole of our points of reference- American interest.

    Knowing the background of our development, we now understand why Yano and Luna is totally unresponsive to the realities of our Filipino situation.

    If we are to introduce a national solution, we need to spread this information at a national level.

  36. @Jose Miguel
    I beleive it is better na di na nasakop ng kastila or america ang pilipinas dahil kung di nasakop ang pilipinas wala yang mga traydor who collaborated with spanish ,those traydor were the cause of the fall of the kingdom of Luzon empire other kingdoms in the philippines.

    Both of the colonialisms had it’s syndromes

  37. The reason why Yano got kicked in the bud was his refusal to agree with Cha-Cha.

  38. chi chi

    A, hindi nagkamali ang aking mga negative opinion kay Yano sa simula pa lang na siya, tulad ng lahat ng Gloria generals, ay YAYA lang ng kanyang pekeng kumander-in-tsip! Heh, pakieme pa e dun rin ang punta!

  39. A bit off topic: Manny Villar left the country as the Senate begins its investigation on C-5 Road scam. There’s report that he’s meeting the Evil Bitch abroad to seek assistance.

  40. Bakit nawala yung recent topics box on the left? It was a faster way of navigating through the threads, one click would take you where you wanted to go.

    Now, we’re back to clicking the homepage link and search from there.

    Please put it back, Ellen.

  41. Valdemar Valdemar

    There is real urgency for the postings of Yano and much more so with other ex-military. There are nobody else capable from the civilian ranks. Even in other juicy positions.

  42. habib habib

    Anna,

    You were right. Yano could have made a difference from his predecessor/s having an absolute authority to steer the institution to where it should head. But, like Senga, Yano to include Luna may well be remembered as Filipino generals who slept with the pimp for sure wealth and secured life after their military sevice leaving behind their subordinates craving for change under a steel-willed and principled CSAFP.

  43. habib habib

    Ellen,

    Nasaan na ang pinto papunta sa salas? Hindi kami makalabas dito sa komedor.

  44. pugong_gala0101 pugong_gala0101

    habib,

    Ang susi ay nandu’n sa itaas bandang kanan. Pindutin mo lamang ‘yung may karatulang “Recent Posts”.

  45. pugong_gala0101 pugong_gala0101

    More generals appointed

    MR. EXPOSE

    Amb. Ernesto Maceda

    05/05/2009

    Add Gen. Enrique Galang Jr. as deputy commissioner of Bureau of Immigration; Gen. Victor Boco, Law Enforcement, BI, Gen. Alberto Braganza, Civilian Security Division, BID; Gen. Dionisio Santiago, Director General, PDEA; Gen. Oscar Calderon, director, Bureau of Prisons to the list we printed last Friday of Military and PNP officers appointed to civilian positions.

    At the DoTC, beside Generals Thompson Lantion, undersecretary, Assistant Secretary Arturo Lomibao and Reynaldo Berroya, assistant secretary. For Special Concerns, you have Gen. Domingo Reyes Jr., assistant secretary for Finance, Gen. Elmer Soneja, assistant secretary for Planning and Col. Red Kapunam Jr., assistant secretary for Special Concerns for the Visayas.

    At the Department of Energy, Secretary Angelo Reyes has brought in most of his boys headed by Generals Roy Kyamko and Ramon Santos, both undersecretaries.

    These epidemic of military and PNP generals appointed to career civilian positions is violative of the Constitution, the CESO Law and also the Foreign Service Act. There’s demoralization government wide because this practice deprives career officers of promotions. When you appoint a DFA officer to an ambassador’s or chief of mission position, you open up six lower positions for promotion.

    http://tribune.net.ph/20090505/commentary/20090505com4.html

  46. pugong_gala0101 pugong_gala0101

    Parang isang junta ang administrasyon ni gloria, ah?

  47. Tonque, the recent topics are now on the right side. Okay na ba yun?

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