WHISTLEBLOWER Navy Lt. Senior Grade Nancy Gadian asked the Supreme Court Monday to amend a decision of the Court of Appeals ordering the defense secretary to provide her protection.
Gadian, who exposed the alleged misuse of P46 million in funds earmarked for the RP-US Balikatan Military Exercise 2007 when she was then the deputy of the Civil-Military Operations, asked the High Court to place her instead under the protection of the Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines and provide the organization with the means to do so.
The Supreme Court on May 21 granted Gadian’s petition for a writ of amparo or protection order after she cited threats to her life and security after she expressed her wish to give details on the corruption in the Balikatan exericse. It also ordered the Court of Appeals to hear her petition.
On June 15, the appellate court assigned the defense secretary to provide her protection even after the AMRSP told the court that it was willing to provide Gadian sanctuary.
In urging the Supreme Court to entrust her protection to the AMRSP, Gadian said in her nine-page petition that Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro “has shown himself biased in favor of the military hierarchy that he still heads.”
She also said the Department of National Defense, a civilian agency, could only give her protection through its military personnel.
Named respondents in Gadian’s writ of amparo petition are Armed Forces Chief Lt. Gen. Victor Ibrado, Navy Flag Officer in Command Vice Admiral Ferdinand Golez, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) Col. Joel Ibanez, Westmincom financial officer Lt. Col. Antonio Dacanay and former Westmincom commander Lt. Gen. (ret.). Eugenio Cedo.