Horrifying

Yvonne Chua and Luz Rimban’s Radio error did Marines in: Reinforcements can’t contact troops on the ground, makes for horrifying reading.

You may want to take a look at the PowerPoint presentation of Cielito Habito, NEDA Director-General during the Ramos administration, on the state of the economy. The data he discusses comes from official figures:
PDI Talk.ppt

Food for thought.

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Manuel L. Quezon III.

153 thoughts on “Horrifying

  1. John,

    I submit that enforcing the anti-terrorism law offers a clear alternative to the path of “war or peace talks” as a general approach to the Mindanao problem, which we must not forget is rooted in historical events and resentments that may never be assuaged because it is hugely profitable for every successive generation of the aggrieved to take up the old grievances.

    But where they have adopted dubious or violent means to seek historic redress, and until some kind of settlement is reached, perhaps asymptotically, the HSA simply criminalizes that favorite tactic of the politically disenfranchised: guerilla warfare and terrorism, without depriving them of the peaceful means to achieve their goals, political, ideological or whatever.

    Whether they do achieve those goals or not, is not really the concern of the Law on terrorism, however, only that they are deprived of the illicit means they now currently employ. But in as much as they are entitled to rights of all citizens under the constitution, we cannot forcibly deprive them of their lifelong ambitions.

    In this way we can avoid the endless cycle of war or peace talks, without so much as getting the permission of the friggin’ MILF and Al Hadj Burat, by upholding the right of anyone to keep their beliefs and goals, while the Law strictly limits their means to the peaceful ones.

    Let them labor in the mines of self-determination and electoral politics.

    There is no need for peace talks to enforce the law. But the law does not stop the peace talks from going on, same as usual, as they have over the endless, lethal decades.

  2. Very recently there was an incident in Pakistan where young Muslim radicals, most of them no more than girls, were allowed to hole up in the Red Mosque. There was talk of supposed creeping “Talibanisation” of Pakistan. There was global press coverage, beaming images of girls all dressed in the same black dress, screaming in rabid tones about their willingness to die for Allah and for the cause of jihadists. You wonder why President/General Musharraf waited for Reuters, BBC and CNN etc to get their money shots before the girls were finally forced out?

    Its an election year, and Musharraf wants to self-elect himself supreme ruler once again. And he wants to demonstrate to Washington what a crucial ally he is against the war on terrorism. Hitting two birds with one stone.

    Is it impossible to wonder whether the Arroyo administration was playing a media stunt as well? Is it impossible to wonder, that the military – corrupt as it is, would let their own die? And beheaded for good measure? For shock tactics? To scare us, convince us of clear and present danger? To divert the heat from international scrutiny over this govt’s culpability in missing/dead journalists and activists? From being bad guys, they became the victims.

    For what this gov’t has done and what it plans to do in the future, always it must shape public opinion. You address a public, you put on a show.

  3. “brian, i disagree. from what i hear, the upper class views education as a sure-fire way to make money. lucio tan buying feu, yuchengco buying mapua, are signs that education seems to them, a fail-safe investment.”

    Sure, they believe in Princeton and Harvard, but what about our public school system?

  4. “Language Tourism
    …..I don’t even know if it belongs to the DOT or Dep Ed. If an entire department must be created, so be it…

    I got one; DOCS- Department of Common Sense. Their job would be to unscrew the retarded way government offices operate.

  5. Or is there a standing order to stay away from firefights with the friendlies of the MILF

    if the MILF are the “friendlies”, then sino ang kaaway ng mga marines nung i-ambush sila sa basilan?

    http://www.malaya.com.ph/jul12/news1.htm

    But Mohagher Iqbal, chief negotiator for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, said the men encountered by Marine soldiers were not Abu Sayyaf but MILF forces.

    “They (soldiers) entered the area without coordination with the MILF-CCCH (Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities). That’s the reason why we had the encounter,” he said. “Our forces were attacked, we only defended ourselves.”

    The CCCH oversees the implementation of the ceasefire forged in 2002. Formal peace negotiations between the two sides hit an impasse late last year.

