The Military on the Mend—Or Are the Mistahs Waiting for a Messiah?

The Military on the Mend—Or Are the Mistahs Waiting for a Messiah?

Part Two of the 2011 UP Third World Studies Center Public Forum Series "The B.S. Aquino Administration - Possible Perversities, Perverted Possibilities" 

July 26, 2011, 1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m., Claro M. Recto Hall, Bulwagang Rizal (Faculty Center), University of the Philippines Diliman, Quezon City 

PROGRAM: 

1:00-1:30
REGISTRATION

1:30-1:35
WELCOME REMARKS
TERESA S. ENCARNACION TADEM
President
Philippine Political Science Association

1:35-1:40
INTRODUCTION OF THE 2011 TWSC PUBLIC FORUM SERIES
MARIA ELA L. ATIENZA
DirectorThird World Studies Center            
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy   
University of the Philippines-Diliman

1:40-1:45
INTRODUCTION OF THE SPEAKERS

1:45-2:00
DANILO D. LIM
Brigadier General (Ret.)
Philippine Army
Armed Forces of the Philippines

2:00-2:15
RICARDO TROTA JOSE
Professor
Department of History
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman

2:15-2:30
CRISELDA YABES
Freelance Journalist and
Author, The Boys from the Barracks: The Philippine Military after EDSA

2:30-3:25
OPEN FORUM

3:25-3:30
CLOSING REMARKS / SYNTHESIS

MODERATOR:
Herman Joseph Kraft
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
College of Social Sciences and Philosophy
University of the Philippines-Diliman

Organized by the Third World Studies Center (TWSC) 

Co-sponsored by the UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, 

The Philippine Political Science Association, and the 

Office of the Dean. College of Arts and Letters 

ABOUT THE FORUM

Speaking, perhaps presumptuously, for the entire military, one senior military officer stated in May 2010 that there will be no coup attempts during the Benigno Aquino III administration. Will this prognosis be fulfilled? Will this Aquino administration be in stark contrast to the first, which was the most embattled regime in the nation's history in terms of coup attempts? A year into his presidency, Aquino has given amnesty to rebel soldiers who were, at best, a thorn in the side of his predecessor; corruption in the military is now under close scrutiny by the country's lawmakers-cum-arbiters, with longstanding secret "pabaon" and “pasalubong” practices now brought to the public eye; moreover, merit appears to be, at long last, the main consideration in appointing officers to the upper echelons of the military hierarchy. Indeed, Aquino may be the commander-in-chief that those clamoring for reform in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have been waiting for, better than any of the chief executives that military men colluded with to bring to power. Yet, Aquino seems to have the same predilection for patronage as his predecessors; retired military officials, some of them former underlings of Aquino’s mother, are still getting choice appointments in government. Aquino may yet prove himself to be a stickler for traditions—the kind that makes the AFP one of the most excessively politicized armed forces in the world.

Below is a playlist of the videos of the forum:

For information on the forum series and the upcoming installments of the series, please see this post.