Category: Politics

This is a privilege speech from Senator Nene Pimentel on his friend Ninoy Aquino
from here:

Ninoy Aquino: A hero for all seasons—Nene Pimentel
It is the sum of his selfless deeds that gives meaning to August 21 as a celebratory occasion, to remind ourselves of the meaning of his life and especially of his epic death.
The great French dramatist Jean Anouilh (1910-87) incisively categorized human beings into two classes. He said:
“There are two races of beings. The masses teeming and happy — common clay, if you like — eating, breeding, working, counting their pennies; people who just live; ordinary people; xxx. And then there are the others — the noble ones, the heroes. The ones you can quite well imagine lying shot, pale and tragic; one minute triumphant with a guard of honor, and the next being marched away between two gendarmes.”
I am sure that the Frenchman Anouilh had not met the Filipino Benigno S. Aquino, Jr.  Yet, he could have very well spoken those lines in reference to him.
Indeed, our people watched with awe the incredible feats of Ninoy, the Wunderkind, from the ‘50s at the start of his teenage life all the way to his mid-life. Then some 30 years later, in horror they witnessed TV footage and still pictures of Ninoy “lying shot, pale and tragic” on his arrival at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport.
To be more precise, the tragedy played out on August 21, 1983 at the Manila International Airport.
Under house arrest
On the afternoon of that day, I was in my study in my house in Cagayan de Oro where at the time I was under house arrest on charges of rebellion against the martial law administration.
The phone rang and the voice at the other end said that my friend, Ninoy, had just been shot dead at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport.
Although I had previously warned Ninoy about that tragic possibility should he come home from Boston where we met in 1982, now that it happened, the incident left me completely shattered and shocked beyond belief.
What a waste of talent, I told myself. I knew that Ninoy did not have to come home at the time or at all while martial law ruled the land.
Extra mile
But as the fates would have it, in 1983, three years after his heart surgery, he made public his decision to go home. His family and his friends in the US advised him not to do so. Even the wife of President Marcos said in the media that it was not advisable for Ninoy to come home because as she had put it bluntly he might be killed upon arrival.
The advice of his family and friends, notwithstanding, Ninoy came home. He said he wanted to walk the extra mile for peace in the land and convince President Marcos that it was time to end martial law and restore the country to its democratic moorings.
Freedom shot
But upon landing at the Manila International Airport, burly men, strutting with the harsh mien of unbridled authority went up the plane and brusquely hustled him down the steps of the plane’s ladder. Then, a shot rang out and seconds later, Ninoy was seen by his co-passengers lying down on the tarmac bruised and mortally wounded.
The shot reverberated throughout the country but instead of scaring the people with the awesome display of martial law power, it freed them from their lethargic acceptance of martial rule and roused them to a fever-pitch revulsion of it.
At Ninoy’s wake, thousands of people from all segments of society – the rich, the poor, men, women, and children – paid him their last respects. And 10 days later, more two million people walked 12 hours from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. beside his bier to escort him to his final resting place or watched from the sidewalks more in anger than in sadness at what they thought was a senseless sacrifice of the life of a man who was destined for greatness.
In 1986 or three years after Ninoy’s assassination, the people had enough of martial rule. And it was, now the turn of the executor of martial rule and his family – public and private – to leave the country and go into exile in Hawaii. Their leaving heralded the return of a democratic government to the land.
A hero made or born?
But was Ninoy a hero made or was he hero born?
The question may sound academic but it has a bearing on whether or not Ninoy deserves the accolades that he has been receiving from our people since 1986 when martial law was finally uprooted from the land.
Skeptics probably entertain the view that setting aside August 21 of every year is an example of an undue honor for the man who would be hero.
I beg to disagree. It is not the setting aside of August 21 to commemorate the day of Ninoy’s assassination every year that makes him a hero. To belabour the point, it is rather the sum of his selfless deeds that makes him so and gives meaning to August 21 as a celebratory occasion for the people to remind ourselves of the meaning of his life and especially of his epic death.
But to go back to the larger question of whether or not heroes are made or born, I am not too sure that there is a neat “either or” reply to it. At least, not in the case of Ninoy.
Heroic dimension
The supreme sacrifice of Ninoy presented Philippine society with a heroic dimension that it sorely needed and at the time when we needed it most.
For months before his assassination, foreign wags had started to air scurrilous statements that the Philippines was “a nation of 60 million cowards” who did not have the courage to stand up to one-man rule.
That observation, it must be said, was not true at all. There were people who fought the martial law regime in various ways – some peaceful, others violent. But it was the assassination of Ninoy that gave a nationally recognizable face to the heroic dimension of our society.
Despite its inherently evil connotations, Ninoy’s assassination – as the Fates had decreed it – was, thus, a good thing for the Philippine society as a whole.
For as the philosopher Jean Baudrillard asked, “What is a society without a heroic dimension?”
Ninoy Aquino offered his life to answer the question and in the process proved the skeptics wrong. He also showed that he was right along with those of us who believed in our people: that indeed, the Filipino was worth dying for.
———-
These are excerpts from the privilege speech of Sen. Nene Pimentel delivered on August 13, 2008.

