War Cabinet

While Senate president Juan Ponce-Enrile accuses colleague Senator Edgardo Angara of trying to "broker" talks between Senators Manny Villar and Richard Gordon at the height of the C-5 road controversy, the administration maneuvers to tighten its grip over the State.

Members of PMA Class 1978 are now positioned in very sensitive posts in the military and PNP, as what this blog tried to warn the public last year. Members of the class are poised to ascend power by March, the month when General Victor Ibrado retires. Calls for the extension of Ibrado's term fell on deaf ears. Mrs. Arroyo is determined to appoint a very close friend and "mistah", Lt. General. Delfin Bangit as the New Chief of Staff ahead of the May 10 elections.

Not that Bangit and members of PMA Class 1978 are unqualified--the timing is really suspicious, what with their honorary member in her last days in power.

Fact is, Mrs. Arroyo and her cohorts are really doing it quite well, what with the appointment of General Mendoza as Executive secretary. Mendoza, as everybody knows, is not just a loyal soldier--he is, in fact, the president's "enforcer." Mendoza proved his mettle during EDSA dos and numerous stinking deals as DOTC secretary.

What we are seeing is in fact, preparatory to the formation of a war cabinet, with Arroyo's most trustworthy mistahs controlling both the AFP and the PNP and her trustworthy enforcer serving as Little President. Nothing suspicious with a former General holding power as Executive secretary. The timing is really off.

And if you look at it more closely, other PMA classes have positioned themselves behind presidential candidates, a move which tells you something. PMA Class 1977 and other classes have been supporting Manny Villar, while others support Gibo, Erap, Gordon and some even support Noynoy. These classes are like Guardians of the political elite, ready to act in the event of widespread fraud or a discredited elections.

Though Arroyo promises to lead a smooth transition of power by June, with these formations and configurations, you'll get a sense where the Nation is really headed after the elections. And you can't really blame yourself from actually having that stinking feeling that something very dangerous will happen sooner or later.

Paranoid AFP 2nd Division must free Morong 43 Now!

They are supposed to be the protectors of the Filipino People. Yet, the way the 2nd Infantry Division of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) acted in response to the order of the Courts for them to release the Morong 43 shows a clear contempt to the rule of Law and of the Constitution which the AFP has sworn to defend and protect. As what former Defense chief Gilbert Teodoro said, the AFP's failure to produce the Morong 43 is "inexcusable."

What are they trying to prove?

The behavior exhibited by the 2nd Division is mutinous to say the least. They have been given an order by a highly competent civilian authority and further given orders from the AFP Chief of Staff himself, General Victor Ibrado to "respect the authority of the court". Why is there a failure to obey the order of the C-S himself?

Is the 2nd Division higher than the Chief of Staff? Is this division of the Army directly contravening the very authority of the Highest Officer of the organization? And is the Army saying or telling us that the C-S is just a lame duck officer, just waiting for his replacement?

The overzealousness of the 2nd division to "produce results" in the promise to "eradicate the CPP-NPA terror organization in 2010" shows you how they will even resort to violating human rights just to bolster their record in the anti-insurgency department. The AFP just gave itself a task, a task which is quite impossible to achieve, yet given after being forced by the Arroyo administration, and that promise is, the total diminution of the CPP-NPA-NDF by year's end.

That's why the officers on the ground are getting extremely paranoid, arresting even health workers in Morong Rizal. These health workers, government employees at that, were attending a seminar when they were arrested. The 2nd division said these workers were Communist sympathizers. 

Whether or not these arrested health workers do sympathize with the Communist ideology, fact is, these arresting officers do not have the right to arrest them.

Firstly, attending a supposed "CPP-NPA_NDF" seminar is NOT A CRIME. It is everybody's right to believe in something, and Communism has been de-criminalized. That is presuming that these health workers did attend such a seminar. Reports say, these workers were conducting a health-related seminar.

Secondly, even if, granting they are sympathizers, this is an inviolable human right. As I said, the 1987 Constitution respects the rights of the individual to free expression. Like how AFP members have the right to join organizations such as the Guardians, Masons and the YOU, these health workers have rights too. 

Thirdly, the AFP only has the right to arrest these workers if they saw them brandishing weapons and declaring or publicly announcing rebellion against the State. Facts are, these health workers did not do anything rebellious nor seditious. They were just doing their jobs when they were arrested by the AFP soldiers.

The means does not justify the ends. And in all likelihood, even the determination of the "ends", there was confusion on the part of the soldiers. And really, I don't blame them.

Imagine being given an "impossible order" to wipe out the Communists before the end of this year? Who will not be crazy enough to arrest everybody just to say that they did, indeed, eradicated the Reds in Rizal?