Militarization in GMA government

Solons warn vs. military control

Say GMA moves could be prelude to martial law

SENATORS yesterday questioned what they called "creeping militarization" in government with the appointment of retired and controversial generals, and warned that the moves could be a prelude to declaration of martial law or emergency rule.
"Para sa milyong Pilipino na walang tiwala sa administrasyon, ang ibig sabihin nito’y pinaliligiran na ni GMA ang sarili niya ng mga taong walang kwestiyon sa anumang iligal na utos mula sa Pangulo. Martial law na ba ang kasunod nito?" said Sen. Mar Roxas.
Sen. Francis Pangilinan said the appointments of retired generals could be part of President Arroyo’s plan to consolidate her power base.
"What is her power base? The base is no longer the Filipino people in that sense because almost eight out of 10 are disappointed. So, if the people no longer trust the President, where will she get her support? She is getting it now from the active and retired military men. She’s getting it from the Armed Forces," he said.
Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. said the latest assignments are proof of what he called the awesome influence, if not control, that some generals wield over the Arroyo government.
Tirso Danga, a former vice admiral, has been appointed to head the National Printing Office which prints government forms and documents including election returns and ballots.
He was one of the key figures in the 2005 "Hello Garci" controversy along with former peace adviser Hermogenes Esperon.
Esperon, a former AFP chief, has been tapped to replace Cerge Remonde as director of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS). Remonde will be press secretary effective Feb. 1.
The PMS is tasked with managing the development and formulation of projects and policies of the Office of the President.
Avelino Razon, a former PNP chief and mistah of Esperon in PMA Class 1974, is new peace adviser.
Jovito Palparan, a former major general in the Army, is being groomed for a position at the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency or Dangerous Drugs Board.
Palparan has been blamed by militants for the extra-judicial killings and disappearances of political activists reported since 2001.
Roxas expressed deep suspicions on the move of Arroyo to appoint Danga.
"Sa pag-appoint ni GMA kay Danga sa NPO ay lalo lang tumindi ang suspetsa natin na walang balak si GMA na gawing malinis ang susunod na halalan," Roxas said.
Roxas said Danga’s appointment to NPO could be Plan B if President Arroyo and her allies in Congress fail to ram through Charter change through a Constituent Assembly.
"Hindi pa nga nasasagot ni Admiral Danga ang mga tanong sa kanyang naging papel sa kaso ng Hello Garci ay eto at siya pa ang ilalagay sa ahensyang gagawa ng mga balota para sa eleksyon. Talagang garapalan na ang ginagawa ng Malacanang," he said.
"What assurance do we have that this is not a plot to manipulate the printing of ballots for the 2010 elections for the benefit of the administration? None, given this administration’s black record of cheating, stealing and lying," Roxas said.
Pimentel said instead of resurrecting Palparan’s career, President Arroyo should pursue his criminal prosecution.
"We cannot tolerate a situation where suspects in drug-related offenses will just disappear or be found floating in the Pasig River," Pimentel said.
"I believe that it would be better for the Arroyo government to drop its plan to name Palparan as a chief enforcer of our drug laws. It is like putting a hammer and knocking it against one’s head," he said.
Pimentel questioned the qualifications of Esperon for the PMS post.
He noted that during Esperon’s stint as peace adviser, peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front suffered a setback when the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain was voided by the Supreme Court for being unconstitutional.
LESSER PERSONS
Remonde defended the appointment and nominees of retired military and police officials in the Cabinet.
"It is unfair to discriminate against former military generals, I mean are they lesser persons? Are they lesser qualified because they are former generals?"
Retired military officials in government are Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita; Arturo Carillo, military affairs adviser; Honesto Isleta, presidential assistant on strategic information; Glenn Rabonza, Office of the Civil defense executive director and national disaster coordinating council administrator; Angel Atutubo, Manila International Airport Authority assistant general manager; Thelmo Cunanan, chairman of the Social Security System; and Proceso Maligalig, head of Bataan Shipyard.
Retired police generals are Razon; Arturo Lomibao, incoming LTFRB chief; Edgar Aglipay, chair of the Philippine Retirement Agency; Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., public works secretary; Leandro Mendoza, transportation and communications secretary; and Roberto Lastimoso, director of Metro Rail Transit Corp.
Former AFP chiefs of staff in government are Angelo Reyes, secretary of energy; Narciso Abaya, chair of Bases Conversion Development Authority; Dionisio Santiago, PDEA director;
Roy Cimatu, special envoy to Middle East; Efren Abu, ambassador to Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines-East Asia growth Area (BIMP-EAGA); and Generoso Senga, ambassador to Iran.
Other uniformed officials who have been appointed are Orlando Macaspac, presidential adviser for police affairs; Florencio Fianza, former chairman of the Philippine Racing Commission; Vidal Querol, ambassador to Indonesia; and Ernesto de Leon, ambassador to Australia.
Remonde dismissed observations that the appointment of some uniformed officials is in anticipation of a declaration of martial law, or even a possible term extension for Arroyo, saying it is an "over reaction" and a "very convenient boogeyman" being raised by critics. – With Jocelyn Montemayor MALAYA

