Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Retired military leaders as recycled bureaucrats in other govt offices

First of all, I am not comfortable that there are too many government positions, officials and bureaucrats. Which means we taxpayers especially in the private sector, have to part more with our income and savings as these officials and personnel, whether performing or not, will be receiving their salaries, allowances, travels and meetings, pension, etc.

Second, rather too many retired Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Phil. National Police (PNP) officials serving as "recycled bureaucrats" in civilian agencies is discomforting too. My main beef is that those retired AFP and PNP officials have been net tax receivers all their lives, can't they become net tax payers later? Meaning as private sector entrepreneurs, so they will also feel what it takes to be paying taxes left and right.

A young aspiring soldier enters the Phil. Military Academy (PMA), which has a budget of P500,000 per student per year on average or P2M/student over 4 years, that's already a very expensive spending. Not even the most difficult and most expensive courses at the University of the Philippines (UP) like the natural sciences, would give such level of subsidy to their students. Many military officers who came from private universities as ROTC or CMT officials, would perform well in the course of their AFP work even without receiving P2M/student of direct govt subsidies.

Third, retired or active AFP officers may deny it, but there is simply nepotism and political favoritism in appointing retired officers to become Secretaries of the DENR or DOE or DPWH or DOTC or whatever department, or heads of big agencies like LTFRB, LTO, etc., or as "special envoys" to so and so countries. It's mainly "bribing" those retired officers to remain loyal to the Administration (whoever is in power) and use the network and influence of those retired officers in influencing the active officers and soldiers to remain loyal to the administration too. Kaya pwedeng super-kawatan ang administration, walang serious coup by "idealist soldiers" because most of the soldiers and policemen have been coopted.

My advise to active AFP and PNP personnel, when they retire, is that they go to become private citizens, private entrepreneurs, let them experience jobs based on voluntary exchange between producers and consumers, and not on forcibly confiscated revenues, aka taxes and fees.

No comments: