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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| The FBI Squeeze By Antonio C. Abaya Written Sept. 13, 2005 For the Standard Today, September 15 issue There is a minor storm a-brewing in the US that threatens to grow into a Category 5 hurricane by the time it hits our shores. As I write this, late evening of Sept. 13, some details are beginning to gel from snippets of information that have come out in ANC Channel 23, TV Patrol on Channel 2, the Manila Bulletin, and the website of Inq7.net. So far, we know that: One. Michael Ray Aquino, one of the key lieutenants of then PNP Chief, now Senator, Panfilo Lacson, was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in New York last Saturday, Sept 10, for espionage. Aquino and Cesar Mancao, another key lieutenant of Lacson, disappeared several years ago after they were indicted in the murder of publicist Salvador �Bubby� Dacer and his driver in November 2000. It was later revealed that the two had flown to Hong Kong with fake Philippine passports, (they were on the Hold Departure list of Immigration), then flew to the US with their real passports. Aquino is also co-accused with Lacson in the Kuratong Baleleng multiple murder case. Two. Also arrested with Aquino, but in another location, was Leandro Aragoncillo, an American citizen of Filipino descent, who works as an intelligence analyst for the FBI. He is said to have been sending electronically to Aquino, since January 2005, information that he had the security clearance to download from the FBI database, a total of 101 documents in all, of which 37 were classified as �secret.� Aquino is said to have paid undisclosed amounts of money to Aragoncillo for the information he supplied, the classic definition of espionage. Since Aquino has been TNT (until he was arrested last March for a visa violation), and is said to be studying to be a registered nurse in order to sustain himself, that bribe money must have been supplied by another person or persons who had money to spare as well as the motivation to acquire the FBI documents that Aragoncillo was selling. NBI Director Reynaldo Wycoco disclosed that three government officials in the Philippines would also be charged by the FBI for conspiracy. One of the three is said to be a �former national-level public official,� and the other two are �current national-level public officials.� The guessing game has begun on who these three are. The leading candidate for that �former national-level public official� seems to be former president Joseph Estrada, with former president Fidel Ramos and former defense secretary Renato de Villa as poor and unlikely second and third placers. As for the two �current national-level public officials,� the leading candidate, by far, is Sen. Panfilo Lacson. Not only because Aquino was one of his key lieutenants in the PNP and was even rumored to be his Golden Boy, but also because espionage seems to be Lacson�s forte, among other�ah�talents. Recall, for instance, his expose on who were visiting Mike Arroyo in the LTA building in Makati City at the height of his Jose Pidal revelations. Who the other �current national-level (Philippine) public official� is, is still open to speculation. He or she will have to be uncompromisingly anti-Arroyo, he or she must have a lot of money, and he or she must be a sitting senator or congressman or cabinet member. Or city mayor, if the correct category is �current secondary-level public official,� as it appears in some news reports.� That narrows it down to only two or three, but we will not know for sure until the FBI files its conspiracy charges on Sept. 21 or 23. Obviously feeling alluded to and personally convinced that he really is going to be one the FBI�s indictees, Lacson warned Wycoco not to �politicize the matter against two fellow Filipinos.� Lacson has admitted receiving email from Aquino but said that these were mostly compilations of articles about the Philippine political situation and which �were largely news that have been seen and read in our local media.� It remains to be seen if Lacson received all 101 documents that the FBI said were illegally downloaded by Aragoncillo from its database, which would include 37 that it classifies as �secret.� Lacson may consider these documents as �not sensitive to the Americans.� But the Americans would be the better judge of that, since it is their documents that have been electronically stolen from their files by Aragoncillo and passed on to Lacson by Aquino. Lacson also admitted having kept �in close touch� with Aquino since he �migrated to the US.� Migrated? I thought Aquino fled to the US as a fugitive from Philippine justice. Isn�t the senator then guilty of obstructing justice by not revealing to Philippine authorities the whereabouts of Aquino, whom they were looking for, as Lacson certainly knew? Aquino and Aragoncillo were arrested in possession of documents pertaining to �highly classified assessments of the Philippine political situation� as well as � assessments of Philippine political leaders,� according to Wycoco. If this is accurate, then this espionage affair could become embarrassing not only to the �three Philippine officials,� presumably from the opposition, who will soon be charged by the FBI for conspiracy, but also to the highest �Philippine political leaders,� presumably including President Arroyo, who are indubitably analyzed and weighed in all brutal candor and warts-and-all honesty in these highly classified assessments meant only for the eyes of the highest US government officials. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez is said to have asked the US Justice Department for information on the documents allegedly obtained by Aquino from Aragoncillo. �Considering the current political situation in the country, it could be detrimental to our government.� You got that right, Raul. Because governments, especially the American government, do not make these moves without a reason and without having evaluated all the possible consequences, it may not be far-fetched to conclude that this is going to be a Big Squeeze. But from the information at hand, it is not yet certain who is or are going to be squeezed the hardest, until their, his or her eyeballs pop out of their sockets. I have written columns in the past (2004) detailing why, in my opinion, the Americans are not happy with President Arroyo and want to see her replaced. Her sins are: withdrawal of the Philippine contingent from Iraq, signing an agreement with Beijing for oil exploration in the Spratlys, and failure to dismantle the Jemaah Islamiyah training camps in Mindanao. In November 2004, The Heritage Foundation, one of the three think tanks that advise the neo-conservative Republican government of President George W. Bush, assessed President Arroyo as the �weakest leader in Southeast Asia.� I have also written columns going as far back as 2002 on why the Americans turned down Lacson in December 2000 when he presented himself in Washington DC as a fast-track alternative to both the sinking Joseph Estrada and the rising Gloria Arroyo. It may be significant that the FBI will not start to divulge the details of this affair until seven days from now. By that time, President Arroyo will have concluded her chairmanship of the United Nations Security Council Summit in New York. If my reading is correct, the Americans are gallant enough not to embarrass her by regurgitating the stinking vomit of Philippine politics on her lap while she is hobnobbing with the most powerful men in the world. But after seven days, who knows? ***** Reactions to [email protected] or fax 824-7642. Other articles in www.tapatt.org. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |
| Reactions to �The FBI Squeeze� Dear Mr. Abaya, Another factor that makes the present situation more confusing is that there is no apparent U.S. point man among the cast of players. In EDSA, Fidel Ramos was perceived to be America's fair-haired boy. That gave him a certain mystique, an air of superiority, because it was assumed that America's might and firepower were behind him. Whether that was true or not, Ramos played it to the hilt. And it was a very important factor in rallying the troops, and the middle class, to his side. Now, no one enjoys the perception of being anointed by the U.S. This FBI squeeze is bad news for Ping Lacson. Not only will he be perceived as not being on the U.S. shortlist, the perception will be that he is on the U.S. shitlist. Whether the Communists like it or not, America's imprimatur is very vital for acceptance by the middle class. Tarnished or not, America is still the beacon of light and hope for most Filipinos. Of course, the Communists won't buy that. But then, neither can they get the fact that the middle class just doesn't want to have anything to do with them. Witness how their front organization, Migrante, fell flat on its face by presumptuously calling on all OFW's to stop sending remittances home. Ha! Ha! For the month of July alone, OFW remittances soared a whopping 25.7%! For the first seven months of the year, remittances grew by a remarkable 22%! Unwittingly, the Communists are turning out to be Gloria Arroyo's best allies. In the meantime, there is a lot of chatter in the air. There is even talk that some troops loyal to Ping and Erap may make a move this weekend. But none of this chatter is consistent. And the pattern is not coherent. Most noticeable is the void in leadership. There is no commanding presence who can unite the troops. And America has not yet tipped her hand to reveal her preference. Sincerely yours, Carl Cid S.M. Inting, [email protected] Cebu City, September 16, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, Very interesting analysis. Impressive. On the Jemaah Islamiyah, basta basta lang ba na ididismantle iyan? Hindi nga magawa sa Abu Sayyaf, iyong JI pa? On JI, Al Qaeda, and the continuing sadness in Iraq, I think that to diminish, if not do away with the indiscriminate dying of the innocent ones, this would require a radical restructuring of the international political, economic, and social order. But how come there seems to be peace, progress, and unity in Malaysia? I think it is still the quality of the political and governmental system that matters. I was wondering, are the wealthy in Malaysia stashing their riches in the US, in England, in Europe, in Switzerland, in Canada or Australia? Cesar Torres, [email protected] September 16, 2005 MY REPLY. Why does there seem to be peace, progress and unity in Malaysia? The over-all reason is good and decisive leadership on the part of Dr. Mahathir. It helps that 31% of Malaysia�s population are ethnic Chinese, who are the economic backbone of Malaysia, as they are of other prosperous East Asian countries: Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand (which is 15% Chinese.) By making the Malays and the Tamils also stakeholders in Malaysia�s prosperity, Mahathir forged peace and unity among the entire population. Do the wealthy in Malaysia stash their riches abroad? Probably some of them do. But if they can make their money make more money in the domestic economy, they will keep most of it at home. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Thank you for your evaluation of the going-on in Philippine political situation, particularly how the Americans are being affected. As you said, let us wait until GMA is back in the Pearl of the Orient Seas. Renato Perdon, [email protected] Sydney, Australia, September 16, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The plot thickens. Abangan ang susunod... :Alfredo �Ding� Roces, [email protected] Sydney, Australia, September 17, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww As usual, games big nations play. The Philippines is just but a pawn in the game of convenience. Bombing Moll, [email protected] September 16, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony: Your articles have consistently provided insightful material. Thanks a lot. Vic Barrios, [email protected] San Francisco, CA, September 16, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Great job (again!) Mr. Abaya. I am forwarding your write ups to all Filipinos here in the US, in UK & France. We need more brave and honest journalist like you.... We are proud of you! Now can you tell us about juveniles in our prison system who are abused and violated of their human (civil) rights? I will forward to you a comment from Eric Lachica. My group and I would like to be involved and help these kids rehabilitate, educated, and brought back to our society to be useful & productive citizens. Can you just imagine how not only their spirits are broken, but their entire life existence! They may have commited serious crimes but these young people deserve a second chance. Thank you.. Claire Flores, [email protected] www.poeticsparks.com, September 17, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished of email sent to 12 egroups) Excellent analysis from Antonio Abaya. It's anybody's ball game now until the two - Aquino and Aragoncillo - are charged on Sept. 21. Can't help but wonder whether the date is a mere coincidence, or something that's been carefully considered. FYI, for those too young to remember, September 21 was the declaration of Martial Law way back 1972. Michelle Alba Lim, [email protected] September 16, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww This espionage story appears to be funny. The USA spied on RP. A Filipino FBI analysts stole some of the spied secret documents and sent it to an aide of Lacson. The FBI arrest the Filipino spy and his cohorts, and probably will charge the recipients of the stolen documents. If the FBI comes out with the secret documents it got from spying on us, they will be showing us proof of their spying activity upon us. Ironically it will also be proof of their spying on us. Once we have proof that they have spied on us, can't we also charge them of spying? I don't know how the FBI spying charges will proceed in the light of their own "admission" of spying on us. Should we just let the USA get away from their spying crime? What is the real motive of the Americans with these espionage charges? Ogie Reyes, [email protected] September 17, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sir: There are still patriots in this country, although it gets more and more difficult to find them. Altruism and patriotism are getting to be rare qualities nowadays. What makes these qualities so difficult to cultivate these days is the fact that we abound with examples that crime does pay. Take the case of Ferdinand Marcos and his family. He was deposed, but was allowed to live in luxurious exile in Hawaii. In the meantime, he got to keep most of his ill-gotten wealth and was never tried for his crimes. Now, his wife and children are free as birds and enjoy the benefits of his loot. There is even a possibility that history will be revised and that he will be transformed into a hero. Complete with hero's burial. There is also the example of Joseph Estrada. In proportion to Marcos' time in office, Erap plundered and mismanaged the economy to a greater degree. He milked jueteng (which, in fairness, Marcos never touched and treated as "crumbs" for his military underlings), manipulated the stock market (the BW scandal) and brokered bank mergers using government funds (PCI-Equitable, for which he received a fabulous amount as "commission"). In the end he was ousted. But the succeeding GMA administration, succumbing to its trapo mentality, did not tighten the noose around Erap's neck or touch the massive ill-gotten wealth that Erap had accumulated. GMA was hoping to milk concessions out of Erap and his fanatical followers in return for leniency. Much the same way Cory Aquino was petrified into inaction by the threat of Marcos loyalists to destabilize her administration. In