The Trillanes Blitzkrieg: Makati Pen Standoff

Sen. Trillanes, Army General Lim, et al have made their point during the six-hour stand-out at Manila Pen. The inept corrupt Arroyo regime must be dismantled and the longer bogus President Gloria Arroyo clings to power the more sufferings to the country and its citizens. Brigadier General Danilo Lim is just doing his constitutional mandate-the protector of the Filipino people and the State.


Trillanes, Lim, Guingona
taken after Pen standoff
PNP uses tear gas, armored vehicle


BY ASHZEL HACHERO AND ELLEN TORDESILLAS

SEN. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim were arrested yesterday at the Manila Peninsula hotel in Makati City after a six-hour standoff following a hearing at the Makati regional trial court.

They were arrested on the basis of a warrant citing them and their followers for contempt for walking out of the hearing.

Trillanes, a former navy lieutenant who is detained at the Marines headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, was at the Makati court for a coup d’état case filed against him and 30 other officers for leading the Oakwood mutiny in July 2003.

Lim, former commander of the Army’s Scout Rangers and alleged leader of a supposed power grab attempt last year, was called to the hearing to testify on a "gentleman’s agreement" reached between government and the mutiny leaders in July 2003. Lim has been in detention at Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal since last year.

As they took positions inside the hotel, Trillanes said: "We have had enough. We are calling on the people to join us here in Makati. We are not going to tolerate this kind of torment."

After about six hours of being holed out at the hotel, Trillanes announced they were surrendering.

"We are going out for the safety of everybody. We won’t be able to live with our consciences if some of you get hit or get killed in the crossfire," Trillanes said.

The announcement came after elite police forces battered down the hotel door with an armored vehicle and fired tear gas into the lobby.

"We have been witness and victims of the kind of ruthlessness this administration is giving to the people. Like soldiers we are going to face this," Trillanes told reporters.

Trillanes faced the media together with Lim, Bishop Julio Labayen, former Vice President Teofisto Guingona, Fr. Robert Reyes, and other personalities and supporters also holed out at the hotel.

The group of Trillanes and Lim were later taken by a bus of the National Capital Police Regional Office and brought to the NCRPO headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan. Malaya
Related Links
Army Brig. General Danilo Lim Statement
Begging for a new EDSA
ABS-CBN Probe Team: Manila Pen Standoff

Tipo-Tipo Debacle: Mortars were duds, warnings ignored

Muslim insurgents beheaded 10 Philippine Marines


Senator Antonio Trillanes IV wants a deeper probe on Philippine Marines’ debacle in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan Island. Some 81 mm mortars were duds (palso-boguk-palpak). Favored suppliers may have delivered fake, old stock, low quality and sub-standard ammunition. In 2003 Oakwood incident, Magdalo soldiers complained about anomalous AFP procurement dealings. Corruption in the AFP is deeply embedded. The lost of lives in Tipo-Tipo debacle could be prevented. Low quality ammunitions and other military hardware can be partly blamed for the debacle. It’s not right to send troops in the battlefield with unreliable guns and ammunitions. Heads must roll (chopped) for the Tipo-Tipo fiasco.

According to Luwaran website, MILF forces captured six M-60 machineguns, eight M-203 grenade launchers, ten M-16 rifles, one 60 mm mortar, several night vision goggles and destroyed two 6×6 military vehicles.
How about failure of intelligence?

AFP explains malfunctioning arms
Corruption troubles Philippine Military
Eyewitness account: Seven hours of hell in Tipo-Tipo, Basilan

Military spy unit ISAFP behind Jonas Burgos abduction

‘Military behind Burgos abduction’ -- intelligence agent

By Thea Alberto
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 10:32pm (Mla time) 07/05/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- A unit of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) was behind the abduction and continued disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos, a military intelligence agent familiar with the operation has disclosed to INQUIRER.net.

The source, who spoke on condition he not be named for his own safety, indicated that the operation to abduct Burgos appeared to have been in the works as early as October last year.

“October pa lang nababanggit na ‘yung ‘Burgos.’ Basta ang pinag-uusapan, ang sinasabi nila nakakahon na, [As early as October they [member of the unit] were already mentioning Burgos. All I can say is they were saying they had him cornered,” the source said.

However, the agent said the unit, one of the military intelligence groups (MIG) belonging to the ISAFP, appeared to have difficulty getting Burgos, a son of the late press freedom icon Jose “Joe” Burgos Jr.

“Mukhang nahirapan silang hulihin dahil ilang buwan pa ang dumaan bago nila nakuha [They apparently had a hard time capturing him because it took several months before they finally got him,” said the source.

Burgos, an agriculturist who worked as a consultant for the leftist Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP or Peasant Movement of the Philippines), was forcibly taken from a restaurant at the Ever Gotesco mall in Quezon City on April 28.

Suspicion immediately fell on the military after the license plate on the vehicle used by the abductors was traced to an impounded vehicle kept at the Bulacan headquarters of the Army’s 56th Infantry Battalion.

The refusal of Armed Forces chief of staff General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. to release the report on how the license plate disappeared from the camp to the Burgos family prompted Jonas’ mother, Edita, last week to openly accuse the military of abducting her son.

Lately, Army chief Lieutenant General Romeo Tolentino has hinted that a rival faction of the mainstream communist rebel movement may have been responsible for Burgos’ abduction.

Another source, also an officer in the security forces who also requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the matter, backed the claims of the military intelligence agent, saying all the evidence gathered in the Burgos case so far points to the military.

“In all likelihood, the involvement of the Armed Forces is relatively high,” the second source said.

He cited the artist’s sketches of two suspects in Burgos’ abduction based on descriptions provided by employees of the restaurant from where he was snatched.

The second source said he could positively identify the man and woman portrayed in the sketches as ISAFP agents.

He also confirmed that the vehicles used in the Burgos abduction -- a Revo and a Vios, both Toyota models -- were both known to be used by the MIG.

“Nung nakita ko nga yung artist sketch sa pulis, nakilala ko na talaga na sila ‘yun. Kahit pati yung sasakayan na ginamit nila alam kong yun ang ginagamit nila kapag may operasyon [When I saw the artist’s sketches with the police, I became certain it was them [ISAFP]. Even the vehicles they used I know for a fact are the same they use when they have operations],” said the source.

However, he said noting the license plates of the vehicles would not be of much use since military intelligence “are privileged” to change plate numbers for their operations.

Police describe the male suspect as around 30 to 35, 5’7” in height, dark and of medium build. The woman was described as between 22 to 27, fair-skinned and around 5’3” tall.

The military intelligence agent also confirmed the identities of the suspects, but would only give their code names, “Bajam,” and “Donna.”

He said the commander of the MIG the two belonged two is known as “Master” or “Tango Lima,” personally led the operation to snatch Burgos.

Why Jonas?

The military intelligence agent said Burgos was a likely target of the unit that snatched him because he was believed to be a member of an “education committee” of the Communist Party of the Philippines and was involved in recruiting members for the rebel movement.

