IS it wise to tap the military for poll duty in the coming elections?
Here's what the Philippine Navy's second-in-command had to say in this article by INQUIRER.net reporter Joel Guinto.
"As far as we are concerned, we don't want election duties, so there will be no issue against the Armed Forces," Navy vice commander Rear Admiral Amable Tolentino told reporters Wednesday. "Even if we just do our jobs, it will be linked to the election issue."
"If possible, we don't want to be involved [in the elections], but we have the MoA [memorandum of agreement]. We still have to offer our capability and assets if needed," said Tolentino, who inspected disaster response troops in this Navy base south of Manila. The Navy vice chief was referring to the MoA signed by the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in October 2006, which limits the role of soldiers during elections to responding to "serious armed threats" as determined by the poll body.
