The Mastermind behind Ninoy's death

Sgt. Lat, one of the convicted killers of Senator Benigno Aquino dared Kris Aquino to initiate a re-investigation unto the Aquino-Galman murder case. Lat is one of the ten remaining convicts pardoned and released by Mrs. Arroyo.

The act, which Press secretary Cerge Remonde called a "ministerial" or "procedural" thing, has now assumed political color.

Many believed Arroyo did the act out of vengeance against Cory Aquino who called for the former's resignation at the height of the Hello Garci controversy four years ago.

Lat and another one, Sgt. Claro pinpointed the alleged mastermind behind Aquino's assassination--Danding Cojuangco. They say Cojuangco masterminded the assassination.

Kris Aquino countered saying that their family do not believe this. Danding, Kris says, has nothing to gain from killing Ninoy.

So, who masterminded the death of Ninoy?

The widely held perception is Macoy ordered the trigger pulling, aided by Meldy and their pinsan, former AFP Chief of Staff Fabian Ver. For many people, this is logical, given that the triumvirate was the ruling clique at that time.

Yet, what has escaped the people's attention at that time was the possibility that Aquino could have been ordered killed by one of the Rolex generals. Or, possibly, maybe even all of the Rolex generals conspired to have Ninoy killed.

Remember that at that time, there was a power struggle between the generals and Imelda Marcos. Marcos was sick and the generals were worried. The regime was founded on a personality cult established by Marcos and his death, these generals lamented, could trigger a social upheaval that may lead to the downfall of the dictatorship.

They needed a diversion, something that Marcos would train his sight on while some, if not all of the generals focus on the systematic debilitation of the dictatorship.

This explains why the Reform the Armed Forces of the Philippines (RAM) came into public view the very same year Ninoy Aquino was killed. It was not just a reaction to the death of Ninoy. It was a deliberate act, a Master stroke if you will, created as a counter-force against the regime's own forces.

And the goal?

Provide a viable succession scenario in the event of Marcos death. The scenario included a part where the generals would succeed Marcos instead of Imelda or Ver, whom many of the Rolex Generals found despicable, to say the least, not worthy of their trust and confidence since he came from the ROTC, instead of the PMA.

What has not been revealed even at this time was the real reason behind Ninoy's return. A possible explanation was a convincing secret communique given to him by one of the Generals who assured him that they were on the verge of ousting Marcos. The communique was given to Ninoy in Boston.

That explains why Ninoy's flight was marked since his departure from the US to his arrival at the MIA. He was lured into the death trap by the very same generals who, after three years, managed to wrest state control away from Marcos via a revolt.

That coup or "revolt", as what some historians now classify it, could have been different. It was not a sudden defection. No. It was a deliberate act meant to force a succession.

It just became different when throngs of people gathered at one place and created history. As what we now know, EDSA Uno was a masterstroke of the People's Genius.

The Generals would have succeeded in creating a Thai-like or a Burmese dictatorial government and they could have very well succeeded in ruling us for decades, had it been snatched away from them by the People in what has now been known as the EDSA Revolution.

The question is this---who among the Rolex Generals ordered the assassination? Is he still alive?

Yes, he is.

Arrogance as Official Policy

Mrs. Arroyo say that she's not affected nor perturbed even one bit on the results of the latest Ibon and Pulse Asia surveys that showed more than half of Filipinos want her ousted and do not approve of how she's running the government. Palace deputy spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said she'll continue running the government inspite of this.

In the same day, Ombusman Merceditas Gutierrez came out with her chuwawahs at the Office of the Ombusman and lambasted those who filed an impeachment case against her. Arrogant like her boss, Gutierrez said that she'll not resign her post and instead, would file criminal charges against her detractors. Talk about arrogance in power. This is the most blatant display of pure, unaldurated kapalmuks!

Now comes First Gentleman to the rescue. FG came out of his "sickness" and lambasted the Liberal Party for trying to pin down his protegee. Mike Arroyo told LP stalwarts to lay off.

I thought that the First Gentleman is sick. His doctors say he can't survive pressures and stresses. Then, why is he on the warpath like Gutierrez?

Probably, the First Gentleman is worried because Gutierrez serves as their legal firewall post-2010. With Gutierrez out, enemies of Arroyo would surely file cases left and right, frustrating their retirement.

That's the problem with these people. They think they own this country. They think that they're invulnerable.

The Arroyos are now facing a serious threat to their very lives as 2010 nears. At this point, their options are slowly being limited by threats coming from all directions. And what's the goal?

The goal is to weaken the administration come 2010. Enemies of the Conjugal dictatorship are trying to puncture the psychological armor of the Arroyos and weaken their power and influence.