The Burgos family has denied that Jonas was connected to the communist underground.

The second source, however, said that a soldier who had been arrested earlier this year for leaking information to the Left had identified Burgos as one of his contacts. This soldier, said the source, is undergoing court martial.

Dead or alive?

The military intelligence agent admitted that he had no personal knowledge of Burgos’ fate.

However, he said, based on his own operational experience, he is certain the activist has been killed.

“I am 110 percent sure he is dead,” the agent said. “In operations, a week is already too long [to keep someone alive]…he’s been missing for two months now.”

INQUIRER.net is trying to reach the Burgos family for comments but they cannot be reached as of posting time.


Editha Burgos says sketches point to military agents

Trillanes: In protection of personal dignity and honor

Thursday, 08 28, 2003
Daily Tribune

In protection of personal dignity and honor

Dear Editor:

This is to address the issues raised in the media against us during the last two weeks as part of the government's intensified "demolition job" against my person, which did not even spare my family. This is very unfortunate. They are apparently doing this in the hope that if my rep~t@tion is tarnished, the message we want to convey will also be stained as well. They have failed miserably. They are able, however, to temporarily distract the people from absorbing the true causes we have espoused when we went to Oakwood last July 27. To protect my personal dignity and the honor of my family and my loved ones, I am forced to defend myself through this letter.

The government, using the entire machinery and resources of the state, came up with the following accusations: (1) That I own eight luxurious vehicles; (2) That I had a P1-million investment at Glasgow; (3) That I am an incorporator of FYI Research and Consulting Group Inc.; and (4) That ammunition and explosives were supposedly found in my "house" in Talipapa Village in Novaliches, Quezon City.

According to government reports, I own a 2001 model Mitsubishi Pajero with license plate RIZ-222, a 1996 Nissan Terrano, a 1995 Kawasaki motorbike and five second-hand Japan-surplus Delicas. In truth, however, I only own the second-hand 1996 Nissan Terrano and it is not a luxury vehicle as compared to the Expeditions, Land Cruisers, Lexuses and Jaguars that many government and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) officials own. I have never ever owned a Pajero or Kawasaki motorbike. In fact, I have never driven and I do not know how to ride a motorbike, not even once in my life. My license restriction can easily prove this fact.

As for the Pajero with license plate RIZ-222, the true owner thereof, a certain Darlito Roca, operations officer of Lydia's Lechon, has surfaced to claim and acknowledge his ownership thereof. This only goes to prove that this government will go to the extent of fabricating and manufacturing even crude evidence just to smear my name.

With regard to the five Delicas, the actual and beneficial owner thereof is my mother, a businesswoman who bought the same from the proceeds of a P2-million loan she obtained from a bank sometime in October 2000. Delicas are not luxury vehicles. In fact, they can be bought in lots for as low as P100,000 to P150,000 each. The intention was to operate a van rental service using these vehicles. These old vehicles, however, proved too costly to maintain. Hence, my mother opted to sell and dispose some of them.

The very idea that I would buy five vehicles of the same model and make for my personal use is quite absurd and illogical. The government obviously has very little respect for the intelligence of our people to concoct such a flimsy and dubious story. Again, these are not luxury vehicles and most definitely they are not mine! My mother's van rental business still operates to this day. It is duly registered with the Department of Trade and Industry under her name and is properly stamped and licensed by the Caloocan City Hall.

Regarding my alleged P1-million investment in Glasgow: It is true that my name is included among the list of the thousands victimized by Glasgow's sudden closure. The money, however, does not belong to me but to my mother. The said funds came from the same P2-million bank loan obtained in October 2000; she invested the same with Glasgow so the interest could cover the amortization and/or maintenance of the Delicas. Contrary to the information released by National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), my mother never had the chance to cash in on the investment since it closed down before the post-dated checks they issued matured. These uncashed checks are still with us.

The government makes an issue out of the fact that my name appears as an incorporator of FYI Research and Consulting Group Inc., with a very minimal investment of P12,500.00.

