Inside Philippine politics & beyond

So you want to be the next President of the Republic of the Philippines? Read this first.

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True, there are a lot of perks that go with the job – a limousine with back-up security, a 24-7 kitchen, all you can eat, a gym, golf course and mini-hospital right in your backyard. Plus power that seems to attract and make you beautiful or handsome to many men and women.

But face it. It’s HARD to be President of the Republic of the Philippines.

My journo-hubby Alan discusses why:

The Filipino way with presidents

by Alan Robles

Filipinos want their President to be Batman, Superman and Jesus Christ.

They want him, or her, to be able to see through walls, around corners, into the hearts and minds of all citizens. To be someone who’ll walk across the water and then hand out loaves and fishes.

They want their President to fight crime, solve poverty, crush corruption, grow the economy and provide jobs, food, education, land reform, justice and social change. They want him to untangle traffic, build infrastructure and furnish cheap electricity; to be a paragon of virtue and warmth, a tough leader, a brilliant statesman, a super soldier and  a Nobel class economist.

And they want all of it NOW. No wait, they want it YESTERDAY.

If they don’t get it, out come the metaphorical torches and pitchforks (or perhaps itak): howls of outrage; condemnations; demonstrations; rallies; non-stop vitriolic attacks on Facebook and Twitter (a new development); impeachment attempts. If the political signs are fortuitous there might be serious destabilization attempts, a “withdrawal of support” by the military.

Let’s face it: perhaps the only thing more difficult than running for Philippine President is actually BEING one.

To read the rest, please click on this link.

Comments

  2. A re-wording of Winston Churchill’s 1940 “Their Finest Hour” speech:

    “The battle of Pnoy is about over. The next crucial battle is about to begin. Upon that battle depends the future of our beloved country. The whole machinery and dirty tricks developed through the years may soon be thrust upon us … Let us therefore brace ourselves … so, Filipinos decades later will say, ‘This was their finest hour.'”

    • Baycas, thanks for the valuable link.
      While I definitely agree a consolidated report is needed, one that includes the view from the MILF side, the current version is helpful in presenting the key role the CCCH and the other truce and mechanisms in defusing and finally ceasing hostilities in Mamasapano. There is certainly more info on the genesis and buildup of the crisis, as well as drama and military action in the PNP and AFP reports. However one would get the distorted picture that it was the the AFP forces and actions including the firing of its artillery that was the major factor in retrieving the trapped commandoes and their casualties. However the story presented here is that the top MILF commanders Goma, Tundok, and others whose local forces were working on and behind scene with CCCH in trying and ultimately succeeding in effecting the disengagement and withdrawal of the ‘overwhelming’ forces that both the AFP and SAF could make no progress against in their rescue attempts. It is within this context that General Pangilinan and his forces suffered no casualties working in tandem with the CCCH and the MiLF top commanders were able to restore the peace and bring the trapped SAF units home. The important takeaway from this report here is the ceasewire process actually worked although slowly because battle had already been joined and communication systems were poor.

      The info in this CCCH version is also important in that it reports the the names and presence of BIFF commanders and fighters at the scene after the MILF had withdrawn where atrocities against 55 SAC were committed. Without excluding MILF potential culpability, it opens up the possibility that it was the BIFF who openly support ISIS were the actual perpetrators of these atrocities.

      • The consolidated report must be tabulated according to specific date and time categorized by testimonial origins. Authorities must ‘storify‘ each of the players’ accounts.

        —–

        Take into consideration these accounts too…

        Based on accounts from villagers, community leaders may have innocently alerted the MILF’s 105th Base Command to the presence of the policemen.

        A barangay official in Mamasapano had told a local television outfit that he called officials of the MILF unit and told them of the presence of armed men that he thought were rebels.

        He was told that the MILF had no tactical maneuver in the area.

        Some community elders said they, too, had frantically alerted local Moro commanders of the activities of men in combat uniforms.

        “It was dark and we can’t see the patches on their uniform from a distance. We were also scared to go out and check,” one of the village elders said.

        This tip-off happened at dawn of Sunday, January 25, and may have caused early mobilization of the MILF troops. The sounds of the explosion and the gunfight rousing the neighborhood was an instant giveaway to further mobilize. It is one thing to wake up, it’s another thing to get up. In this case, it’s like the “enemies” are already holding their weapons then immediately mobilizing at a moment’s notice (whether to flee or defend).

        The time is around 4am…

        Esmael Hashim, chairman of Barangay Tukanalipao, said he noticed the arrival of the SAF men and was surprised that none of them came to see him to coordinate.

        He said previous police and military operations in their barangay were properly coordinated with community leaders and the local government unit of Mamasapano.

        “It was about 4:00 a.m. (Jan. 25) when we heard gunshots near the barangay Islamic center and that was the start of a long encounter,” Hashim said in Filipino.

