'Contrasting fortunes validate disappointing trend'
Pia hits promotion of army officials linked to Jonas case, persecution of whistleblower in Balikatan funds mess

Branding it as an "affront to human rights," Senator Pia S. Cayetano today slammed the promotion of three Philippine Army officers linked to the 2007 abduction and disappearance of agriculturist and activist Jonas Burgos.

At the same time, she questioned the continued persecution by the military hierarchy of Lieutenant Senior Grade Nancy Gadian, the whistleblower in the "Balikatan funds mess."

"The contrasting fortunes of Lt. SG. Gadian and the three military officers linked to the Burgos case seem to validate the disappointing trend under the Arroyo administration where whistleblowers are persecuted while wrongdoers and those with questionable records are rewarded," lamented Cayetano, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Social Justice.

Cayetano issued the statement following reports that three Army officers linked to the Burgos case, Lieutenant Cols. Edison Caga, Melquiades Feliciano and Noel Clement, were recently promoted to the rank of full colonels. The three were implicated after the license plate of a van supposedly used in the Burgos abduction turned up at the Army's 56th Infantry Batallion camp in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

At that time, Clement was the commander of the Army unit while Caga was the head of the 69th Infantry Battalion. Clement took over Feliciano when the latter was suspended following the discovery of the license plate.

The lady senator earlier met with Gadian and her custodians led by Sister Mary John Mananzan, head of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP), at the Senate Tuesday (June 23). In the meeting, the three agreed to continue pushing for a Senate inquiry into Gadian's allegation that military officers had misused some P40 million in government funds for the US-RP Balikatan exercises in 2007.

"For raising questions on how her superiors handled millions in unaccounted Balikatan funds, Lt. SG Gadian was slapped with charges of willful disobedience, extravagant living and lavish spending," said Cayetano.

"Actually, she has already been cleared by the military's internal auditor of misusing the P2.3-million budget for combined staff exercises as officer-in-charge for civil-military operations in the 2007 Balikatan. But now she is being investigated for 'lavish spending' because she incurred P2,500 more than her allotted hotel budget of P10,000. The amount is miniscule compared to the unaccounted millions but even Gadian was able to prove that the money came from her own pocket, the lady senator recounted from the meeting.

Cayetano delivered a privilege speech last May 26 and filed Senate Resolution 1071 to call on the Senate to take custody of Gadian and call for a legislative probe on the Balikatan funds mess.

Earlier on April 28, which marked the second year of the disappearance of Jonas Burgos, the lady senator met with the Jonas' mother Editha Burgos at the Senate, along with leaders of "Desaparecidos" an advocacy group of families of missing persons.