MAJOR GENERAL CARLOS GARCIA WENT AWOL, SOUGHT 'GREEN CARD'
MANILA, October 14 , 2004 (STAR) From coup d’etat to involvement in corruption?Beleaguered Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia reportedly slipped out of the country at the height of the 1989 coup, and it was during his stay in the United States that he got his green card, a source said yesterday.
Garcia, who is set to face corruption charges before military and civilian courts, was a "close friend" of former senator and Army colonel Gregorio Honasan, claimed the source who requested anonymity.
Honasan and Garcia were classmates at the Philippine Military Academy Class ’71 — the batch that produced many of the leaders of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), later renamed the Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabansa.
The source said Garcia was a member of RAM.
Honasan and the so-called RAMboys led several coup attempts against the Aquino administration, the bloodiest of which was in December 1989.
The source, a former colleague of Garcia in the Armed Forces, described Garcia as "matinik."
"He slipped out of the country to evade imprisonment. He was not caught and put in prison," he said, citing the arrests made on other coup plotters at the time, including Honasan. But he said he did not know the details of Garcia’s alleged involvement in the 1989 coup against the Aquino administration.
The source said Garcia went AWOL (absence without leave) when he left the country and stayed in the US for about two years and was "stricken off" the list of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
It was around this time, he said, that he "suspects" Garcia acquired his green card, which the US government earlier said had expired.
Upon his return some time in 1992, Garcia was "reinstated" with his AWOL "wiped out and charged to accumulated leave," the source said. He then held the rank of lieutenant colonel.
"He was reinstated into the corps in 1991 or 1992 and his AWOL status was credited as official leave," he said, adding that reinstatement could not have been possible without recommendation by or from the office of the chief of staff for personnel, or J1, which recommends promotion or reinstatement.
During the time of President Fidel Ramos, amnesty was granted for many coup leaders, including Honasan, and were reinstated to the service.
The source, a non-PMAyer but who finished the ROTC advanced course, pointed out "favoritism" for graduates of the Philippine Military Academy.
He said Garcia was promoted to full colonel around 1994 then rose to become general and major general.
As major general, Garcia became chief of logistics of the Army. The source believes Garcia replaced then Col. Narciso Abaya, who is now AFP chief of staff.
Garcia then became brigade commander of the 51st Engineer Brigade in Libis, Quezon City, he said.
As AFP comptroller, Garcia served under AFP chiefs Diomedio Villanueva, Benjamin Defensor, Roy Cimatu, Dionisio Santiago and Abaya.
It was this three-year stint that put Garcia in hot water with government prosecutors and even legislators investigating the alleged money-making scheme in the AFP.
Garcia is set to face court-martial proceedings and charges before civilian court for allegedly amassing unexplained wealth during his tenure as AFP comptroller, with his net worth believed to be in excess of $1 million.
The source however noted Garcia had served "major positions (in the military) that he could make money from."
He cited the post Garcia held at the logistics office at the AFP, or J-4, which involved control over "money for supplies and materials." — With Freeman News Service
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
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by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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