Don’t go to Congress, Gadian told

NAVY chief Vice Adm. Ferdinand Golez yesterday cautioned Lt. (s.g.) Nancy Gadian against going directly to Congress to detail her allegations that military officials pocketed a portion of the P46 million fund for the 2007 RP-US Balikatan exercises.

Golez assured Gadian, who appeared to have gone into hiding after exposing the alleged corruption last week in media, that she can expect justice from the Armed Forces if she files a formal complaint with the military.

AFP chief Gen. Lt. Victor Ibrado said the other day initial findings of military investigations said the fund is all accounted for, including the P2.3 million that Gadian allegedly could not account for.

Golez, asked if he will permit Gadian to appear before a congressional inquiry, said: "I will discourage her because she should be responsible. She has been in the commissioned service for (more than) 10 years. She knows her responsibilities as an officer."

"She should not do that because we have our own grievance system to follow and she should follow these regulations for her protection so that there will be life even after all these things," he added.

Gadian was assistant chief of staff for civil military operations of the AFP Western Mindanao Command during the Balikatan exercises in 2007.

Last week, she accused her former superior, retired Lt. Gen. Eugenio Cedo, then Wesmincom chief, of pocketing part of the funds. She later said officials in Camp Aguinaldo, the military’s headquarters, were also involved in the irregularity.

She has declined to name the officials but vowed to identify them "in the proper forum and in due time." She did not categorically say the proper forum is Congress; she only welcomed a possible Senate inquiry after Sen. Rodolfo Biazon said she should file a formal complaint so he could initiate an investigation.

In 2005, Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani and Lt. Col. Alexander Balutan appeared before the Senate and talked of the alleged massive cheating in Lanao in the 2004 elections, despite warnings from then AFP chief Gen. Generoso Senga not to do so. The two were later tried by a court martial.

The President later issued Executive Order 464 that requires civilian and military heads of offices to seek her permission before attending congressional investigations.

Golez said that three of four months before Gadian came out in the media, the latter approached him and expressed worry about the ongoing proceedings against her before the Navy Efficiency and Separation Board (ESB). "I told her, ‘Nancy don’t worry...Why will you be worried? If you have did not commit any wrong, why should you be afraid?’" he said.

The military clarified that the ESB proceedings started last January, not two weeks ago as it earlier said. The ESB has held 12 hearings and Gadian attended six.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile ruled out a Senate investigation.

He said the Senate’s hands are full and the military leadership should be allowed to do its job and investigate the supposed anomaly.

He said the Senate would come in only if "there is an indication that the JAGO is biased or is not capable of handling the case."

But Sen. Pia Cayetano filed a resolution calling for an investigation, as she said there is apparently a "trend" in the administration "to disregard statements of whistleblowers and to silence them."

At the House, Rep. Liza Maza of the party list group Gabriela filed a resolution calling for an inquiry.

"Gadian should be encouraged to speak instead of being gagged and harassed as her exposé concerns the very controversial US-RP Balikatan exercises," she said.

Gadian is facing the Navy’s Efficiency and Separation Board for a charge of insubordination and for "lavish spending" of the Balikatan funds issued to her.