Even as I write this, political forces against the Aquino administration are furiously plotting how to exploit the Mamasapano fiasco in order to bring down the government of President Benigno Aquino III.
In the light of this, let me share with you a think piece which my journo-husband Alan wrote about coup attempts.It’s time to refresh our knowledge about coups.
Just In: I believe that the more information the public knows from all opposing sides, the better. Which is why I’m posting this: [NOTE – Alan’s think piece starts below the press statement.]
Press Statement
February 4, 2015
References: Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares,
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate
Gabriela Women’s party list Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan
Gabriela Women’s partylist Rep. Emmi de Jesus
ACT Teachers party list rep. Antonio Tinio
Anakpawis party list Rep. Fernando Hicap
Kabataan partylist Rep. Terry RidonAQUINO, RESIGN!
We, party list representatives from the Makabayan bloc, add our voices to the mounting call for Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III to resign.
Aquino must resign! The President must resign for the sake of the nation, to save our nation from further disasters, moral bankruptcy, and massive poverty.
President Aquino is unfit to rule and has betrayed public trust. This is evident in the bloody Mamasapano fiasco and the unconstitutional Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as affirmed by the most recent Supreme Court decision.
Aquino lost his moral ascendancy and legitimacy to govern when he lied to the people on his responsibility and accountability in the botched police operation that led to the deaths of 44 police, 18 Moro fighters and 8 civilians. He covers up the role of United States and the unlawful participation of suspended PNP Chief General Allan Purisima. He broke the chain of command and violated the required coordination in the peace agreements with the MILF. The blood of the fallen SAF 44 and 26 Moros are on his hands.
Aquino refuses to admit that he kowtowed to US’ instigation in the “Oplan Wolverine”, gave the go- signal to the highly dangerous police operation in Mamasapano without coordinating with the MILF, and sanctioned the illegal involvement of US military forces and suspended PNP Chief General Allan Purisima.
Aquino’s hand in the unconstitutional DAP was affirmed with the final ruling of the Supreme Court. He and Abad authored DAP and used billions of people’s money as “pork barrel” — to bribe senator-judges to impeach Corona, provide compensation for landlords including his family, fund his pet projects, and give patronage to favored politicians. With DAP, Aquino took away precious funds intended for social services for the people and the benefits of government employees.
Under Aquino’s administration, poverty has worsened, “pork barrel” funds became bigger, gross violations of human rights continued, the country became a big US military base, and calamities became disasters.
We must not wait for another transgression or disaster to happen. Give the nation a break, a chance for renewal. Aquino, resign! ###
Military takeover: Can it happen here?
by Alan Robles
On May 2014, Thailand’s military took over the country, shoving politicians aside, grabbing control of government agencies, rounding up people it considered threats and suppressing free speech.
Could it happen here? Yes.Wait, you say, aren’t Philippine coups a thing of the past? Isn’t the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) now a disciplined, well-behaved group that obeys the Constitution and assures the public that it respects civilian authority?
The answer is…perhaps.
To begin with, it’s worth remembering how in the past, military officers had a habit of declaring their respect for civilian authority and fealty to the Constitution — just before gearing up and driving off in assorted trucks and /or armored amphibious vehicles to stage a power grab.
Then consider this: the Thai military have staged 19 coups d’etat (12 of them successful) in eight decades, a putsch roughly every four years. The Philippine military have mounted at least 13 coup attempts (all of them failures) in 21 years — a coup every year and a half. The violent coups from 1986 to 1990 killed dozens and inflicted billions of pesos in catastrophic damage on the economy.
You might want also want to recall that the country’s last military uprising attempt didn’t take place in the late 80s, it happened seven years ago. Granted, that affair consisted of two dozen armed soldiers holing up in a five-star hotel and calling for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s ouster. Taking mere hours to break up (government forces fired tear gas then sent an armored personnel carrier smashing through the plate glass of the lobby), it was a pale and farcical shadow of the bloody and murderous attempts of the late 1980s. But it showed that groups of soldiers were still ready for adventurism.
