FP chief Gen.
Hermogenes Esperon has reportedly lined up farewell visits to major units. Does
this mean he has not yet secured an assurance from the commander-in-chief that
she would extend his service beyond February 9, the day he turns 56, the
retirement age?
Esperon is angling for an extension, which probably does not
make him any different from many of his predecessors. It’s not exactly human
nature. Most people in government are looking forward to their retirement. They
get their "lump sum" retirement benefits. They get time to play with their
grandchildren.
But we guess it’s not that easy giving up the powers and the
perks of a chief of staff. It could be traumatic, commanding more than 100,000
warm bodies one day and just the driver and the household help the next.
Playing golf everyday gets tiring after a time. An ambassador
"commands" less than a platoon of subordinates, or none at all but a clerk and a
secretary if one does not head a mission (the fate of most of the ex-PNP and ex-AFP
chiefs who were able to secure a sinecure).
To Esperon’s credit, we do not believe he wants to be
extended for the same reason that some BIR and Customs officials have been
petitioning the courts to change the natal dates entered on their birth
certificates so they could continue a couple more years in business.
But even if Esperon has the best of intentions – pursuing his
claimed successes against the enemies of the state, for one – it’s bad form to
appear like "kapit tuko." This is the impression that comes across with his
repeated statement that extending his service is "a prerogative of the
President."
At his level, that goes without saying, so why keep saying
it?
There are two possibilities. One is that Gloria is set to
grant his wish and that the two of them are just trying to condition the
people’s mind. The other is that Gloria has no intention of extending Esperon’s
service and the latter is making all this noise, including the purported new
plots to overthrow the administration, to force her into changing her mind.
If the latter is the case, then it’s pure blackmail. What
prevents Esperon from sending out the tanks and encircling Malacañang with them
to stop a coup attempt, real or fictitious? And if Esperon gets extended, what
assurance does Arroyo have he won’t pull the same stunt in the future?
The answer to both questions is none. But lest we be
misunderstood, we don’t subscribe to the idea that Esperon or that military for
that matter is going to throw out Gloria. He may have outgrown his breaches, but
he is just seeking due recognition from Gloria that he and the institution he
represents deserve a bigger role in running the state.
Esperon’s ambition, of course, is grounded on the reality that the military
is the only power that stands in the way of Gloria’s ouster. Keeping him after
he turns 56 is only a formal seal on the Gloria-AFP partnership.
