ARMY chief Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano has
ordered the arrest and confinement of Maj. Gen. Jose Barbieto,
relieved commander of the 4th Infantry Division, and one his men
because a pre-trial investigation on a corruption charge against
them has started.
"The conduct of the pre-trial investigation,
which normally precedes a general court martial, necessitates
that those accused be arrested and confined," said Army
spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres.
Torres said Barbieto and S/Sgt. Roseller
Echipare are restricted to quarters. They are under the custody
of Brig. Gen. Ricardo Morales, commander of the Army's
Headquarters Support Group.
"The restriction shall take effect until such
time that their cases are resolved," said Torres.
Barbieto is under investigation for possible
violations of Article of War 55 (officer making unlawful
enlistment), AW 96 (conduct unbecoming an officer and a
gentleman), and AW 97 (conduct prejudicial to good order and
military discipline).
Echipare is being probed for violation of AW
55 and 97.
The cases stemmed from charges that the two
asked applicants P25,000 to P30,000 in exchange for enlistment
in the Army. Also, Barbieto is being accused of mismanaging
funds for government militiamen.
Citing probers, Torres said of the 150
candidate-soldiers undergoing training at 4th ID, 97 were found
to be unqualified, 20 were conditionally passed, and only 33
were eligible to undergo training and become soldiers.
Of the 133 privates recently enlisted by the
4th ID after training, 87 "were found to be unqualified while 46
were conditionally passed."
"The team reviewed and re-evaluated each case
to determine the regularity of their entry into the military.
Admission into the military without going through the prescribed
process is considered fraudulent and may result in separation
from the service," said Torres.
Torres said the appointment orders of the
candidate soldiers and of the privates who were found not
qualified have been cancelled.
"Although their continued stay with the
military has been terminated, they were not barred from
reapplying provided that they satisfy all requirements," he
said.
Torres said Yano, Army chief, assured there
will be no whitewash in the investigation.
Barbieto is a classmate (PMA '74) of Armed
Forces chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
If the court martial pushes through, Barbieto
would be the second Army major general to be tried by a military
court for corruption.
The first is former military comptroller Maj.
Gen. Carlos Garcia who was convicted by a military tribunal in
December 2006. - Victor Reyes