THE military on Sunday said the opposition is behind the latest attempt to divide the police and military by pitting members of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1978 with those of Class 1976, which has the Armed Forces chief of staff and the National Police chief on its roster.

Gen. Victor Ibrado, Armed Forces chief of staff, said the most prominent opposition party, Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), which is headed by deposed President Joseph Estrada, is behind the move to destabilize the country by spreading rumors of and fueling the alleged rivalries among the members of the two PMA classes.

The PMP is one of the political organizations under the banner of the United Opposition headed by Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, a reserve colonel in the Marine Corps and graduate of the National Defense College.

Last week, Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., Armed Forces public information office chief, said military authorities have already identified two groups behind the concerted effort to spread malicious rumors against the military and the police organizations, particularly in pitting members of PMA Class 1978 and Class 1976.

PMA Class 1976 is the so-called ruling class with its members occupying more of the highest positions, while Class 1978 has President Arroyo for an adopted member, and its members are perceived to be in a hurry to succeed the “ruling class” in preparation for Arroyo’s stepping down on June 30, 2010.

Ibrado and National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa are members of Class 1976 along with the Navy flag officer in command, Vice Adm. Ferdinand Golez, and the commandant of the Marines, Maj. Gen. Benjamin
Dolorfino.

On the other hand, the Army commander, Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, and the Air Force chief, Lt. Gen. Oscar Rabena, belong to Class 1978.

In the National Police, Chief Supts. Roberto Rosales, Metro Manila police commander, and Leon Nilo de la Cruz belong to Class 1978.

The military said the opposition is spreading nasty rumors that Rosales is going to replace Verzosa through the so-called Oplan August Moon.

August Moon allegedly calls for the assumption of members of Class 1978 to all the top and most sensitive positions in the military and the police, to assure President Arroyo of military and police support for the constituent assembly.

All of the members of the two classes, however, have already repeatedly disavowed and denied such rumors. They said August Moon is nonexistent and will never happen.

Ibrado said military investigators have gotten a paper, with the imprint of the PMP, detailing the plan to concoct and spread such rumors.

He even promised to furnish reporters a copy of the document last week, only to say later that “there is no such copy.”

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. asked if Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno still enjoys the confidence of the President amid the brouhaha over the designation of an officer in charge in his department while he is on a two-week leave of absence.

Pimentel said Malacañang should explain why the President designated Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. as officer in charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Governments (DILG), and not any of career or noncareer undersecretaries in the department, as prescribed by existing rules and procedures under the Revised Administrative Code.

“This brings up the question of whether the President still trusts Secretary Puno. Why did the President disregard the basic rule that the most senior undersecretary should take over the supervision of the department when the secretary is on leave?” he said.

Reports said that Puno had recommended Undersecretary Marius Corpus be designated as acting secretary while he was away.

Pimentel said there is more than meets the eye behind this turn of events, noting the conflicting explanations of Malacañang and the DILG about the reasons for Puno’s leave of absence.

Binay, at the same time, said the military exercise on Saturday at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, was intended to intimidate the opposition as it prepares protest actions in the next few days leading to the State of the Nation Address on July 27.

“The military leadership and Malacañang say there is no threat to the administration. So there was no need to roll out the tanks and show off soldiers in combat gear,” he said.

“The overkill was intentional. It was intended as a message to the opposition,” he said.

Binay also said the military leadership’s statement dismissing Oplan August Moon as an attempt to sow intrigue in the military was “expected.”

“How can they conduct a credible investigation on a plot that allegedly involves generals known to be loyal to the President?” he said.

Binay said that based on published reports, August Moon is not a destabilization plot or a coup plot against the administration.

“It is reportedly a plan by these generals to take over the military and police leadership before the end of the year, thus solidifying Arroyo’s hold on the military and police during the 2010 election period,” he said.

The report gives credence to information that a ranking police general is already boasting that he will be the next chief of the National Police before the year ends even when Verzosa has until December 25 next year to finish his term.