Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Ignacio R. Bunye called for an end to insidious efforts to politicize the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), saying only the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels will benefit from a divided Philippine military.

In his weekly newspaper column, "The View From The Palace" that comes out tomorrow, Bunye said, "Our soldiers are engaged in a battle against the forces of the revolutionary NPA and they need all the political and moral backup we can give them for their mission."

Bunye was referring to a report on continuing efforts to sow dissension in the ranks of the military to serve the purpose of government destabilizers.

But the Palace official said efforts to politicize and divide the AFP will not succeed, pointing out that Filipino soldiers "bear a strong allegiance to the Constitution and the chain of command."

Bunye said those who seek to divide the AFP have "nothing good in mind for this nation," only their self-interest.

On the controversy over Executive Order 464, Bunye said that Malacaņang is for a constructive working relationship with Congress. "We believe that all outstanding issues, especially one as important as the budget, can be resolved through statesmanship and consensus."

Invoking EO 464, the Palace had restricted the appearance of Cabinet secretaries and other officials in congressional hearings unless cleared by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The restriction came in the wake of complaints that congressional hearings were being used as a forum to attack the administration and undermine the presidency.

Last Saturday, however, Malacaņang gave Cabinet officials the green light to attend Senate hearings on the budget tomorrow. "Legislative-executive cooperation for the national interest is our goal," Bunye said.

He stressed, however, that EO 464 "will remain in effect especially for legislative inquiries which are deemed unproductive and clearly motivated by self-serving politics."

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