The truth is that the company was formed by my best friend, Rolando Averilla, an instructor at the Asian Institute of Management. He invited me to join the company as a consultant and asked me to design the research format/template of the company. I readily accepted because I was then on schooling or study leave from my job at the AFP. I also took it as an opportunity to learn and further my knowledge in the said field and as part of my academic training while on school. I was also then contemplating on the possibility of shifting to another profession.

Is this a crime? No! As I have indicated above, even though I was still in the active service with the AFP, there is no conflict of interest between my job at the AFP, where I was on schooling or on study leave and my being a part-time consultant at FYI. The fact is, I was even twice recognized as a university scholar (or president's lister) and once as a college scholar (or dean's lister) while studying in University of the Philippines, showing that I was never remiss in my duties as an officer in the AFP on schooling/study leave.

Lastly and most recently, the government through the Philippine National Police (PNP) purportedly discovered a cache of ammunition and explosives together with parts of light anti-tank weapons and two "Magdalo" armbands in a "house" which I allegedly own. This claim is most pathetic.

I do not own and I have never owned a house or even a lot anywhere in Quezon City. As mentioned, I live with my family in the government-provided quarters of my wife at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in Baguio City.

Moreover, the claim that two brand new looking Magdalo armbands were found together with the cache (which were purportedly hidden in a dump or ditch) like calling cards conveniently left behind to ensure that the ownership of the items can be so easily established is too incredible and too stup~d to elicit belief. Is the government so d^mb to believe that the people would fall for such a tall tale?

Finally, I have received information that the government has been desperately trying to convince NGOs like E-JUST and VACC to take on the case of a certain Anastasia Santarin to portray me to the public that I am a heartless "land-grabber" in order to try to give credence to its arms cache claim and further demonize me before the public. This is very characteristic and very typical of this administration which has shown no qualms in resorting to fabricated evidence to pin down and discredit its adversaries. Suffice it to say that I do not own and I have never claimed ownership over the subject property.

In closing, I would like to say I honestly believe that I have served our country well. I am also certain that most definitely, I have never been corrupt in my entire AFP career. I can look my accusers straight in the eye and say I have never stolen a single centavo from the government.

Moreover, I would like to state for the record that nobody paid us to go to Oakwood. We are not mercenaries. Our lives have no price tags.

As for my lifestyle in general, I would like to point out some very important points the demolition specialists and spin doctors of this administration obviously ignored and/or conveniently overlooked:

First, I do not even have my own house! My family (i.e., my wife and two children) is staying at my wife's government-provided officers' quarters located inside the PMA Compound. She pays the rent through her quarter's allowance at P1,000 a month (as including water and electricity). My two children are enrolled at a simple pre-school also located inside the PMA with a tuition of P400.00 each child per month. Together, my wife and I earn around P50,000 a month and this is more than enough for us.

Second, I have a very simple, almost boring lifestyle: I do not play golf nor do I have expensive hobbies. I do not smoke and neither do I drink liquor. My time with my wife and my kids are often spent playing in parks or public promenades, watching movies or dining out in fastfood chains. This is my lifestyle and simple as it is, I am proud of it!

God has been very good to me by blessing me with a happy family and promising career and I am ever thankful for it. Then again, he also opened my eyes to the corrupt system that is pulling our country down and our people to poverty. What must I do? I could have chosen the easy path of developing apathy toward reform. I could have simply given in and join the system, enjoying the fruits of corruption. Or I could have chosen the easier path of just resigning from the service and leave the problems to be solved by the next generation.

I did none of these. Instead, I chose the most difficult path of standing up for what I believed was right, moral and just. In the process, I also risked losing everything I had: my family, my career — even my very own life and those of my friends and our men!

We are not messiahs and we never pretended to be messiahs. We are only messengers and we can only hope the people have heard our message — that the Arroyo administration has betrayed the people's trust and the corruption in the AFP continues unabated and is principally responsible for the never-ending wars in our country!

Now, we are languishing in jail awaiting our court trial for cases where we can be sentenced to death. This is not enough, however, for this vindictive administration. It has to unleash its attack dogs in the Cabinet, in the Senate and Congress as well as in the media on us to trample upon something that we have so closely guarded and protected ever since we graduated from PMA — our HONOR.