    Caculitan said the 50 Marine soldiers were on their way back to headquarters aboard M35 trucks when fired upon by at least 300 men at around 10 a.m. triggering a nine-hour gun-battle.

    Iqbal said the MILF will file a protest for the violation of the cease-fire agreement.

    “The government knows, the military knows the area is a bailiwick of the MILF ever since… First of all, there should be coordination if there is a massive deployment of troops, movement of troops on either side,” he said.

    and this wasn’t the first the first time the military fought with the MILF since 2001. maraming sporadic fighting na nangyari while the peace panel negotiated for a settlement. difference tho is that this time, napugutan ang sampo sa mga marines natin.

  6. I submit that enforcing the anti-terrorism law offers a clear alternative to the path of “war or peace talks” as a general approach to the Mindanao problem, which we must not forget is rooted in historical events and resentments that may never be assuaged because it is hugely profitable for every successive generation of the aggrieved to take up the old grievances.

    that could work, dean. i remember when hezbollah in 2006 crossed into israel and abducted 2 israeli soldiers. this started the another war in lebanon.

    so did israel meet it’s objectives? hindi. not only did the war strengthened Hezbollah and nasrallah (and iran and syria’s influence inside lebanon), hindi pa rin nare-release ang dalawang israeli prisoners (the casus belli).

    what israel should have done was to seek cooperation with the gov’t of Hezbollahland and negotiate for the custody of the the 2 israelis plus the people responsible for the abduction.

  7. It’s a fail-safe investment because the public education system is a shambles — more so when you factor in the risk that continuously hangs over the youths’ heads that someday, Tagalog-articulated education will eventually reign supreme in that system.

    The public education system is only up to high school.

    FEU, Mapua are universities offering college and graduate programs.

    Clueless ka pa rin.

  8. what enrages me is the fact that MILF claims they had the right to fire on those soldiers bec. those soldiers entered “MILF territory.” anak ng p*$%! sinong namatay at nagsabing pag aari nila ang lupa na yon? sa aking buong pagkaka alam, ang buong Pilipinas ay buo pa rin, at wala pang hiwalay na estado. kahit nga ang ARMM ay sakop pa rin sa pamamahala ng gobyerno.
    but here’s what sends my blood pressure shooting. the government (yes the f*$%ng retarded govt!) has said nothing to disabuse the MILF of this idea. either it has conceded Tipo-Tipo as not part of the Philippines anymore, or it is too weak to enforce its governance in these areas.

  9. “The public education system is only up to high school.

    FEU, Mapua are universities offering college and graduate programs.

    Clueless ka pa rin.”

    Well, you forgot about the University of the Philippines. And that’s been in decline over the last couple of decades.

    Tililing ka pa rin. 😉

  10. “The public education system is only up to high school”.

    And also there are normal colleges, (teachers colleges) trade schools that offer college programs and they are publicly funded if you don’t call them public education, what about the Catholic High Schools and other private High Schools.. Si ca t talaga and akala sya lang ang magaling.

  11. john marzan,

    Negotiate with Hezbollah? And what would Hezbollah demand from Israel for it to give up the soldiers and the men who abducted them? Probably for all the Jews in Israel to roll up and die. Or for all of them to pack up and move their asses to New York.

    Well, Hezbollah can probably demand 10 million dollars for “board and lodging.” So the next time Hezbollah raids inside Israel, they should go for 4 soldiers. Higher price, no?

  12. BrianB,

    The government’s reluctance to go all-out against the MILF is basically a strategy not to be caught in a “war in two fronts”, a lesson military historians have been trying to pound into the heads of military officers by citing the disastrous campaigns of Napoleon and Hitler in Russia, while fighting the wily English on the other front. The Russian winter decimated Napoleon’s Grand Armee and rendered virtually useless the Wermacht’s famed “blitzkrieg”.

    If it was Gloria who thought of it, then she probably has more brains than all the people, hot-headed bloggers and military officers included, who want the AFP to descend like the Valkyries on the MILF.

    It has already committed the AFP against the CPP/NPA. The forces arrayed in Mindanao, against the MILF, ASG and the MNLF-Misuari boys, are just there to make sure the situation does not get out of hand.

