The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) today accused officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) of pocketing millions of pesos in kickbacks linked to its corruption-ridden “surrender and reintegration drive.” The AFP earlier claimed it had “neutralized” 1,631 “rebels and sympathizers” from January 1 to November 13.
“How much do AFP generals and officers pocket for every ‘rebel’ they claim to have ‘neutralized’?” asked CPP Chief Information Officer Marco Valbuena.
Under the government’s Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program (ECLIP), each “surrenderee” is allocated ₱60,000 to ₱80,000 for reintegration. “There are, however, a number of reports that only a few kilos of rice and several cans of sardines were distributed during AFP photo-ops.”
“We can only surmise that a large share of these funds are pocketed by AFP officers,” Valbuena said. Additionally, AFP officials receive kickbacks from “reward money” earned for killing or capturing supposed high-ranking NPA officers and commanders.
He said the AFP makes up these numbers with fake reports and “rehashed” surrenders. “The bigger the number, the bigger kickbacks for AFP leadership.”
“Who actually verifies those who surrender, are captured, or killed? They merely make the claim,” Valbuena pointed out. He referenced past CPP criticisms of the AFP’s “surrender” scheme, which involve presenting civilian farmers as rebels without proof, in violation of their civil rights and protection under international humanitarian law. “It’s all just a scheme for corruption,” he added.
Valbuena further accused the AFP leadership of engaging in numerous other corrupt practices, profiting from infrastructure projects, the AFP modernization program, the National Task Force-Elcac’s bogus development programs in barangays, the amnesty program, and even from unprogrammed budget appropriations sanctioned by Ferdinand Marcos Jr himself.
“As the corrupt bureaucrat-capitalist system becomes exposed, the stench emanating from the military’s officers comes as no surprise,” Valbuena said. He noted growing Filipino protests against corruption. He urged the rank-and-file in the AFP to expose the military anomalies and corruption among their abusive officers.