They jeered and vilified us and now they threaten to drag us and our families, friends and loved ones down with us for reasons only they will ever know. May God have mercy on them!

Lt. S/G Antonio Trillanes IV
Philippine Navy

AFP Officers Decry Prostitution Of Military

When is the right time to move General? The longer bogus President Gloria Arroyo stays in power it adds more sufferings of the Filipino people. She is a total failure after more than five years of mismanagement. The corruption issues in the military and the bureaucracy are still rampant. The public resistance and anger against fraudulent Arroyo- De Venecia’s Constituent Assembly is a residual effect of massive cheating in the 2004 presidential election. This is the reason why the Arroyo regime is pushing hard a charter change to remain in power beyond 2010 and escape impeachment and possible conviction in the Senate. The Hello Garci electoral fraud and its subsequent cover-ups still unanswered. The resignation of illegitimate Pres. Gloria Arroyo and Vice-Pres. Noli De Castro will pave way for snap election. The Filipino people deserve a better government and new leadership.



AFP officers decry prostitution of military

Daily Tribune 12/16/2006

Military officers and their men are increasingly getting too restive as they want an end to the prostitution of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), an institution they said is their “First wife,” as even their own wives and children come second, in their line of work.

This was disclosed yesterday to the Tribune by two high-ranking military officers, a general in the active service and a colonel, both of whom asked for anonymity, saying they would get themselves and their men into trouble if their identities were disclosed.

In an interview with the Tribune yesterday, the higher-ranking military officer said “the soldiers in the AFP are now very aware of the ‘anger’ of the people against the Arroyo administration,” adding that given the “right spark,” they may all turn against the Arroyo regime to cause its collapse.

“Like the Filipino people who have reached the end of their rope, the soldiers also are nearing the end of their rope,” he said, pointing out that “they (officers) feel that there can be no hope for the changes the men in the AFP want done, but not under the present government” since they have seen just how President Arroyo, their Commander-in-Chief, has so “debased” the military institution by “making the military top leaders cheat for her” during the 2004 elections.

His officer, who was with him, confirmed this, saying the AFP officers and men whose “conscience has been bothering them” have gone into analyzing the reasons behind the outrage of the Filipino people today and

said they have concluded that it is not Charter change (Cha-cha) that has angered them, but the many times the Arroyo regime has tried to cover up for the alleged crimes of the President.

“They now know that she must go, because she will have to continue covering up all those crimes, and will commit more crimes in doing so,” the officer disclosed, adding “that this all stems from her having cheated her way to win the elections.

“When military officers, troubled by their conscience, wanted to speak up on the cheating before the Senate, she quickly came up with her EO 464 to gag the Senate and punish the soldiers who wanted to bring out the truth, but everybody in the military knows the truth of her bogus presidency. They even know the identities of the officers who were actively cheating for her; who distributed money to several politicians and election officers and who gave the orders to cheat for her,” he said, stressing that the order was done in a “chain of command” style.

He also said that public funds, such as the fertilizer funds went to politicians and the election officers to make sure that she wins the presidency. “When this was discovered, she again quickly covered it up by stonewalling the Senate investigations and doing nothing to get (former Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn) Joc-Joc Bolante to talk. She was protecting him to protect herself,” the source stressed.

“And look who she is punishing! Those who were doing the right thing. Those who love the AFP as their First Wife. Those who try to right a wrong, while those who obeyed illegal orders; those who cheated for her; those who cover up for her, are rewarded,” the sources said.

They added that the soldiers have been confused for a long time, but that they are now, like the Filipino people, waking up to the truth of the problems stemming from her bogus presidency.

“She (Mrs. Arroyo) is like a cancer. It is not the Constitution that must be excised. The cancer (that is Mrs. Arroyo) must be excised, if we are to be healed as a military force and as a people. “She (Mrs. Arroyo) must go.

The general also noted that Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim analyzed the problem well when he zeroed in on Mrs. Arroyo as a bogus president. “It is difficult for the soldiers to keep on obeying orders that are patently illegal, and worse, coming from an illegitimate president,” he pointed out, saying all the problems with the nation and the military began when Mrs. Arroyo grabbed power unconstitutionally.

