Senate to pass bill limiting AFP officers with fixed terms within 1Q of 2023 —Zubiri

The Senate is targeting to pass the bill limiting the coverage of the three-year fixed term in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) within the first quarter of 2023, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Wednesday.

"We are now hell-bent on amending the law," Zubiri said at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum. "We are looking at passing it this first quarter of this year."

Zubiri said he already discussed this with Senator Jinggoy Estrda — who chairs the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation — and they already set up a technical working group to study measures amending Republic Act 11709.

"I think yung amendment na 'yan ay makakatulong sa stability sa military establishments, mawawala na po 'yung tampo ng junior officers," Zubiri said, amid rumors of unrest among AFP personnel.

In a phone interview Tuesday, Estrada said the Senate panel will tackle next week the House bill limiting the coverage of the three-year fixed term to four high-ranking military officials.

Estrada said he was asked by the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office a week before Congress adjourned its session for the Christmas season to pass the bill in the upper chamber before the end of the 2022.

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has already certified House Bill 6517, which seeks to amend RA 11709, as urgent.

RA 11709, which grants three-year fixed term for key AFP officials, including the chief of staff, was signed by former President Rodrigo Duterte months before he stepped down from office.

Marcos said the bill will further enhance the policies and initiatives towards maintaining a responsive and professional AFP personnel.

The bill seeks to limit the fixed tour of duty of three consecutive years, unless sooner terminated by the President, to only the following:

• Armed Forces chief of staff,
• Commanding general of the Philippine Army,
• Commanding general of the Air Force, and
• Flag-officer-in-command of the Philippine Navy

Meanwhile, the commanding generals of the Army, Air Force, and the Navy chief would not be eligible for any position unless promoted to chief of staff.

The bill would exclude from the coverage of three-year tenure the vice chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, unified command commanders, and inspector general.

COVID-19

Meanwhile, Zubiri expressed support for Marcos' non-extension of the state of calamity due to COVID-19 in the country, saying its declaration would affect the country's image to foreign tourists.

In lieu of the declaration, Zubiri said they will heed the call of the president to work on the bills creating the Center for Disease Control and the Virology Institute of the Philippines.

These measures would already cover the Department of Health's request, particularly the special powers for the COVID-19 vaccination.

"Ang punto lang is ayaw sirain ang imahe ng [Pilipinas] ng presidente (The point is the President does not want to tarnish the country's image) by extending the state of calamity. He wants it rectified by legislation. So we are going to step up to that request of the president," he said.

"That is why we are focusing on the passage of the CDC and the Virology Institute."

Maharlika

Furthermore, Zubiri disclosed that the Senate will seek a briefing with the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Finance regarding the creation of the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF).

"I invited [Finance] Secretary [Ben] Diokno and Secretary Menah Pangandaman to brief us on the first week of session. Ang plano namin by January 24 we will be briefed on this Mahalika Fund," he said.

The Senate chief said they are "open to the idea" and they do not oppose the passage of the measure, but they want to be assured that the provisions of the bill will not be "prone to abuse, misuse or leakage which is corruption."

Zubiri said the Senate also wants to make sure that the funds will go to a "safe investment" as he cited the case of Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund.

Last December, the House of Representative approved on third and final reading the bill creating the MIF.

Marcos has certified the measure as urgent, paving the way for its second and third reading approvals on the same day.

The MIF bill seeks to maximize the investible funds of state-run financial institutions and ultimately increase public funds for nation-building.

The measure provides that the MIF would be funded by the investible resources of the Landbank of the Philippines (P50 billion), the Development Bank of the Philippines (P25 billion), and the dividends/profits of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The authors originally planned for the investible funds of the GSIS and the SSS to be included as sources for the proposed sovereign wealth fund's capital as well, an idea they later dropped after, said co-author Representative Stella Quimbo, pensioners expressed their concerns.

Zubiri said he supports the removal of pension funds as source for the MIF creation. —KBK, GMA Integrated News