Among those whom the department recommended be charged were former armed forces chiefs Diomedio Villanueva and Roy Cimatu, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said. Cimatu served as special envoy to the Middle East after retiring from the military.
Corruption is an especially explosive issue in the Philippines’ inadequately equipped and poorly paid military, sparking several insurrections by disgruntled troops over the past two decades.
Retired Gen. Angelo Reyes, a former armed forces chief and defense secretary, killed himself last year after he was accused in a corruption scandal.
De Lima said the Justice Department also recommended charges be filed against former military comptrollers retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia and retired Lt. Gen. Jacinto Ligot.
At least three military officers on the department’s list are in active service, including Brig. Gen. Benito Antonio de Leon.
Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos, the armed forces spokesman, said the military does not tolerate corruption and would make available active personnel who will be charged in the case.
De Lima said that her department’s resolution is recommendatory and that the Office of the Ombudsman would have the final say on the filing of the charges before the country’s anti-graft court.
In startling testimony before the Philippine Senate last year, former military budget officer Lt. Col. George Rabusa claimed that Reyes, Villanueva and Cimatu were among officers who received huge payoffs and “send-off money” when they retired.
He said the money came from an illegal contingency fund collected from key military units, which were forced to cut their congressionally approved budgets for troop salaries, weapons, equipment and combat needs.
Rabusa, who also filed the complaint before the Justice Department, testified that Reyes received about $1 million when he stepped down. He said he personally delivered the money to Reyes, and that it first had to be converted into dollars because the peso equivalent was too bulky.
Reyes, Cimatu and Villanueva have denied receiving any payoffs.
De Lima on Thursday also announced that the government has doubled to 1 million pesos ($23,200) the reward for the capture of a former army general accused of kidnapping two left-wing student activists.
The bounty will be given to anyone with “significant information” that will lead to the arrest of former Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan.
Palparan is charged with kidnapping Karen Empeno and Sherlyn Cadapan in 2006. They remain missing. Palparan has retired and has denied involvement in their disappearance.
A fact-finding commission that investigated extra-judicial killings and other human rights violations has named Palparan as one of the military commanders who could be held responsible.
Immigration officials stopped Palparan from leaving the country last month after charges were filed in court against him.
Palparan has called the allegations against him as communist propaganda.
