AFP general's promotion bypassed due to child support issue

A Commission on Appointments (CA) committee has bypassed the ad interim appointment of Ranulfo Sevilla to the rank of brigadier general after the military official failed to honor the agreement with the panel to provide sufficient financial support for his two children.

This was disclosed by CA committee on national defense chairperson Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo in an interview with reporters.

"Hindi na niya magamit ang one star nya so he'll be back to his rank as colonel... Bypassed... For the members of the committee lahat, 'di naman pwede yung gano'n. Grabe naman 'yon, I think everybody knows naman na P2,000 lang binibigay each child. Kawawa naman 'yon. We made an agreement and told him to comply," Romualdo said.

"For that, he can make an appeal for his reappointment and, of course, if he complies, we will help him kasi pinaghirapan din niya ang one star," he added.

Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, who sits as the chairperson of the CA, confirmed that Sevilla's promotion was bypassed.

During the CA committee hearing before the interview, Romualdo scolded Sevilla for supposedly lying about the amount of financial support that he and the panel had agreed upon in an executive session last week.

Senator Risa Hontiveros had said during the hearing that the agreement was to formalize with the AFP the agreement to automatically send half of Sevilla's base pay to his estranged wife every month.

Asked by the senator if this agreement has been complied with, Sevilla said, "Hindi po [ito] ang nakarating sa akin. I was just told to offer. But if the committee so desires, I am willing to submit to that dahil alam ko naman po para sa mga anak ko… I am willing to change the letter that I wrote immediately after this just to comply with that but honestly your Honor, I was not totally informed that amount. I was just told to offer an amount and I was not informed if that amount is already enough."

But Romualdo refuted Sevilla's claim that he was not "totally informed" about the amount.

"Nag-usap man tayo from 65 to 50 [percent], gusto mo nga in writing 'yun. Sabi mo nga eh, 50 tapos sabi mo hindi mo kaya hanggang bumaba ka pa nga ng 30. We mentioned the amount please 'wag ka naman magsinungaling. Tinutulungan na nga kita," Romualdo said.

In an attempt to salvage his promotion, Sevilla responded to Romualdo that he is willing to submit to the agreement to give half of his base pay to his estranged wife.

"If I heard you wrong, your honor, I submit to that again. I am sorry because I really understood was the amount was 30 but again I am very much willing to submit to that agreement and immediately I will do that your honor,” Sevilla said.

Sevilla said his current base pay is at around P136,000 and he is "very much willing" to give P50,000 of it.

After long deliberations, Hontiveros moved to suspend the hearing and hold a caucus to discuss the proposal.

According to Romualdo, Sevilla and the CA members agreed to an amount which he cannot divulge.

Sevilla needs to be reappointed by President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. for him to get a star on his sleeves.

"We made an agreement and told him to comply. After that, he can make an appeal for his reappointment. And of course, if he complies, we will help him kasi pinaghirapan naman nya 'yung one star," Romualdo said.

Amid this issue, CA member Rep. Johnny Pimentel reminded the 129 officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), whose promotions were confirmed by the CA, to avoid being involved in extra-marital affairs.

"Sa lahat ng nominees, babala po ito sa inyo. 'Wag kayong masyadong malapitin sa babae. You will be assigned in different stations and you will be tempted lalo na 'pag may ma-meet kayong maganda, sexy. So 'wag naman kayong masyadong playboy kaya magkakaroon kayo ng problema. Look at what happened to General Sevilla. Kaya I suggest and I urge you to be loyal and faithful to your wives," Pimentel said.

In an ambush interview, Mrs. Sevilla, the estranged wife of the AFP officer who opposed the latter's promotion, said her husband's case should be a lesson to other military officers.

"Sana po maging aral po ito sa ating mga kinauukulan, hindi lang sa AFP kundi sa lahat ng ahensya ng gobyerno. Sana po sa ating mga gentlemen in the AFP, mahalin po natin ang ating mga pamilya, mahalin po natin ang ating asawa at anak. Pahalagahan po natin sila," Mrs. Sevilla said.

Mrs. Sevilla appeared at the Senate again on Tuesday to continue blocking her husband's promotion.

Even if the AFP officer is willing to give financial support for her and their children, Mrs. Sevilla told reporters that it "doesn't make him an honorable man overnight who is deserving of a promotion."

"It goes beyond the issue of support... We are also talking about issues of immorality, issues of abuse. So this goes beyond money," Sevilla said.

She was joined by a woman who shared that she was also a battered wife of a retired general, whose promotions were approved since 2007 despite her complaints to the AFP and the Commission on Appointments.

The woman narrated that she suffered three miscarriages due to abuse and even their son has experienced violence in the hands of her husband.

"Just to make awareness that this is really happening and sana 'yung AFP, maraming nasisirang buhay, maraming nasisirang pamilya. Sana pagtuunan na ng pansin because the basic unit society is the family and the unsung heroes of the soldier is really the wife,” she said.

In a chance interview, AFP spokesperson Col. Margareth Padilla Taborlupa said military troops will check the issues divulged by the retired general's wife.

"Rest assured po, ngayon po kasi there is a standing guidance from the Chief of Staff we will be checking on these issues,” Taborlupa said.

"The AFP is maturing na in terms of gender and development. Noong mga previous may mga ganyang cases but now we really take it seriously, especially po marami na ring pong women that are commanding certain units," Taborlupa said. — VDV, GMA Integrated News