There are few combinations more dangerous than money and the military, but that's exactly the combustible mix that the Arroyo administration stirred up when it did not pay enough attention to the military retirees' demands for the settlement of unpaid pension benefits amounting to at least P17 billion as of end-2004.
Former generals who called for President Arroyo's ouster last May 1 are also leaders of a group of military retirees pressing the government to pay legally mandated increases in retirement benefits since 2000. What began as an innocent welfare issue seems to have evolved into a patently anti-government political movement.
In January, after getting tired of appealing to authorities, an organization of retirees, the Federation of Retired Commissioned and Enlisted Soldiers (Forces), filed a class suit against the defense and budget departments as well as the House of Representatives and the Senate to compel the government to appropriate funds to pay for the increases in the retirees' pensions.
The retirees' lawyer argued that the government's failure to pay part of the ex-soldiers and officers' pensions amounted to "grave abuse of discretion" and violated the military retirement law. The government has not earmarked any amount for the payment of the increases in pensions and other benefits of retired soldiers stipulated in the law, he said.
Four months later, leaders of Forces and other retiree groups, notably retired army general and ex-Defense Secretary Fortunato Abat, called for the ouster of Ms. Arroyo and the establishment of a revolutionary junta composed of military, political, and civil society leaders.
Another retired officer, Commodore Ismael Aparri, disclosed in early April that former soldiers were soliciting the support of those in active duty for a "civil disobedience" campaign to force the government to settle its pension obligations to close to 300,000 retired or separated soldiers, including dependents of those who have died, according to a report in the Tribune. He warned that the government's failure to act on the retirees' demands for pension payments may encourage some of former soldiers and officers to move for the ouster of President Arroyo.
Calling for the President's overthrow looks like an odd way to collect on the government's obligation. But if senators can conduct "investigations in aid of collection"—as UK bank Standard Chartered called the Senate's inquiry on an alleged investment scam—why can't ex-soldiers use the threat of destabilization to collect as well?