        MILF leader Al-Haj Murad and chief peace negotiator Muhaquer Iqbal said the encounter could have been avoided had the Philippine National Police coordinated its operation with the joint ceasefire committee

        (Source: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/01/31/1418714/killers-came-3-directions)

        However…

        • @baycas

          nakaligtaan ni Napeñas yung cellphone. can’t have a surprise attack if there is mobile service in the area. the WTF part was, they were using cell to communicate too so asking telco to shut it down would’ve been bad for them as well.

          ala man lang sat phone na pwedeng gamitin instead of cell. those were useful during Yolanda even for the common folks.

          plus, the convoy probably passed through checkpoint. if they suspected rats in the military…would allow MILF and BIFF and private armies to mass up and massacre the SAF

      • @caliphman, however…

        As early as Saturday night of January 24, people there were already aware of troop movements…

        SITIO AMILIL, Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao (MindaNews/12 Feb) — The few residents living along the highway in Barangay Tuka saw the signs of war when several truckloads of “sundalo” in full battle gear arrived late Saturday evening, January 24, disembarked from their vehicles and walked to the direction of Tukanalipao, some two kilometers away.

        Bai Monera, 40, said the “sundalo” left their vehicles on the road. “Sundalo” in these areas is generic for government forces in camouflage uniform and the regulation boots. Monera only knew they were “pulis” when they heard the news the next day that members of the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police (PNP-SAF) operated near their area.
        Sunday dawn, January 25, gunshots awakened residents near and far. By evening, what would be the highest death toll in a single day clash between the government (GPH) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in the last 18 years — 67 — happened: 44 from the SAF, 18 from the MILF, and five civlians, according to the Commission on Human Rights.

        This news is a breakthrough one because it tells of the story coming from an MILF ground commander.

        Please read the Q and A here:

        http://www.mindanews.com/top-stories/2015/02/13/q-and-a-with-milf-commander-haramen-on-mamasapano-walang-eroplano-walang-bazooka/

        • The picture in the news article cited above was captioned:

          MILF commander Haramen (right), escorted by his men, narrates what happened on January 25, 2015 in an interview two Sundays later in Sitio Amilil, Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao. MindaNews photo by Gregorio Bueno

        • Carolyn O. Arguillas of Mindanews narrates…

          Across the river, the MILF, initially numbering only 35, also claimed they were “ambushed” by armed men.

          Haramen, operations commander of the 7th Brigade of the 105th Base Command of the MILF’s Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) said he was awakened at around 4 a.m. by a phone call from his Brigade Commander, Abdulmanan, who instructed him to go to their designated meeting place as there were intelligence reports “na mag operation daw ang mga military.”

          There had been no prior notice to them about a military operation from the MILF peace panel’s Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) and the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG). Because of the 1997 ceasefire and the 2002 agreement on dealing with lawless elements in MILF areas, coordination had been a key to ensuring no misencounters would happen between the parties.

          Around this time, additional troops from the SAF in Caraga, General Santos and Kidapawan, and those from the 41st SAC who had assembled for two to three days in Malalag, Davao del Sur, had started to arrive in Barangay Tuka.

          After their morning prayers, Haramen’s group of about 35, walked towards Sitio Amilil, about a kilometer from the market along the highway, hearing gunshots from a distance. He said they moved faster and were crossing the bridge when fired upon, killing two of his men.

          It was still dark. The SAF commandos had night vision goggles.

          As they exchanged fire, Haramen said he was convinced the armed men who fired on them were not government forces but a group who may have harbored a “grudge” against their group because “walang eroplano, walang bazooka” (there were no planes, no bazooka) after the first gunbursts.

          He said it was easy to know if government troops are operating because the first bursts of gunfire would be followed by air support and mortar fire. There was none this time. And none came even until the firing stopped a little past noon.

          mindanews.com/top-stories/2015/02/13/q-and-a-with-milf-commander-haramen-on-mamasapano-walang-eroplano-walang-bazooka/

        • Hopefully the official MILF report will also be included even if not consolidated in thiis site. It will confirm or deny news reports such as this. The obvious points of contention include the claim that the SAF shot first and killed two of their men while his group of 35 were crossing that bridge in pitch darkness. Why would the 55 SAF commence firing unprovoked and if they did, there should have been more MILF casualties since those crossing that narrow rickety bamboo bridge would have been sitting ducks.Educks.Even if the story was true and indeed the MILF forced had acted in self-defense against an unknown force, why did they not stop shooting when ordered by their 105 base command leaders to stop shooting.
          There will be those who will question if only 35 MILF fighters were opposing the same sized SAF force initially. Certainly if one believes the AFP intelligence estimates, it is plausible and when the MILF and BIFF reinforced and concentrated their forces ariund the hapless unit, the total probably were in the low hundreds and thousands.
          It is unfortunate that info from the senate executive session will probably never be included as the accounts of the sole survivor under oath is crucial in determineing what happened and why.

        • People seem to have this idea that a firefight is something that can be stopped and started the way it’s done in Hollywood – somebody blows a whistle or yells a command and everybody follows. I’m not excusing what happened, I’m trying to explain and understand it: the MILF/BIFF soldiers’ blood was up because in violation of the ceasefire, their territory had been intruded upon by armed men who had (possibly) killed civilians. They were enraged.