    There might be an issue on the wisdom of picking who to take down first, the MILF or the NPA. Depends where you are coming from, you only have to pick one. Remember Esperon floating the idea of ceasefire with the NPA? We can only wonder if it has anything to do with redeploying to Mindanao the troops the AFP shipped out to fight the NPA in other parts of the country.

    Some of you hotheads should accept that our AFP is not exactly a juggernaut. Like a boxer, it should bob and weave, pick its spots.

    But don’t worry, the AFP will exact the pound of flesh owed to it. People will disappear, never to be heard of again. It’s just the way it is.

  13. But wasn’t it the President who ordered an all out punitive action right there and then upon learning the incident? Granted it was an emotional outburst and upon realizing the situation that going after the party or parties involved that until now is still muddled, stopped right on tracka, for they don’t know who to punish and even if they do, won’t even find them. (can’t even find Garci when they wanted him and so joc joc, until he surfaced in U.S.)
    The “war” between the MILF, the NPA are “frontless”. This in not the kind of warfare that can be compared with history, it is history by itself, and that let’s admit it, there is no strategy still being contemplated or planned to fight and win these two frontless wars, it is always an experiment as it goes for decades now. So Gloria like most Generals don’t have the slightest idea of how this war is to be conducted and neither you and me and the rest of us for that matter. And even those third parties involved in the process. It may just by itself resolve like most of the country’s others problems and crisis without even anybody doing anything for it seems nobody knows what to do anyways….

  14. Pity our marines. They died in vain. No justice for them. Shame on Gloria. Shame on Esperon. Shame on Gonzales.

  15. Jaxius,

    Perhaps now you can see why I have welcomed the arrival of the The Human Security Act with so much good cheer. Just as you mourn the cycle of war or peace talks, I am celebrating the opening up of a new, largely non-military track in the war on terrorism: law enforcement. It is time we started treating these Moros just like we treat Christians and lumad organized crime syndicates! Obey the law or go to jail.

    In this track, the military plays only a supporting role for police whose main job is arresting criminals and prosecuting them so they can be put to work making YouTube dance videos.

    No Excuse Passes to the Peace Talks accepted by the Hall Monitors. Behead a Guy. Go to Jail. Shoot a soldier, meet your new boyfriends and husbands at Cebu Pen. Kidnap a priest. You go to hell on earth for life. What happens after is your bidnez. Just like that.

    The problem with pacifists however, is that unless it is literally DOING NOTHING, they can’t be convinced it won’t lead to ALL-OUT WAR.

    For example, doing Justice.

  16. Bibs,

    Ever hear of something called the “Balikatan Exercises”? You know, the ones the Left’s two and a half dozen professional streamer carriers and demonstrators have been marching against for years?

    But you are right about the asymmetric nature of the war on terrorism?

    Isn’t it amazing how television has made it seem like Tipo Tipo is completely populated by ten to 13 year old smiling school children being visited by foreign peace activists who just want PEACE, NOT WAR.

    “Kumbaya…!” means “Human shields…”

  17. DJB, It is really hard to, very hard to win a war against these kind of warfare, because you can not tell your enemies from your friends, unless he or she is shooting at you and that is too late. The enemy have no uniforms, no flags, except the “red” or their Gods and no territory.

    The Canadian Forces soldiers are bleeding and dying unnecessary in Afghanistan, because they have a strict order to spare any “collateral damages” at all cost, and those smiling 13 years old could be the “collaterals” with the bomb vests wrap around their tiny waists.. we are going home at the end of our mission, win or loss and fight terrorism in our Home Front and take whatever it needs be, we already have the Anti-Terrorism Act and there is very little protest against it except those who may cheer when the cn tower or the subway systems is blown, lest they too or their love ones are under the rubbles, but they stop their bleeding hearts cries as they are already under the shadow of the ATA.