Because the military installed her to power and cheated for her in the polls, he said the President constantly keeps on bribing them with positions even when they do not deserve them.

(Former President Ferdinand) Marcos may have been hated by the Filipino people, but he never asked the military to cheat for him. This commander in chief (Mrs. Arroyo) did,” he said.

It was the top ranking military leaders, he said, who were distributing the money to their officers in the field who then also distributed the funds to the politicians, Commission on Elections (Comelec) operators and officers, with the orders for them to alter and pad Mrs. Arroyo’s votes to ensure her victory.

“The soldiers who were used by this administration to cheat for her (Mrs. Arroyo) could no longer stomach the way they were being ordered to commit illegal acts and to go against the Constitution and started their ‘soul-searching’ on this issue,” the military source noted, saying that when the tapped conversations between the President and then Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano surfaced and an investigation was called, “many volunteered to testify and tell the truth to (then AFP Inspector-General Mateo Mayuga), but none of them were ever interviewed.”

He also rued the conduct of Mayuga, who had recently retired as Navy chief. “He (Mayuga) even told his people that he ‘will never disclose what the real story of the military officers’ involvement is, as he vowed to bring the Mayuga report to his grave.’ Sayang (a pity). What a waste of one could have become a good officer,” he said.

The source also said the officers and men who still love the institution, are also “watching and waiting” while they continue to witness for themselves the way the officers are being debased by the military leadership.

He cited the example of Capt. Langkit, who is in solitary confinement and only because, he said, AFP chief of staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr., through his men, has been trying to coerce him into turning state witness and lie about his comrades actions, especially on the Marines stand-off in Fort Bonifacio.

“He (Langkit) was brought to Tanay blindfolded and handcuffed and kept in solitary confinement. We saw how thin he had become and how (physically) weak he was, but when he emerged for the hearing, he said, like a true soldier: “I may be physically weak but my spirit is still fighting for what is right.’ This kept our spirits up. We still have, as the movie title goes, ‘A Few Good Men,” the military said.

“Why they think they (Mrs. Arroyo and her her military generals) can cover up their crimes by rewarding those who cheated for her, and have been covering up for her all this time is laughable. The soldiers are not robots kept unaware of the goings-on. We read the newspapers. We listen to radio and watch TV. We all know what is going on and see what is happening to out beloved country, and our beloved AFP. We know what the problems are, and it is not whether we should Cha-cha or not. Cha-cha, whether this is shelved or whether this pushes through, will not solve the big problems facing all the Filipinos.

“At the right time, our First Wife will move, and do what needs to be done,” the general said. NCO
Footnotes To A Mutiny
THE TRILLANES PAPERS

North Korean Kim Jong Il’s Nuclear Blackmail

Headline: The puny rodent Gloria Arroyo ROARS! Who cares?
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea has defied the will of the international community on nuclear weapons test. North Korean leader Kim Jong II is using nuclear weapons test as bargaining chip for economic aid from Western nations. Expanded international sanction is useless because China’s political, military and economic support to North Korea. U.S. trade embargo to Cuba directly harmed the poor Cubans than millionaire Fidel Castro. Diplomacy may work to ease the crisis. Japan and South Korea are most at risk from the North Korean nuclear threat. Both countries have the weapons technology, military and strong economy to counter act Kim Jong II’s nuclear blackmail. Mrs. Gloria Arroyo is exploiting the North Korean crisis to please her American master George W. Bush. Nobody in the world community will listen to discredited Arroyo regime. Gloria Arroyo thinks she can fool the GOP-controlled U.S. Congress for more economic and military aid.

