Ana Mitila Lora agrees in her page two column in the List?n Diario today with the Chief of the Army, General Jorge Zorrilla Ozuna who on Sunday said that for nobody it is a secret that the military is better off today than before. The high ranking military also justified the statements of his colleague, Nelson Jose Florentino, director of the vocational schools division of the military, in support of President Mej?a. Public political statements by the military are banned by the Constitution.
But Lora writes that the military have reason to be pleased with the Mejia government as never before have they been so well off. ?Their salaries were improved, their budget competes with that of the Ministry of Education, the government is building several housing projects for them, the high ranking military have purchased arms, uniforms, fleets of trucks, helicopters, airplanes, ships and printing presses. Thirty lots have been distributed among the military, the government is building the Ciudad Military Modelo, an investment of US$105 million, and a cathedral is under construction at the Ministry of the Armed Forces. In addition thousands of civilians were incorporated into the ranks. This government has created the Military Institute of Human Rights, the Antiterrorist Unit, the Estado Mayor en Retiro de las Fuerzas Armadas, the Project for the Re-education in Citizenry for Girls & Boys, and their military academy was upgraded to university level, or the Universidad Militar Nacional Batalla de las Carreras.