I stand here
today at the risk of being labeled as “Abu Sayyaf lover” by no less than
President Arroyo, because of my expressed reservation on the holding of the
Balikatan 02-1 military exercises in Basilan.
I also would like to clarify in advance that I don’t wish to question
our President’s self-declared superior IQ despite the questionable wisdom of
many of her decisions particularly on the handling of the Abu Sayyaf problem.
But lest I be misunderstood, I would like to stress here, Mr. Speaker, that I totally abhor the Abu Sayyaf and like anyone else in this august body, I believe that these marauding bandits have no place in a civilized society like ours. Over the past ten years, this group have terrorized not only our brothers and sisters in Mindanao by employing barbaric acts such as kidnapping, bombings of churches and other civilian targets, torture and rape of women captives, and the beheading of their helpless victims.
All these
heinous crimes committed by the Abu Sayyaf
should really end now. The Abu Sayyaf deserves no mercy and should be
annihilated by the Armed Forces and National Police the soonest time possible.
As a former
broadcast journalist, I can honestly say that the Abu Sayyaf’s long record of
savagery and atrocities have given them had given them the celebrity status as
one of the world’s most talked-about terrorist group. They have made the
Philippines as one of the scariest places on earth.
In
the Philippines, the mere mention of the word Abu Sayyaf is enough to strike
fear and terror among the public and evoke rage and anger among their victims
and their families. There is no doubt that the Abu Sayyaf’s long list of
heinous crimes is the main reason why a majority of the population supports the
Arroyo administration’s all-out offensive against the bandit group. This also
explains why the people of Zamboanga, which had been a favorite target of
bombings by the extremist group, welcome with open heart the deployment of US
troops as part of the ongoing Balikatan exercises.
I have yet
to talk to anyone who admires the
Abu Sayyaf, including those who were tagged as Abu Sayyaf lovers by our beloved
President. The sentiment of the
entire nation is clear: That the Abu Sayyaf
should be crushed . They should be erased from the face of the earth.
This is the
reason, Mr. Speaker, why I find it rather surprising why the Malacanang-based
Office of the Press Secretary and the Defense Department decided to have the
video footage of an alleged Abu Sayyaf member beheading two AFP soldiers shown
on national television without consideration of its negative impact especially
on minors and children who were clearly shocked and terrified when they saw it
on prime time. I’m sure the TV networks which aired the controversial footage
have finally come to realize that the showing of the footage serves no purpose
and have decided to be more discerning the
next time.
The
President’s media handlers assert that the public showing of the video was
intended to “educate” the public on the evils of the Abu Sayyaf. They
claimed that they wanted to show the truth about their barbarism and savagery.
But is this
the real reason Mr. Speaker, my dear colleagues? I pose this question because I
firmly believed that the entire nation is pretty much aware of what the Abu
Sayyaf really is. They already know the truth about their many despicable acts.
They have been adequately educated by the media of their evil deeds.
On the contrary Mr. Speaker, the showing of the video footage only trumpeted in massive scale the evil objective of the Abu Sayyaf: This is to sow fear and terror in our hearts and mind. They don’t want us to feel safe. They want us to believe that they can get away with their barbarism and the Arroyo government, our own government, was just too gullible to fall victim into their own propaganda scheme.
In an
interview with GMA 7 last Feb. 19, Press Undersecretary Roberto Capco revealed
that the release of the video footage had the blessing of President Arroyo and
her entire Cabinet. Does this mean that no one among the cabinet secretaries,
not even Education Secretary Raul Roco, objected to the contents of the video
tape which will be shown to the public? Fortunately, President Arroyo disowned
Usec Capco’s statement by saying that they never discussed in any of the
Cabinet meetings. In fact, Secretary Roco, who described the video footage as
“propaganda,” criticized the AFP for giving a bad advice to the President.
“They do not build on truth. They build on fallacies,” Roco was quoted as
saying.
But what
caught my attention most was the fact that the controversial video footage was
the same video clip which former President Joseph Estrada showed to Bishop
Orlando Quevedo, head of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the
Philippines (CBCP), and Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal sometime in 2000.
Mr. Estrada, himself, confirmed that the video released by the OPS was those of
MILF members beheading soldiers. The video tape, according to the former
President, was among those seized by the military when it overran MILF camps
when he was president.
It is
interesting to note, Mr. Speaker, that it was then AFP chief Gen. Angelo Reyes
who gave the tape to his former commander-in-chief, Mr. Estrada, as part of the
propaganda campaign in the all-out war against the MILF. Then Press Secretary
Ricardo Puno even showed the video tape to my former colleague at ABS-CBN, Tony
Velasquez, for possible airing in his TV station. I, myself, got a copy of the
tape from my brother, Boying, who was then an assistant secretary at the
Presidential Management Staff. Exercising his editorial judgment, Puno then
decided that it was not suitable for airing because of its graphic display of
savagery. Hence, the beheading footage, which was then labeled as the handiwork
of the MILF, did not find its way in any of our television networks.
Comes now
Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes. After betraying his former commander-in-chief in
EDSA 2, he now denies the belief of Mr. Estrada that the video tape which he
showed to Bishop Quevedo and Cardinal Vidal was the handiwork of MILF rebels.
Now what kind of officer and gentleman is Gen. Reyes? He is now denying that
statement of his former commander-in-chief just because he is now serving a new
commander-in-chief? May I also point out that Secretary Reyes does not even
agree with AFP spokesman Brig. Gen. Edilberto Adan that the video tape was
volunteered by a Filipino OCW working in a Middle Eastern country. Contrary to
what Adan claimed, Secretary Reyes admitted that the video tape was taken from
the AFP’s archives.
However, the
bigger question Mr. Speaker is not who but why.
It seems to
me that statements from our military officials and from
the President’s media handlers in relation to the public release of the
footage are like jigsaw pieces that doesn’t fit together. This makes me
suspect the motive behind the release of this controversial footage.
Is it
possible that the Arroyo administration is already laying the groundwork for
direct military action of the American troops who are now in Basilan? Is
the Balikatan training a mere staging ground of an American military intrusion
into Philippine soil? I ask this because incidentally, the decision to show the
gruesome footage to the public came just as President Bush declared his
government’s new policy that the US can use its military force in any
sovereign country to rescue its citizens.
I
should point out that personally, I don’t have any problem if
US troops are used to annihilate the Abu Sayyaf . But we are governed by
the Constitution which clearly states as a matter of policy
that the “ State shall pursue an independent foreign policy…In its
relations with other states the paramount consideration shall be national
sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to
self-determination.” (Article 2 section 7
under State Policies).
As I’ve
said, I want to see the end of the Abu Sayyaf. However, the government should
ensure that this would be done under parameters of our Constitution. We are in a
civilized society where the end doesn’t always justify the means. We are
governed by rules that are not to be subject of compromise.
Mr. Speaker,
I would like to end this privilege speech by calling for an inquiry to find the
truth about the controversial tape. I find it necessary, Mr. Speaker, so that we
can possibly craft a legislation that would set clearer parameters in relation
to joint military exercises in the future. Is also my firm belief that officials
of the AFP, especially the Chief of Staff, should be truthful in relaying
information, assessments and probable scenarios to the civilian leaders of this
country. Even in matters of propaganda, the AFP leadership should stick to the
truth and should not engage in disinformation especially if the victims of such
deceptive ploy are the civilian leadership and the public.
But above all, Mr. Speaker, I want to call for an inquiry about this
matter so that we can be all enlightened on the finer details of the Balikatan
exercises.
Thank you
Mr. Speaker.