Bayanihan

IMagine Filipino soldiers wearing traditional barung saya, with a guitar in tow, serenading the poorest folks in Bicol. Imagine them carrying a traditional nipa hut on their shoulders while the rest of them help the poorest of the poor in their field work.


No, no, no, this is not a dream. This basically sums up the new anti-insurgency strategy of the AFP which they call "Bayanihan."


From "Bantay Laya" which is militarist in approach, the new approach is a sing and dance routine called "bayanihan" or civil-military work. Engagement is thru civil works not thru an armed encounter. Meaning, the new definition of an "encounter" really is "engagement."


What would be the effects of this new strategy? Well.


First, this will re-model or re-imagine the image of the Filipino soldier in the countryside. This strategy is more of an image-building one, than anything. 


What the AFP wants is supplant or represent the national government in insurgency infested areas. If we are to look in the map, insurgency breeds in largely poverty stricken areas, and these areas are mainly away from the centre of power. IN our system, the farther you are from the center, the lesser you reap the economic benefits of whatever growth the government gets. 


Insurgency hotspots highlight the inability of government to extend its power over these territories. The lesser government presence is in those areas, the higher the possibility of rebel control. When people feel neglected, they then turn to alternatives. The supplantation of government therefore completes itself when the entire area gives the revolutionaries the power to administer their daily affairs.


Now, it would take some years for the AFP to fully change their image, from an oppressor to a friendly. It would also take some years for the people to turn from frightened and oppressed masses to a cooperative one simply because of years' of barbarity some AFP units did in certain areas of the country.


It would, therefore, not be as easy as the State envisions this to be, simply because Filipinos have long memories especially those living in agrarian areas. 


Second, a more engaging role for the AFP means lesser fights and encounters and more negotiations than actual engagement. This would mean, lesser allocation for bullets and guns and more allocation for civil works, especially road works. This is a good strategy because even if this strategy fails to quell the decades-old rebellion in the countrysides, in the long run, this benefits the entire polity. 


However, I feel extremely optimistic if the AFP applies this strategy in Mindanao. For one, the Bangsamoros only desire is peace. If the AFP manages to dismantle their Tadtads and other para-military units in the area and replace them with civil-military teams, this would probably lessen the incidence first, of criminality and second, of insurgency. If the AFP manages to position itself as a harbinger of peace instead of death, then, the organisation may be able to solve the peace and order problem in Mindanao, quicker and faster than what other generations of AFP generals failed to accomplish. 


This happens on the ground, what about at the top? If the AFP thinks that centralised authority will be completely crippled when individual units "cooperate" with them thru "Bayanihan", that is a long shot. First, the centralised authority is completely ideological and political. It would take a long convincing for old revolutionaries to consider peace than revolutionary work. 


By the way, that image of a soldier carrying a nipa hut on their shoulders should probably raise alarm bells, if implemented in the countrysides. Why? Because people might suspect that they are being hamletted to some area away from their actual homes. Joke.


It would be nice if we see a coalition government spring from this new administration. That is the political solution to this decades-old insurgency---giving power to those whose lives have been dedicated to the advancement of the people's cause. 

Lapdogs and New Patriots in Philippine Congress

I congratulate my friend and colleague, Raymund Palatino of Ang Kabataan partylist. Raymund is now a Congressman, after being sworn in yesterday by COMELEC officials.

Raymund is a fine addition to the growing bevy of revolutionaries and reform-minded individuals now manning Congress in behalf of the Filipino People. Like Satur and all the rest of the Patriots of the New Generation, Palatino is a breath of fresh air in the rancid halls of Congress. The only reason why Hope is still being talked about by the people is simply there are Patriots like Raymund who'll risk life and limb just to advance the Cause of the Filipino People.

If we expect Raymund to do the right thing, how about former General Jovito Palparan? Palparan claims to have a constituency. He claims to represent those alleged victims of what he claims to be "Communist" terrorists. Is Palparan fit to become Congressman?

If we are to follow COMELEC's fitness test, yes, he is. But, what about the fitness test of the Filipino People?

I remember Germany in the 1930's, when a middle-aged Adolf Hitler entered the halls of Reichstag, Germany's parliament. He represented the National Socialist Party or NAZI which promoted anti-Semitism and German race supremacy.

After a few years, he became Germany's Chancellor.

Like Hitler before him, Palparan became an active part of the military's anti-insurgency campaign. He's anti-revolution, anti-reform and anti-Communist. He subscribes to the belief that force begets force and he does this in brutal fashion.