Eventually, this tug of war will result to a veritable stalemate that would lead to a reposition of forces and eventually weaken the Arroyos' hold of traditional political power bases.

Who wants to curse now?

The national headlines today says that the World Bank is willing to provide more information and assistance to the Office of the Ombusman, an obvious dig at previous statements coming from some members of the Philippine Senate castigating the world body for not providing more info on the inquiry. It seems that this issue is still on the "development stage", since we expect more and more personalities to come out and expose this international shame. Senator Ping Lacson says he has at least fifty people who'll testify before the Senate on the anomalous deals entered by EC de Luna, etal with the First Gentleman, err, Golfer, the infamous FG. It's a shame to hear protestations and shouts of " I did'nt do it" when the 58 page report shows just how deep and how extensive this bribery scandal is. Why dig for evidence when the report, by itself, is proof positive that collusion did occur between FG and those construction firms.

The Senate should allow the World Bank to provide more information. However, it is important also to stress that the WB should go out of the woodwork and shed some light into this. Yes, this could be a precedent in international relations, but, this could also lead not just for the benefit of the Philippines; rather, this could pave the way for a review and enhancement of the WB policies on loan grant.

I remember an incident involving the son of former UN Chief Kofi Anan. The son was tagged as one of those who benefitted from a road project funded by the World Bank. Anan got brickbats for that and his son was, I think, castigated and reprimanded for dipping his hands on a dirty one. There is that possibility that World Bank road projects are also tainted with graft. For me, this Senate inquiry is an opportunity for the World Bank to scrutinize their processes and improve on it.

There are talks that the First Golfer Gang is doing fund-raising in "overtime mode". It's expected, says some businessmen who got the news from members of the FG Gang themselves. What is so shameful about this is the fact that some of us are willing to just "let them be". We're talking about billions of pesos here being robbed from us! And we just shrug our shoulders and say, " let them be. They stole from us these past nine years. And elections are just a few months away. What's in it for us if we throw them out now when they're now in the twilight of their rule? Let's just wait for judgment time."

It is this lameduck attitude that puts us in this shameful and lamentable position. It is as if we ran out of options already. It is as if we already gave up the ghost in this one. Why?

So, are we that willing to give these criminal geniuses billions of pesos because we are so helpless fighting them? Are we Filipinos that stupid? Or, are brains are so deadened already, swamped with all these scams, scandals and immorality plays that nothing would ever shock us?

When Senator Mar Roxas uttered those putangina words on live television, many protested. They thought that the good senator, a decent one at that, has already lost it. I think that one was just wrong timing. He cursed because of these shameful things this government is doing.

Now, will he curse again, given that this World Bank report has not just given us a blackeye--it already stamped the mark of "corruptively stupid" over the foreheads of 82 million Filipinos. Stupid because we allow ourselves to be fooled and robbed by these people who are so bold, so brazen in their corrupt acts just because they have monies and they control those who bear arms?

I condemn those who are in the highest echelons of power who turn a blind eye on this one. I curse those who turn a deaf ear on the cries of corruption when they hold the power to cure this monumental malady. Putangina ninyong lahat na nasasa kapangyarihan na walang ginagawa para tigilan na ng mga demonyong ito ang patuloy na pagpapahiya sa ating lahat sa harap ng sandaigdigan! Shame on all of you, those Filipinos who are in power, who allow these demons to do these shameful acts before the world!

I am again calling on the New Patriots of the New Generation, the YOUng who started the New Philippine Revolution. I am asking those Patriots to stand up and say to the world--Enough is Enough! We can't stand idly by while these devils pillage our life savings and rob us not just of our monies but also of our dignity as a People! While we procrastinate and sit comfortably in our chairs and just shrug our shoulders or simply close our eyes and bow our heads in shame, the darkness gets thicker and more dangerous. Curse be the darkness, we once said. Curse be Macoy who put us in utter darkness during the dictatorship. Now that we are being bastardized, raped, and fooled by these people, do we need a formal declaration of a Conjugal Dictatorship to prod us to act?

Civilian or Military rule?

Why is there a debate on who’s better to rule this country—civilians or the military? Some columnists say that the reason why some people disagree with what happened in 29 November 2007 is the apparent fear of some civil society members on the prospect of military rule. Why will we fear military rule when, for all intents and purposes, civilian rule has proven to be quite ineffective in governance? Also, this debate should not be discussed at this point because it is quite evident that we have’nt yet succeeded in weakening Arroyo.