Mrs. Gloria Arroyo and her propaganda boys are fooling the Filipinos on Nokor’s nuclear threat attack on the Philippine soil. She has exploited the nuke test issue to divert public attention on her poor governance and discredited Malacanang-sponsored People’s Initiative Singaw ng Bayan charter change. There’s no valid reason for North Korea to “nuke” the Philippines even though the Taepodong-2 long range missiles can hit its target at a given point. Mrs. Arroyo should focus on local problems that wrecked our nation apart such as poverty, the aftereffects of Typhoon Milenyo and imminent power crisis. What’s the latest update on Guimaras oil spill disaster, Joc-Joc Bolante fertilizer scam, peace talks with the rebel groups-NDF and MILF, bankrupt AFP Retirement and Separation Benefits System (RSBS) scam, OWWA trust fund scam and Comelec-Mega Pacific P1.3 B misdeal. The wrath of the Filipino people (ANGER) is enough to NUKE puny rodent Gloria and Jose Pidal crime family to ground zero.

Statement of the President Gloria Arroyo on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Conduct of Nuclear Test

The Philippines is committed to the sustained pursuit of peace within the region and throughout the world.

We condemn in the strongest terms North Korea’s nuclear device testing today.
DPRK’s act clearly poses a threat to the political, security and economic stability in Northeast Asia.

DPRK has a shared stake with the community of nations in the continued peace in the region.
DPRK’s act runs contrary to the UNSC Resolution 1965, the principles of the ASEAN Regional Forum – of which DPRK is a member – and the September 19, 2005 Joint Statement on the Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

We urge DPRK to immediately return to the Six-Party Talks with a view to finding a formula or framework for the discontinuation of DPRK’s nuclear arms program.
The Philippines appeals to DPRK to desist from further tests and to adhere to the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

We likewise call on the regional and global stakeholders to exert all efforts, using constructive dialogue and diplomacy, to bring a peaceful resolution to this issue of utmost concern for the international community.

Kudeta In Thailand

Thailand’s army commander ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in a coup. The new military ruler Army commander Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratkalin, winning crucial royal backing for his bloodless coup. The Thai coup plotters accused Prime Minister Thaksin of corruption and constant interference with the legislature and the courts. There’s a similarity in the Philippines under corrupt Gloria Arroyo regime. Mrs. Arroyo and Jose Pidal have prostituted the military-police, the lower congress, regional trial courts and anti-graft court Ombudsman. Arroyo cronies and Cabinet men are living beyond their means. They are untouchables and well-protected like Joc-Joc Bolante.

The 1986 EDSA Uprising and EDSA Dos can be considered as a successful coup d’état in the Philippines. Under the corrupt Gloria Arroyo regime, the crooks in the military and police force are well-fed. A well-fed pet dog never bites their master unless beaten or abused. I believe that majority of the Filipino people will support extra-constitutional means to end corrupt Arroyo regime. Who will lead the revolt? Junior and middle level officers are disgruntled with graft and corruption within the military. These idealist officers may lead the ouster of illegitimate President Gloria Arroyo. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin’s alleged corruption is nothing compared to Arroyo’s kleptocracy and abuse of power.

The Philippines does not need a king like Thailand. American Emperor George W. Bush can decide the future of bogus President Gloria Arroyo and a known U.S. puppet. The U.S. cannot “drop” Gloria as long she cooperates in Bush’s pre-emptive war against Islamic radicals in the Philippines. The U.S. Special Forces and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) are engage in combat operations in the Mindanao and Sulu Islands in attempt to flush-out Al Qaeda allies- Abu Sayaff and JI partisans. Despite needing to circumvent a constitutional ban on foreign combat troops in Philippines, Mrs. Arroyo has given U.S. forces combat operations under U.S. Forces Visiting Agreement. A Bush administration strategy calls for the preemptive use of military and covert force before an enemy unleashes weapons of mass destruction, and underscores the United States’s willingness to retaliate with nuclear weapons for chemical or biological attacks on U.S. soil or against American troops overseas. The Sulu archipelago becomes the U.S. battleground in the War on Terror. The great pretender Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is Bush’s “unreliable ally” in the War on Terror. The U.S. State Department and the CIA knows the real score of Gloria Arroyo.
Why Emperor Bush is tolerating the human right abuses of the Arroyo regime? Why the U.S. provided new military aid when the military is number one human right violators? Uncle Sam it’s about time to kick-out your unreliable ally!


In pictures: Thailand coup