Press Release
March 6, 2011

PRESS STATEMENT OF SENATOR CHIZ ESCUDERO ON THE APPOINTMENT OF LT. GEN. EDUARDO OBAN JR. AS AFP COS

I welcome the appointment of Lt. Gen. Eduardo Oban Jr. as the new Armed Forces chief of staff. I do not personally know Lt. Gen. Oban, but his appointment from among equally deserving list of men is a well needed transfusion to the country's armed troops whose morale dropped given previous allegations and exposes in the military by certain officers.

As a Filipino and as chairman of the Senate committee on national defense and security, I pose this challenge to our new COS: bring back the integrity and respect the Armed Forces of the Philippines deserves but may have been diminished during recent scandals brought about by some of its own men.

Lt. Gen. Oban comes at a critical time in the history of our Armed Forces. We want to see our new chief of staff rally the troops and raise their morale and standard once again as the country's guardians of democracy and Constitution. I hope he can convey the right message and inspire the men in uniform not to be distracted by the landslide of corruption in the system by officers who took advantage of their positions.

With all these scandals rocking the Armed Forces, I hope Lt. Gen. Oban would be able to insulate the institution from these few rotten officers who do not represent the entirety of the military.

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