from here:

MILF rebels withdraw to Lanao uplands as conflict kills 31
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) separatists have withdrawn to the hinterlands of Lanao del Norte after armed conflict in predominantly Christian coastal communities of the province left at least 28 civilians and three soldiers dead.
Lanao del Norte Gov. Mohamad Khalid Dimaporo told ANC’s Top Story on Monday that MILF rebels have withdrawn from the province’s coastal towns such as Kolambugan and that the military is “positioning itself to secure the province’s coastal towns.”
Dimaporo called on the miltiary to pursue the MILF rebels who occupied some of the provincial towns Monday morning and early afternoon.
MILF rebels raided several towns in Lanao del Norte province, looting businesses, burning homes and randomly attacking the mostly Christian villagers, officials said.
President Gloria Arroyo branded the attacks by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) guerrillas as “sneaky and treacherous” and in clear violation of peace negotiations, and ordered the army to “defend every inch” of soil.
AFP reporters saw nine bodies lying bloodied by a roadside in one village in Kauswagan town as black smoke billowed from burning houses.
Five other civilians were killed in another village by the marauding MILF fighters, while six more bodies were found, also in Kauswagan, later Monday.
All 20 bodies were taken by troops to two mortuaries in Iligan city a few kilometres (miles) away, an AFP reporter saw.
In the town of Kolambugan, six civilians and three soldiers were killed, mayor Beltran Lumaque said in a radio interview. Among those killed was Colonel Angelo Benitez, an army brigade commander whose troops had engaged the rebels in intense gunbattles since dawn.
Another rebel unit struck the town of Maasim, leaving two civilians dead as they ransacked a pawn shop and looted a drug store, said the military.
Some of the dead had been hacked by machetes.
Safe to return?
Dimaporo said the MILF rebels retreated to predominantly Muslim towns in the “interior, timberland areas” of Lanao del Norte near Lanao del Sur. He said the upland towns of Munai and Poona Paigapo of Lanao del Norte are the MILF strongholds of the province.
Citing military reports, Dimaporo said the MILF rebels who attacked the town were reinforced by rebels from Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao. “Those are the people, the groups who attacked Lanao del Norte today,” he said.
With the MILF having withdrawn to the uplands of Lanao del Norte, Dimaporo said that “more or less, the communities are safe” for now.
He said the provincial government will try to convince those who evacuated to nearby areas like Ozamiz City in Misamis Occidental, and in Iligan City to return to their homes.
“We’re trying to convince them to come back to the province, but more or less it’s safe. The military has secured the national highway and they are doubling their forces and their highest priority now is to keep the coastal towns safe and secure,” Dimaporo said.
Silent on MOA
He lamented that the MILF still attacked Lanao del Norte towns even if it did not openly oppose the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) between the government and the MILF, unlike North Cotabato and Zamboanga.
“All reserved their rage about the MOA signing and they waited until it reached Congress, and yet the MILF attacked our towns. We wanted to give peace a chance We didn’t comment so much on the TV, on the radio opposing the MOA and yet the MILF still attacked Lanao del Norte,” Dimaporo said.
“They’re very unreasonable, and I believe the military should go in hot pursuit of the MILF and clear Lanao del Norte [of rebels],” he added.
Dimaporo claimed that the residents of Lanao del Norte who used to favor joining the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) after the 1996 peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front no longer want to be part of the expanded Bangsamoro territory after seeing the alleged failed governance in the ARMM.
“After seeing the performance of the ARMM ever since then, the people don’t want to join the ARMM anymore. They don’t want to be part of the Bangsamoro homeland. They are already receiving roads and infrastructure from the government. They are very happy with what they’re receiving right now,” he said.
At least 26 killed
Brig. Gen. Hilario Atendido, commander of the military’s Task Force Tabak, said 23 civilians and three soldiers were killed in fighting in Lanao del Norte.
Around 500 rebels had occupied the town of Kolambugan while another 300 tried to occupy the town of Kauswagan.
Atendido said most of the civilian casualties were from Kolambugan and Linamon towns. Some of the civilians killed were hostages taken by the MLF during the occupation of Kolambugan.
“The civilians were killed when the rebels were withdrawing. They used them as human shields. The rebels killed them on their way out. They were killed as if they were like chicken. That is the report given to us by the civilians,” Atendido said.
He said the military will “remain vigilant” against attacks from MILF rebels.
“We are still on alert for any possible return of the MILF. They withdrew from Kolambugan as the troops were entering the town,” Atendido said.
Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, head of the AFP’s Western Mindanao Command, told ANC’s Top Story that the military was “now in pursuit operations” of the MILF rebels.
Allaga rejected calls for a ceasefire since they are “still running after the perpetrators” of the conflict in Lanao del Norte.
He said the MILF rebels did the most damage in the town of Kolambugan, but the military was allegedly able to limit the conflict in the towns of Kauswagan and Linamon. –with reports from AFP