To read the rest, please click on this link.
Bongklok says
I think its about time that we ordinary folk get together and petition for the ouster of party-list congressmen who do not raise a whimper while our national patrimony is being taken over by China.
Reason? Treason in the highest degree.
Back to the topic above. “Friends in GMA and Viva films working to secure the permit”. Why is the media involved?
I am a bit alarmed at the matter our media reports events nowadays, especially Channels 7 and 2. Sensationalism is in, with heavy emphasis on the human interest side of the story. I even have the suspicion that some events are withheld or ignored or twisted out of proportion to suit the interests of the networks. Take note of Channel 7’s slogan “Mga balitang dapat niyong malaman”. It means that they control or decide what to report to us. Vested interests? Or all for the sake of a scoop?
The Mamasapano encounter is not a disaster similar to a natural calamity. It is war. And when you go to war, you either kill or get killed. The families the soldiers leave behind can cry their hearts out in grief, but they should not ignore the fact that those soldiers took the Soldier’s Risk, and paid for it. So please temper the human interest side in the news. It results to hysterical reactions, and can fan the flames of discontent further.
yvonne says
THIS ON ABS-CBN, 2/6/2015, HEADLINE “PURISIMA WASHES HANDS OF MAMAPASANO OPERATION”
Purisima, in an interview on radio dzMM, said he was only told of the Mamasapano operation after it was launched.
“Iyung sinasabi nila na ako ay nagmando sa Mamasapano, Maguindanao ay isa pong kasinungalingan po iyun,” he said.
“Hindi po ako nagmamando doon. Ako po, alam ko po yung plano nung Mamasapano dahil ako nga po
yung chief nung ito’y pinaplano pa nung mga bandang part ng 2014,” Purisima said.
.
On January 31, 2015 at 2:08 am, I posted this:
“… Purisima is privy to the JSOTFP protocol and was actively involved in the planning of the PNP-SAF operation until his suspension as PNP chief. When the operation was activated, Purisima was not directly involved in its execution but his fingerprints are all over the blueprint.”
yvonne says
Again, you read about it first on Raissa’s blog.
Vhin says
Right in the money Yvonne. Anyway, Purisima was in the US and stayed in Washington DC area few weeks before the Mamasapano incident. It’s more likely that he’s fine tuning the OPLAN with US counterparts but then, sabi niya ay hindi raw sya ang nagmando. We’ll see where it’ll take him with his pronouncements.
moonie says
purisima’s fingerprints were all over the blueprint, natural lang yan, after all baby ni purisima yong blue print. kaso lang, napenas probably stole/copied purisima’s baby and used as his own, without any modifications. he, he, he, I think, napenas had it coming.
yvonne says
Going back to the blog topic, any attempt to oust Aquino as President through a coup d’état is not going to succeed, so those who are thinking about it are just engaging in wishful thinking.
Pinoy draw his lessons from Cory. This time Pinoy is much prepared, that is why he has the guts to go after Corona, Arroyo, and the corrupt senators because any efforts by these people to get back at him through a coup will fail.
Talk about the perceived “turf war” between the AFP and PNP. That is by design, part of the strategy to protect the presidency. The AFP and PNP are expected to carry their mandate with outmost professionalism but they cannot be “chummy” at each other. This will make it very difficult to recruit members of any Oplan to topple Aquino.
Coup plan in the ranks of PNP? They will have to deal with the combined forces of the AFP and PSG.
Coup plan in the ranks of AFP? Be ready to deal with both the PNP and PSG. That is why it has been very difficult for Pinoy to let go of Purisima. Purisima will take a bullet for Pinoy. But Binay…???
drill down says
true? fvr also attended the car plant inauguration and made then made it to villamor air base on car. pnoy flew on chopper.
drill down says
true?
both fvr and pnoy attended the car plant inauguration but fvr also made it to villamor air base afterwards. fvr was on car. pnoy flew on chopper.