Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said Maj. Gen. Jose Barbieto, who headed an infantry division battling communist rebels and Muslim militants, will be charged with unauthorised recruitment of soldiers, unbecoming conduct and undermining military discipline.

Lt Col Bacarro said the court martial, ordered by Chief of Staff Gen Hermogenes Esperon, 'is just to show that the military justice system is working and that whoever violates the law regardless of position or rank ... will be tried.'

Gen Esperon, who retires next week, and Maj Gen Barbieto - the second high-ranking officer accused of corruption in recent years - were classmates at the elite Philippine Military Academy.

Maj Gen Barbieto and one of his subordinates, Staff Sgt. Roseller Echepare, have been suspended without pay pending a separate graft investigation by the Ombudsman, the civilian anti-corruption prosecutor.

The two men could not be immediately reached for comment.

Neither Maj Gen Barbieto nor his representative has made any statement since the charges were first disclosed in February.

'He is not yet guilty,' Lt Col Bacarro said.

'Gen Barbieto and others who may be implicated here will be given opportunity to defend themselves.'

A number of ranking army officers accused Gen Barbieto of demanding, through Echepare, between 25,000 and 30,000 pesos (S$794) from army applicants in exchange for guaranteed enlistment without needing to pass written and physical exams, the office of the Ombudsman said in a statement.

One applicant, who initially failed with a hearing problem, was told he could get into the army by paying, the statement said.

Corruption is an explosive issue in the 120,000-strong military and has sparked several rebellions by disgruntled troops in recent years.

Soldiers have been struggling with a dearth of weapons and equipment while dealing with communist and Muslim insurgencies and terror threats.

In December 2005, a military court convicted former Maj Gen Carlos Garcia of massive corruption and syphoning off millions of dollars while handling the military's budget.

Maj Gen Garcia was sentenced to two years of hard labor and dishonourably discharged.

He is being tried separately for plunder by the civilian anti-graft court for allegedly illegally amassing 303 million pesos while in the military. -- AP