  18. A little off topic,

    not on the radio frequencies but on th the teka teka mortars…

    Reality checK, thoe soldiers carry them all the time notwithstanding the elments like rains and storms, wear and tear so on…

    The other party may have the same equipment who knows maybe from the same source but mas alaga nila nila yung equipo nila..

    and on another note I hate it when they keep on aggravating the pain sufferred by the relatives by just adding salt to the wound by revealing that they were tortured first before getting mutilated..

    I have lost a brother of a close friend last 92 or 93 also from a Basillan ambush,but that time it was an ambush after a party. he was the only official and pma graduate lost that time,and what did the higher ups do,…no further comment…

  19. No life is worth living that doesn’t have at least one thing its owner is willing to die for.

    Patriotism is one of the few things that makes life worth living beyond elemental survival and the luxuries of love.

    I am imagining what the Left would’ve done with this incident, if for example, there had been a friendly fire incident in which US Jets say, accidentally killed 10 Philippine Marines. Or God forbid, that 10 US Marines raped 10 Filipina beauties. It would be the Second Coming of ’96 wouldn’t it?

    I ask you good folks, why are the howitzers and batteries of the Left’s patriotic armies quiet all along the Bangsamoro Front after the beheadings.

    Is there no automated programmed response for such an eventuality, no ready-made pre-approved Party Line on such a happening?

    Not even a single picket, placard or poster in support of the troops?

    Is it because the NPA are killing the very same troops in their own insurgency?

    I wonder if they’re feeling axe-envy, since THEY are not as fanatical or commited as the beheaders of Basilan. Even if they each reportedly killed, kidnapped, extorted or raped about 2000 people each in the last few years, I bet you those ex UP and PUP professors in the NPA couldn’t actually bring themselves to SAW OFF a human being’s head!

  20. DJB,

    Isagani Cruz wrote about it.

    And
    “But before July 10, everyone had the luxury of claiming that the definition of terrorism is VAGUE and can be applied to just about anybody.
    Do you still want to make such claims, MB?
    No. You have to think of something else, because real events on Basilan have defined the crime of terrorism for us, in the flesh as it were.
    I like it when my opposition must next argue with Reality!”

    And the reality is your silly definition does not even cover the begeadings because the criminals made no demands on the government before they committed their crime.

    So there.

    And next time. Don’t ask me a question and then give yourself an answer for me. It makes you look like you’re afraid you might not get the answer you prepared for.
    Argue with real people not with strawmen DJ.

  21. “And the reality is your silly definition does not even cover the beheadings because the criminals made no demands on the government before they committed their crime.”

    Yok, yok, yok. this made me laugh. it’s true. going by HSA’s definition of terror, there was no “unlawful demand…”

  22. If i get DJB’s drift in his comments above regarding the report he quoted (at August 3rd, 2007,2:16 pm):

    “it was the ceasefire committee who ordered them not to fire because they were engaging friendly forces (the MILF).”

    i think he intends to apply the HSA to the ceasefire committee (i.e. ‘dureza and his peaceniks’) who made an order not to fire which i suppose he interprests to be ‘unlawful’.

    So the Abus and MILFs might not be covered by the HSA, but the ceasefire committee may be.

  23. “The public education system is only up to high school”.

    And also there are normal colleges, (teachers colleges) trade schools that offer college programs and they are publicly funded if you don’t call them public education, what about the Catholic High Schools and other private High Schools.. Si ca t talaga and akala sya lang ang magaling.

    Those are state colleges and universities which although receive funding from the government charges tuition fees and miscellaneous.

    And there are qualifying exams to pass before one can enroll as a student.

    You call this public?

    If you want to know about the definition of public education system, go to wikipedia.

    If you do not know how to navigate in the internet, I am kind enough to give you a brief statement what it is.

    It applies only to basic education,education or primary and secondary education. Rarely o they apply to post-secondary.

    I was an academician and I do not open my mouth when I do not know the subject.

  24. Well, you forgot about the University of the Philippines. And that’s been in decline over the last couple of decades.

    Tililing ka pa rin. 😉

    UP is a state university.

    See the definition of public education in wikipedia. Kaklase mo si Bibs?

    And Jolibee is in Daly City that time and not in San Francisco.

    Panay ka pa rin, pabilib kahit clueless ka.

  25. Of course I know a little bit how to navigate the internet, but if you gave the Wiki as a reference, then your knowledge as an academician as good as the Wiki.

    I am still in the Public School system in Canada, which from junior kinder to grade l2 (it was up to grade 13 a few years back) is Publicly funded a 100% and I attend the Catholic School, which loo and behold is also a Public School system in this side of the world of Wiki.

    And do you ever hear if a single University or College in Canada is Privately owned? And that it is also Publicly Funded to 60% and they also require qualifying exams for entrance and some 40 % of Tuitions and Fees, which are available as students’ loans including for board and lodging. Maybe you can find these in the Wiki too… si ca t talaga academician…

  26. And our teachers are telling us, never ever to use the Wiki as reference, but instead read the books, which are also available free from our taxpayers and in abundance in all Public Libraries. I’d rather be a drop out that an academician that seems to know everything…

  27. the government can barely afford to give FREE primary and secondary education. how do you think UP and all its branches across the archipelago maintain themselves -through foreign aid? no wonder they are the breeding ground of leftist activism and rabid anti-“imperialism”.

    btw, the only way “language tourism” can attract foreigners is if the product is of high quality, and the whole exercise is cost effective for the customer. no room for shoddy scams or “get-rich quick” schemes.

  28. And our teachers are telling us, never ever to use the Wiki as reference, but instead read the books, which are also available free from our taxpayers and in abundance in all Public Libraries.

    Come up with your own definition Brian oops bibs.

  29. I am still in the Public School system in Canada, which from junior kinder to grade l2 (it was up to grade 13 a few years back)

    There you go, thank you for giving an example.

    Btw, that definition applies not only in the Philippines but also in other countries like Canada.

  30. And do you ever hear if a single University or College in Canada is Privately owned? And that it is also Publicly Funded to 60% and they also require qualifying exams for entrance and some 40 % of Tuitions and Fees.

    Then that is not public because it is not one hundred per cent funded and there is a barrier for entry, the qualifying
    exams.

    We are talking about the Philippines, not Canada but the
    the same thing applies. They are not called public universities but rather state colleges and universities.
    Their operation is not only funded by the government because they can receive donations and grants. endowments.

  31. blockquote>I am still in the Public School system in Canada, which from junior kinder to grade l2 (it was up to grade 13 a few years back) is Publicly funded a 100% and I attend the Catholic School, which loo and behold is also a Public School system in this side of the world of Wiki.

    Am I talking to a grader? (Tampal ang noo.)

    No honey, don’t drop from school. At least finish your Grade 12 and enroll in your high school.

    Regarding Catholic schools being publicly funded, blame your Constitution since your educational system (Take note educational) is divided according to religion.

    This system however was abolished by many provinces excluding Ontario, Alberta and other cities. Some Protestant schools are also publicly funded.

    But still the public education system is only up to K-12 and high school.

    The colleges and universities merely receive funding from the government to augment the minimal tuition fees charges.

    Mag-aral ka muna ineng o iho. Baka may assignment ka pa hindi ka grumaduate.

  32. Ca t “No honey, don’t drop from school. At least finish your Grade 12 and enroll in your high school”.

    I think you look at the Wiki too quick. Grade 12 is the end of H.S.

    Ca t Again “Regarding Catholic schools being publicly funded, blame your Constitution since your educational system (Take note educational) is divided according to religion.”

    There is only one educational system in each province and religion has nothing to do with it.It is known as Public System…

    This system however was abolished by many provinces excluding Ontario, Alberta and other cities. Some Protestant schools are also publicly funded.

    More of Cat “This system however was abolished by many provinces excluding Ontario, Alberta and other cities. Some Protestant schools are also publicly funded.”

    What has Cities got to do with Education? Education is a Provincial Government Responsibilities and it is Standardized in a Province. And a city I believe is a component of a Province.

    Again this Grade 12 Student advice, don’t rely too much on the University of the Wikis, they still can’t issue Diplomas…

  33. “The colleges and universities merely receive funding from the government to augment the minimal tuition fees charges.”

    But if you are an American or any Foreign Student, studying in any of Our Universities, you will have to Pay the Whole 100% tuition and all other school fees, which is still a bit cheaper overall than the U.S. for Profit Universities and Colleges, but only if there is room for you, Canadian first policy. Go check the Wiki, this H.S. Grader post these comments on the fly, direct from the Public School Systems product which we have no choice, because there is no other. Maybe the Wiki…

  34. Stupid editorial in the Inquirer. Reckless warmongering? Revenge is not warmongering. People want vengeance not war. If the MILF gave up the criminals, would we still be talking about war? Such nonsense. I was all for peace during Erap’s time when he declared an all-out war against the MILF. No one went to EDSA at that time and I remember myself looking at the faces of Paredes and Tita Cory to protest the war in Iraq and being angry about it. Why protest Iraq when they didn’t protest Mindanao?

    It’s a different story this time.

  35. Bibs,

    I use Wikipedia like a portal or search engine. I begin every research there. It’s highly reliable if you have other references. Wikipedia, unlike encyclopedias can be corrected; encylopedias cannot; you’ll have to wait for the next edition.

    teachers who tell you to avoid Wikipedia don’t know what they’re talking about. Where are you supposed to do your research? Google? The library? He.

  36. Brian, this is bibs posting on uncle vic’s account, (have to change it every time, since I’m just visiting). I do a lot of research on the Internet and look at the Wikis a lot, but our teacher just concern that most of us rely so much on it and find some inaccuracies in our works. So actually what they were saying is to cross-reference them with some others..It is just that C at is trying to tell us to check the Wiki, makes ‘cle blood boils to the Max. hehe.. be back in California, I am an American, just taking the Cudgels for my dearest uncle..clik the handle and you’ll see all of me, just scroll…thanksss….

  37. Stupid Editorial,

    Why go out of your way in understanding the context of those acts of ambush and beheadings? The only moral response is to get the bastards then when you got them and they’re punished, talk about the reasons. There’s nothing worse than pretentious hesitation couched in the jargon of intellectual pacifists when the next act is obvious, even predetermined (if you live elsewhere in the world).

    By all means, the military shouldn’t be rash in firing artillery on these hurementados. Do it deliberately and with reasoning force. Precede every exploding shell with

  38. I am an American, just taking the Cudgels for my dearest uncle..clik the handle and you’ll see all of me, just scroll…thanksss….

    Nagkakahalataan yata ang mga alternicks. Hohum.

    So Bibs is an American taking the cudgel for his dearest uncle, a Canadian.

    And she or he is just vacationining and is already talking about the education system in Canada.

    Hohum…

  39. BrianB, i think the Christian majority should demonstrate the wisdom of turning the other cheek. Now would be a good opportunity to do that.

  40. Coaching, proper coaching, that’s what the kids need nowadays and a little prodding with a nice laptop as a bribe, just like the politicians, got to bribe these kids for their own good. And bibs is a she, a very nice and pretty she (biased). A true product of Catholic School in P.I. (Sienna Catholics) and now a student of American Public systems. Got a crash course on Canadian systems during summer break in this northern neigbourhoods and be back in time to prepare to qualify for Stanford U at Palo Alto..and because of the Amnericans pay if you want a Good Quality Education, unlike ours here where just Qualify for entrance and bingo it is subsidized, got to dig in deeper sometimes next year if she qualifies. and she’s not bad, average A’s and A plusses with only one B to tackle and that is because of the Wikis…

  41. Vic,CVJ

    Thanks very much!
    Re:my blog
    I deleted it,I had no time blogging kasi sa line of work ko,call center agent.

    I know CVJ ,you are in the IT field and you do work at night shift,but I don’t have the luxury of doing so…You must be a boss there in Singapore.

    Now,i am in betwen jobs again..waiting for an opening in the staff of a senator,who might have to go to the supreme court just to attend the senate sesions….if not that senator then another old friend of my dad..

    Basically, I think it is about time to help my dad,who is not getting any younger.

  42. MB,
    Fair enough. But it does beg the question. Are there justiciable crimes under HSA 2007 relative to the Basilan July 10 incident?

    That example about some one running into a restaurant and blowing himself up without “making an illegal demand” was a failed attempt at reductio ad absurdum by Neri Colmenares, on a show with Tina Monson Palma. That is NOT what the definition means, and several posts on PC have explained in detail the elements of (1) crime under existing law; (2) political motives and demands; (3) intent to sow fear or panic;

    The HSA most definitely applies to the Abu, MILF and the beheaders. Element One of their crime is already being established on Basilan by a lone judge, who has issued 130 warrants of arrest under the Revised Penal Code.

    The clowns on the “independent fact finding committee” added four names to the list, but would not officially release their facts. Remember it is not just the beheading and scavenging that we are interested in. The murders are still the main crimes, and the MILF, not the Abus are guilty of that, by their own early admissions.

    BTW, I don’t think 130 is a small number to indicate the scale of the murderous ambushcade, which took ten hours to complete (the fighting part!). The beheading and scavenging part seems to have happened that Tuesday night on Basilan. But 130 against a convoy of 7 vehicles carrying heavily armed soldiers? — okay, okay, they had about 10% dud ammo, but that is said to be normal for the AFP and most 3rd world countries. I find it funny that people who normally would deprive the AFP of every budget centavo so they can spend it on the poor and hungry, now suddenly realize how wrong it is to do so. Then of course we blame the Americans since the stuff we can’t afford to buy ourselves then comes from their stocks.

    Still, the very first reports indicate attacking forces of over 400 MILF-ASG regulars and “opportunistic” forces.

    I think the number of arrest warrants should be closer to 500, including possible accomplices and accessories to the crimes of murder, torture, pillage, mutilation, robbery in band, destruction of govt property, theft, larceny, etc…
    associated with the incident.

  43. CVJ,

    If stand-down orders were illegally or improperly given by the ceasefire committee or peace panelists to fire-support and evacuation helicopters on the scene, and to the ground-based howitzer batteries not to fire to help the Marine Unit pinned down in the mud of Tipo-tipostan, then those who gave those orders are liable under HSA 2007 as accessories or accomplices in any main terrorism case that might be brought against the MILF.

    Remember that in California, two brothers have been indicted, one of them, a Central Command member of the JI, has been harbored by MILF in Mindanao for several years and was illegally receiving, money, weapons, clothing, electronics like night vision goggles, etc from his brother in San JOse. (Folks please read up on Rahmat and Zulkifli Abdhir…this is really impt, bilib me!)

    I think as a result of this case involving a wanted JI member with $5Million on his head, the MILF will join the CPP NPA and the ASG on the US FTO list.

    Then folks like Dureza, Gen. Garcia, and even Commander in chief GMA better watch out. They’ll be dealing with the California Highway Patrol ‘afore too long!

  44. DJB,

    I have always looked up to you as a mentor in the blogdom,even before I learned that we are co allumnus of lSGH.

    As to some of the comments na admittedly some parang tungkol sa comments ko about teka teka mortars…

    How True!…that is true with all third world nations,but as to blaming the Americans,that I am not doing even when I said That the weapons might have come from the same source,and it just so happen that the wear and tear of the ammos of the rebels seems less than those of the soldiers.

    I am blaming no one..this war has been going on before the spaniards came!

    And if you want to go back further….let us not go there.

    Cheers! DJB just a comment.

  45. Karl,
    we are all just spectators, and you are the last one to do the things that the media are capable of. You see, they are shaping their battleground too…those forces that have been saying all sorts of things about the new law and about the military. They snicker when GMA says self-serving but true things like, 99.9% of the military are really dedicated to their jobs, even if they are sometimes incompetentm, ill trained or illequipt for those jobs.

    What I am totally disdainful of tho, are so-called patriots when it comes to communist insurgents and those who pretend not to be communist insurgents. They are the ones promoting a culture that hates and distrusts the military.

    Well we know of the military’s failings, but as an institution it is our duty to uphold and support the troops. Without that, you have country that itself will look like those 10 marines: besieged and attacked on all sides, cut up and divided among brigands.

    And beheaded because its inteligentsia is PARALYZED by leftist ideology.

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