And there are similarities between Hitler and Palparan. Aside from being anti-Communist, Palparan is also anti-Chinese. He blames the Chinese for the Filipinos' woes. When he was chief of the Infantry division, he did'nt lift a finger when Chinese businessmen were abducted and killed in his jurisdiction despite pleas of help from the victims' families. He was even heard saying "buti nga sa kanila!" when one of the victims got killed.

Instead of running after armed revolutionaries, Palparan takes delicious fancy arresting and killing unarmed reform-minded individuals. He salivates every time an activist gets nabbed, raped (if female), killed and buried in shallow graves. The Melo Commission found this out. Yet instead of castigating him, this administration tolerated and even cuddled him. It's a known fact that Malacanang poured millions of pesos in Palparan's partylist group, Bantay during the elections. And the palace seems to like the idea of having Palparan as its enforcer poster boy. Or imagine Palparan as Speaker of the House? That would surely bring the country down.

Will History repeat itself and see the emergence of a New Hitler in the person of "the Butcher" General Jovito S. Palparan? Will Palparan do a Hitler and go after the Chinese and the Communists when in Congress?

The partylist concept was originally made to empower sectors in Philippine society. It's supposed to be an experiment in democracy. It's supposed to expand horizontally the people's participation in legislation.

Yet, throughout these years, this concept has been mangled and torn to pieces by rapacious and profit-hungry forces out to make a fast buck from the People's sagging resources. Look at the number of partylist groups right now. Examine and study them and you'll find that only a fraction are legitimate groups advancing the People's Cause.

This administration is to be blamed for having smeared the very noble concept of partylist groups. Using government resources, the Arroyo government supported pseudo people's organizations and pseudo cause oriented groups.

Look at the new partylist groups sworn as Congressmen yesterday. We have an Arroyo Watchdog (Bantay) who'll surely promote and legitimize the record of human rights violations of this regime. We have the sipsip group, the Kasangga, who'll surely advance bills that will seek to advance the fiduciary interests of the landlord class. Do you believe what new Cong. Arroyo of Kasangga told the media yesterday, that they'll help the balut vendors improve their lot? Are balut vendors so substantially huge a sector that they can be classified as disenfranchised? Maybe Cong. Arroyo would help balut producers, instead of the vendors? How would they even help them? By asking the MMDA to legitimize their street vending activities which, under the law, is illegal? Will they then pass legislation legitimizing street vending? Or probably, they'll pass laws that would TAX the underground economic sectors to again fatten and line the pockets of greedy government officials?

Since Kasangga is now in Congress, expect the price of balut to go up.

It's interesting that, in the next Congress, two reform-minded individuals from the ranks of the AFP will be gunning for a Congressional seats. Inspired by their idol, Senator Antonio Trillianes, former Navy Lt. James Layug and former Air Force First Lt. Francisco Acedillo will be running as Congressmen in Taguig and Cebu City.

Should they win and Bantay's infamous posterboy, the butcher General also wins, Congress would be a very interesting place to watch. A murderous lapdog going against the New Patriots---that's a classic match even better than a Pacquiao-Hatton fight.

Again, I toss my lambanog filled glass to Raymund Palatino of Ang Kabataan partylist. May God give you strength to battle it out against lapdogs and Arroyo's sipsip brigades. Make the Filipino People proud.

Destabilization conspirators

Gloria is set to announce Esperon's term extension when she goes back from Davos, Switzerland. Reports say, Gloria wants Esperon to continue his plan of crushing the Communists or what the military calls Bantay Laya.

What a ridiculous and funny thing to do. Katawa-tawa talaga itong si Gloria! (Gloria is really ridiculous)

What would Esperon do with a few months of extension? Is Esperon a superman that a few months he will crush a 40-year insurgency? Oh, c'mon! There must be something other than this.



I think it was Ramos who pressured Gloria to extend Esperon's term. As I wrote here a few days ago, Ramos endorsed Esperon's term extension for reasons unknown to many. I ask you Mr. President--why? What would Esperon do in a few months of extra time? Nothing! Probably, I think, you and your gang have a deal or a slew of deals to finish and you need Esperon's signature that's why he is to be extended.

I pity the former president. He has succumbed to the pseudo-leader's disease. Ramos should learn when to fade away for the sake of the future generation.



Look at this photo of Trillianes. He has allowed himself to be handcuffed. Why?

Being handcuffed is a principle. Look at what Col. Ariel Querubin and General Lim did. They resisted. Trillianes did nothing of this sort.

I am very, very suspicious of Trillianes now. I think he is a pseudo or a bogus rebel leader. His actions are definitely not consistent with his public image.