the meantime, Erap used his massive wealth to finance rallies and wild temper tantrums, such as the aimlessly destructive EDSA III. He also financed opposition figures and convinced his dimwitted buddy, FPJ, to run for President. Despite all these provocations, the accommodation-seeking GMA refused to apply the screws on Erap. He was detained in his comfortable vacation house and allowed regular visits to his doctors and his mother. His wife and mistresses could even take turns visiting him. When Samuel Ong lucked into the "Garci" tapes, Erap promptly plunked the P7 million (some say P10 million) that Ong asked for. By Erap's standards, this must have been one of the best bargains he ever got. Ong, of course, had to pay off the ISAFP sergeant who sold those tapes. A sad commentary about these events is that nobody was doing anything out of altruism or patriotism. It was always for money or political gain. Ong, Sgt. Doble, Tatad, Boy Morales, nobody had purity of intentions. Now come "Ninoy" Aquino and Aragoncillo. Were these guys patriots, or were they just plotters in the employ of Erap and Ping Lacson? Despite attempts to make them look like altruistic heroes, there are many loopholes in their story. First of all, Aquino was a fugitive who left behind many serious cases. He was a loyal henchman of Lacson's and was always in touch with his patron. Aragoncillo personally met Erap and his family. He knew Erap and was in touch with Erap. Could an apparently intelligent former Marine actually believe that Erap represented a patriotic cause? Or was he contracted to steal classified information from the FBI? More likely than not, it was a straight financial transaction. Waving the flag of patriotism is a ruse to deflect from the crime. In the end, Gloria Arroyo has only herself to blame. Her greed and her hunger to retain power led her to make pacts with the devil. In turn, she was double-crossed. If she is finally ousted, Erap will make a grand comeback. He may not be restored as President, but an indebted opposition will make sure his name is restored with full honors and, best of all, he gets to keep all of his ill-gotten wealth. As for Gloria Arroyo, will she be made to pay for her crimes? Experience tells us not to count on it. In the Philippines, big-time crooks always get away. Juan Deiparine, [email protected] Toril, Davao City, September 17, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The US does not have the capacity to remove Arroyo even if she wants to. The US cannot even remove Fidel Castro from power who is considered an arch-enemy of the US and is hated by many Americans. Ramon del Gallego, [email protected] September 18, 2005 MY REPLY. But the US was able to remove Mosssadegh of Iran, Ngo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam, Salvador Allende of Chile, Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala, Patrice Lumumba of the Congo, and Noriega of Panama. Six out of seven is a pretty good batting average, wouldn�t you say?, better than any major league player�s in baseball history. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I find it very useful information regarding the spying activities of the two Filipinos of which information also derived from the spying activities by the Americans against us (Filipinos), written September 13 I the Standard Today ("The FBI Squeeze"). You know my education makes me believe that we are a sovereign and independent country, only to know, based on your column (that every aspiring president of the Philippines must seek approval from the U.S.,) that we are still a colony of the Americans. Sad to say the lives of our heroes have a meaningless effect in our present day cowardly society. Selling their souls to their master (the Americans) just to survive and live a luxury life at the expense of the poor innocent, less-educated Filipino citizens. Are our nationalist fellows true to their form today, who continue their struggle? I hope they are. Life is so precious as some philosopher said, but precious it maybe when we are free. More power to you. CLARITO P. GERARCAS, [email protected] Union, Dapa, Surigao del Norte, September 18, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww This is, indeed, a very serious offense against the federal government. We'll wait and see if those three "culprits" can get away (again) with murder. Pilipinas, Game Ka Na Ba? Ganny Cornelio, [email protected] September 19, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded to Tapatt) Thanks Claire- this is very insightful. It's almost clear in my mind that we have anarchy in our republic. Worst, we are losing our society- if we haven't yet already. Poor Philippines- so close to heaven, but too far from God. Take care. Neil Gagante, [email protected] September 19, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Very interesting piece of information. If thjis information is reliable and true who is being protected by the FBI here? Arroyo or Lacson? Or is it, none of the two? Dr. Nestor P. Baylan, [email protected] New York City, NY, September 21, 2005 MY REPLY. Probably neither of the two. But we will not know for sure until the contents of the �damaging dossiers on the President of the Philippines� are made public. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |