Capt. Joenel Pogoy, One of Those Who Exposed Corruption in the AFP Even Before the Garcia Probe

Capt. Joenel Pogoy, One of Those Who Exposed Corruption in the AFP Even Before the Garcia Probe

Air Force Captain Joenel Pogoy, 35, was preparing for his thesis for a squadron officer’s course in Mactan Air Base in Lapu Lapu, Cebu, when his video about corruption inside the Philippine Air Force (PAF) was uploaded in You Tube without his permission. This cost him his career, freedom, and almost, his life.

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com

MANILA – It is a surprise to see men in uniform, officers at that, almost trembling and asking for guarantees for their safety and that of their families before testifying about the corruption in the Armed Forces during the Senate investigation into the plea bargain agreement entered into by the Office of the Ombudsman with former AFP comptroller Carlos Garcia. It’s as if they were testifying against the bosses of the dreaded Mafia. And they earned praises for it. But those who did similar deeds before them did not get the same privileges and praise. Others paid for it with their careers or worse, their lives. For former Air Force Captain Joenel S. Pogoy, exposing corruption in the AFP sent him to prison and almost cost him his life.

Pogoy, 35, was preparing for his thesis for a squadron officer’s course in Mactan Air Base in Lapu Lapu, Cebu, when his video about corruption inside the Philippine Air Force (PAF) was uploaded in You Tube without his permission.
In the video, Pogoy exposed irregularities in how the budget was spent in the PAF. “If there are four aircrafts in the PAF, only two are running as indicated in the yearly allocated flying time while the other two are being cannibalized by the PAF,” Pogoy said in the video. Cannibalization, Pogoy explained, is the process by which spare parts of an aircraft are replaced by old ones. To cover this up, PAF had procurement papers as proof that the spare parts are all brand new.

In October 2008, Pogoy was detained inside the Villamor Airbase in Taguig City for allegedly violating Articles of War 64, (behaving with disrespect toward his superior officer), 96 (conduct unbecoming of an officer and gentleman), and 97 (conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline).

Illegal Detention? 

Pogoy said there was no legal basis for his detention. “My lawyer, Atty. Rey Cortez filed a motion for my release because the charges were administrative but the court-martial did not grant the release because they insisted that my case was criminal in nature.”.... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/03/16/capt-joenel-pogoy-one-of-those-who-exposed-corruption-in-the-afp-even-before-the-garcia-probe/