I don’t know what to think, Its just that most people who being killed are non combatants. The rebels are killing innocent people who just want to live their lives in peace. Hostilities must stop before peace talks resume (As I understand it it has not stopped, well communication between the powers are important). Also in local tv the MILF spokesman says that the rogue commanders cannot be blamed for being impatient.
BS! You do not kill to be noticed. Raze houses , establishments are inexcusable what more for precious human life. If the MILF leadership really did not order the raids then they must be the first to produce the rogue commanders, it helps them consolidate their troops and show to the Filipino people their desire to resolve this decades long rebellion.
from here:

Death toll in MILF attacks in Lanao, Sarangani hits 28
08/18/2008 | 04:43 PM
MANILA, Philippines – The death toll in the attacks staged by suspected Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in the southern provinces of Lanao del Norte and Sarangani has reached 28, officials said Monday.
Brig. Gen. Hilario Atendido, commander of Task Force Tabak, said most of the casualties were from the towns of Lanao del Norte attacked by the rebels – 23 civilians and three government soldiers.
In addition, two government troops were also wounded.
Sarangani Governor Miguel Rene Dominguez earlier said two civilians were killed when MILF forces attacked the town of Maasim before dawn Monday.
“They (civilians) were killed when they (rebels) were withdrawing. They used them as human shields. The rebels killed them on their way out. They were killed as if like chicken. That is the report given to us by the civilians,” Atendido said.
Atendido said the military in the province will remain vigilant for another atrocities the rebels may launch. “We are still on alert for any possible return of the MILF…They withdrew (from Kolambugan) as the troops were entering the town.”
At the National Police headquarters at Camp Crame, the initial list showed 13 fatalities in Lanao del Norte and two in Sarangani province. Three people were also reportedly wounded.
Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, chief of the Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said government troops would make sure that civilians would not be caught in the crossfire as pursuit operations are conducted.
“We will continue to perform our mandate as protector of the Filipino people against lawless elements. Your AFP shall always be at the forefront of combating all forms of violence in order to uphold peace and security in the area and bring to justice the people responsible for these despicable acts,” Allaga said.
The casualty figures started to rise Monday, a day after suspected MILF troops ambushed a military convoy near the boundary of Mulondo and Buadiposo-Buntong towns in Lanao del Sur which killed seven and wounded 11 others.
The MILF followed this up Monday morning with simultaneous attacks against the towns of the Kolambugan and Kauswagan in Lanao del Norte and the town of Maasim in Sarangani.
The attacks were apparently in retaliation for the stalled signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain between government and the MILF negotiators.
In Manila, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said that the MILF also bombed and toppled three transmission towers of the National Transmission Corp or Transco which may cause the tripping of power supply in Mindanao.
At the same time, it said that at least 9,350A were displaced by the fighting.
The NDCC, in its 3 p.m. report, also said that the MILF ransacked the pharmacy and town hall of Maasim in Sarangani province, and killed at least two civilians.
NDCC said that in Lapayan village in Kauswagan in Lanao del Sur, the MILF troops burned an undetermined number of houses and that portions of the highway from Iligan to Ozamiz City and Kapatagan remained impassable.
Most of those who have evacuated were taken to evacuation centers in Ozamiz City.- GMANews.TV

Its sad when you have a senator who got elected because his wife is a superstar.
Its sad when you have a senator few virtues is being a great action star.
Its sad when you have senators whose only contributions were low quality filibustering.
Its sad when you have a president who never follows the laws she doesn’t like.
Its sad when everyone is calling for a gas tax holiday.
Its sad when the media doesn’t even realize that a tax holidays is just a cash transfer to the oil companies.
Its sad when your country is being cut into two because of pressures from secessionist.
Its sad when the only reaction of your government to spiraling prices for foodstuffs is to increase income tax deductions.
Its even sadder when the tax cut isn’t being felt because your tax bureau is holding back the tax table causing the said tax cut to be useless.
to be continued…..
Maybe its universal .. from paul krugman here:

All this is in the past. But the state of the energy debate shows that Republicans, despite Mr. Bush’s plunge into record unpopularity and their defeat in 2006, still think that know-nothing politics works. And they may be right.