After the November 29 siege of the Peninsula, momentum has considerably lessened. Like magic, talks about the ZTE, the palace bribery and the rising graft incidence have all but vanished. We don’t see Senators scrambling to initiate the ZTE probe. Nor do we see Cayetano or Escudero hammering Malacanan for a repeat bout. Even the presidentiables, namely Villar, Roxas and Legarda have all clammed up. Why?

The inability of these personalities to finish what they have started in the first place shows their true character. This tendency to grandstand for the sake of their political careers bolster public demands for the abolition of this “hallowed” chamber. Obviously, these senators were asked by the palace not to rock the boat, when, senators should consider the primary interest of the public to know than national security.

Going back, for the past few years, civilians have proven to be quite ineffective in governance. What’s wrong with testing military rule? Those who argue against military rule use the Marcos dictatorship as an example.

The Marcos dictatorship is not, I say, not an argument against military rule. This form of governance was not purely military. It’s a civilian-led dictatorship. Filipinos have not tried military rule. And to write against it at this point is premature.

What groups should need to ask themselves is this— how will they strengthen their ranks in the fight against Arroyo. What are the common tasks and points they need to push this fight to its logical conclusion?

Wittingly or unwittingly, these armchair revolutionaries are allowing themselves to participate in the psywar being done by the ruling clique. By using their time and resources debating on who's better, these groups should instead sit down and strategize. Arroyo is slowly regaining her bearings and it will be just a matter of time before she regains full strength. When that happens, two scenarios are sure to happen: No-elections and continued conjugal dictatorship.

Its time to act rather than talk.

The New Filipino Monarchy

I'm disturbed with the photo I saw just recently in one of the Philippines' broadsheets--a photo of the First Couple toasting with the rest of the royals of Europe.

Flashback---Macoy and Meldy sharing a good turkey with the royals of their time. Is this photo a portent of things to come? Are we seeing a revival of a conjugal dictatorship? Is this a sign that the Arroyos are now our new sovereigns?

It seems that's the case.

While millions die due to poverty, with a study showing that at least 21 million Filipinos eat just five times a week (not a day), our illegitimate usurpers wine and dine with the billionaires of the world.

While millions sweat it out abroad and millions more enslave themselves to inhumane conditions here, a handful of our legislators spend 12 million pesos on a junket just to be near the royals.

Who's to blame for all of these?

I am and the millions of my generation. We are to blame for this mess that we are in. For we allow these people to govern us. We allow these gut-less grafters to rob us, steal from us and ravage us with impunity.

We allow ourselves to be controlled. We let them trample our rights. We let them shame us, make our status low before the eyes of the world. For what? For the crumbs that they gave us.

We must be ashamed of ourselves. See story below. These children deserve to live more than we do. My generation deserved to be punished for being so stupid and so dumb weaklings. We sacrifice our freedoms because we hate armed revolution? Are we so crazy? We are slowly being killed and our response is just a meek " we want a peaceful resolution" to a monumental catastrophe like Arroyo?

There is a season for peace and definitely, a season for war. And the time to act is now.


Study: Children willingly join RP guerrilla groups

Agence France Presse

Children in the Philippines are willingly joining communist or Muslim separatist guerrilla groups to escape grinding poverty, a UNICEF commissioned study released Wednesday said.

The Ibon Foundation, which carried out the study, found fear of the military, poverty and limited social services were pushing some children to join the communist New People's Army (NPA) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

"The child respondents were all conscious of their poverty and the limited social services and options available to them," the report said.

"This volunteerism is premised on the credibility these groups have in the communities, a credibility which seems to be genuine and does not merely derive from sheer military control."

The study involved interviews with 430 people including children, women, local nongovernment organizations, officials and insurgents in conflict-affected areas.

UNICEF local representative Nicholas Alipui said unlike in some war-torn African nations, there was no forced recruitment of children into armed groups, but that "children should have no place in armed conflict at all, even if they want to join."

Armand Alamon, a consultant with the Ibon Foundation, said both the NPA and the MILF used youths below the age of 18 in non-combat roles such as couriers, spies, cooks and to run errands.

The United Nations has listed the Philippines as one of the countries which has "children associated with armed groups... as combatants or in nonmilitary roles," said Forossgh Foyouzat, the chief of the child protection section of the local UNICEF office.

"In the past, it was mainly the rebel groups that had child recruits but there were now reports of similar recruitment by pro-government militia forces," she said.

The report also said military forces were deliberately attacking civilians, including women and children, as part of their counter-insurgency campaign.

Ibon research head Jose Africa said there was "conscious targeting by the military of the civilians."

Alipui said the study was "not as balanced and completely unbiased" as he would like as it made no attempt to get the military's side.

But he said it was still an important report as it allowed the children's voices to be heard.