          A firefight is a violent event that feeds upon itself and can’t be dispassionately viewed in god mode by its participants. On the ground, all the participants know for sure is somebody’s firing at them and they fire back. If, as the MILF fighters claim, two of their fighters were killed crossing the bridge, perhaps that made the others fall back into cover and form a perimeter, creating the killing ground that trapped the commandos. I suspect the horrendous casualties had everything to do with terrain and cover — all the advantage was on the side of the MILF/BIFF.

          Perhaps the SAF blocking force were really as disciplined about firing as they’re made out to be (they wouldn’t shoot first, they wouldn’t shoot civilians, etc) but I’d rather wait for the reports. I would also like to know if any of the commandos tried to surrender by shouting, or waving a white flag or making some sort of signal.

        • @alan

          a soldier stationed in Mindanao said that even when we were at “war”, the soldiers and rebels would pass by each other and just ignore each other’s presence.

          soldiers won’t shoot unless fired upon. (except for the psychotic ones. unnerving to observe even when there is no conflict around.)

          mahal ang bala.

          i think enraged is the default setting for these armed groups. no surprise there.

        • Alan, the defense the MILF is mounting given the ceasefire terms is self-defense. That they were shot at first in territory they held by unknown forces. The MILF official should be confirming what their military commander related in the above news report. This defense cannot be used once the engaged MILF forces have been informed who they are engaging and directed to stop hostilities. As difficult as it might be to disengage or obey orders once the firefight has commenced, neither is this available as a defense under the terms of the agreement. It is the same reason why waging all-out war against the MILF is not defensible, if it is based primarily on an emotional response and out of vengeance.

          The MILF military and political leaders must sort out their command and control and chain of command issues just as much as the PNP has to investigate and resolve why similar failures occurred in theirs. This is why these official reports, to the extent they are accurate, complete, and unbiased can be very useful in understanding what really happened and why as they offer what these organizations publicly admit as relevant facts

        • Back when I was working at the Manila Chronicle, Carol Arguillas was the paper’s Mindanao reporter

        • It cannot be emphasized enough that 55th SAF had no idea when the operation jumped off they would be so far behind their planned waypoint when 84 SAF neutralized Marwan and were attempting to withdraw via the agreed upon escape route. If they themselves did not know they would end up in that open cornfield where they were slaughtered, it is difficult to understand how the MILF suspecting a military operation would enable them to preposition and concentrate forces in close proximity to the cornfield. More likely when dawn arrived at 5:15, the commandos in the cornfield could be clearly observed by the MILF fighters across the river whose 50 caliber sniper rifles were deadly at 500 meters and above.

  4. The Resumption

    February 18, 2015
    Blue Ribbon [Sub-Committee on P.S. Res. Nos. 826 and 1114]
    9:00 A.M.
    Session Hall 2/F Left Wing, Senate

    P.S. Res. No. 826 – Alleged overpricing of the 11-storey new Makati City Hall II Parking Building, the 22-storey Makati City Hall Building and related anomalies

    P.S. Res. No. 1114 – Alleged irregular transactions entered into by the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF)/Pag-IBIG Fund and the Boy Scouts of the Philippines (BSP), under the leadership of Vice President Jejomar Binay as chair of the HDMF/Pag-IBIG Board of Trustees and as President of BSP, respectively, and other related anomalies

    (Source: senate.gov.ph/committee/schedwk.asp)

    Will Cayetano show up?

  5. To those with an early dateline and those in P’inas, HAPPY VALENTINE, and to those with other dateline, ADVANCE HAPPY VALENTINE!

    Teka muna, pupunta muna ako sa Dangwa baka makamura sa rosas.

  6. “Binay rejects calls for Aquino to resign, says he is praying for him” — inquirerdotnet

    While rejecting calls for the President to resign, Binay pressed for the creation of an independent fact-finding commission to investigate the incident “to dispel all doubts that the investigations are merely a “cover-up.”

    TRIPLE-TOUNGED?

    Na he-helo na ako.

  7. In case it is not yet obvious. The people behind the recent rally of demanding PNoy to step down are Peping Cojuangco, Boy Saycon and Art Valdez. These are the same people who supported NoyBi ticket. Most of them belong to COPA. This is the alphabet soup acronym organization that Sen. Miriam was referring to. Another prominent person behind them is former PGMA Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, as well as Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz. And in case you’ve missed it, Norberto Gonzales together with Kit Tatad are going around the country for “consultations”. Perhaps they are the ones under the radar of the planned coup. I think it is obvious who among them is the riches, said to be funding the whole plan. Mapagmatyag tayo mga kabayan. PNoy may have screwed up but I don’t know if everyone agrees that our country deserves another coup d’etat experience.

  8. @ baycas “Bukod sa pagbigay ng pera mula sa Pagibig at Makati cash assistance funds” kaya pala eh.

    “Pag-IBIG’s Berberabe possible Binay running mate in 2016” says baby B anay.