A.k.a. "Mark", "Bong"
Exact address unknown: BF Parañaque or Merville
Age: about 36
In 1986 Baron Cervantes representing Letran College joined the Nationalist Students Alliance, one of the groups that were organized by the group of Rudy Soliman, former Kabataang Barangay National Operations director, to support Marcos in the snap elections of 1986. He also befriended a brother of a known Marcos loyalist, former Col. Rey Cabauatan. He and Rey Cabauatan also knew each other.
After the EDSA revolt, the NSA was transformed into an anti-communist organization by its leaders who were tapped as part of the effort to break the dominance of the Kabataang Makabayan-League of Filipino Students in the campuses especially in Metro Manila. Through the NSA, Cervantes was able to get acquainted with the young officers of the RAM particularly those who later organized the Young Officers Union (YOU) and who actively cultivated alliance with mass organizations to counter the communist threat and moves to isolate the military from the Cory administration.
During the coup attempt in 1989, he suddenly appeared at the Laurel residence along Shaw Boulevard supposedly to offer support to then Vice President Salvador "Doy" Laurel in case then President Cory Aquino would be unseated. Soon he started frequenting gatherings of the opposition especially those held at the Laurel residence. Here he started introducing himself as a rebel soldier. He was able to befriend the Laurel family who knew him as "Mark" while some staff members of the Laurel family suspected that he was surreptitiously photocopying documents at the Laurel residence.
A YOU member suspected that Cervantes was the one who took some missing documents related to the operation that freed Rebolusyonaryong Alyansang Makabayan (RAM) officer, Billy Bibit from prison. Some YOU leaders had expressed doubts about him from the start. First, he never was an organic member of the Armed Forces. And second, nobody could ascertain where he came from.
After the YOU practically disintegrated, Cervantes used his acquired acquaintance with some YOU personalities to get closer to the RAM. He attended RAM public affairs and would get himself photographed with RAM personalities. He appeared in several published photographs and TV videos with Sen. Gringo Honasan and other RAM personalities.
Sometime in the early years of the Ramos administration Cervantes used to hang around the Foreign Liaison Office in Camp Crame where he was even seen using the computers there.
Cervantes has been identified to be the news "source" of some media reporters on many occasions.
In the Philippine Daily Inquirer issue of May 24, 2000 he was quoted as denying the involvement of the YOU in the recent spate of bombings in Metro Manila.
In the Manila Times issue of May 23, 2000, he was quoted as saying that the latest series of bombings at the Glorietta and Megamall "could not have been the handiwork of Muslim extremists or Muslim rebels" and suggested it was the work of government agents.
He was identified in this Manila Times news item as an "Army Captain and co-founder of the Young Officers Union."
He is believed to be the same unidentified RAM-YOU "source" quoted by the PDI in a series on "coup rumors" after the exclamation silent protest against PJEE was launched.
Cervantes styles and introduces himself as an "Army Captain" thru his RAM-YOU calling cards.
One of his RAM calling cards bears the name "Capt. Baron ‘Bong’ R Cervantes" with office address at 5112 Filmore corner Curie Sts., Barangay Palanan, Makati City with office tel. no. 851-7257 and residence tel. no. 801-6077 (not in service at the moment).
Another business card identifies the subject as "Capt. Baron Cervantes of the Strategic Intelligence Management Group of the Young Officers Union."
Cervantes was a cadet officer of Citizens Military Training (CMT) unit of Letran College in Manila in the mid "80s.
He underwent Probationary Training at Fort Bonifacio under the then Metropolitan Citizens Military Training Command (MCMTC) in the summer of 1986.
During the campaign period for the 1998 elections, he figured prominently in several meetings held by the Women for De Villa movement. At the same time, he was reported to have attempted to be included in Jinggoy Estrada’s political machinery campaigning for Erap Estrada. He even asked a former staff of Doy Laurel now working for President Estrada to help him get hired by the Office of the President.
There was a time when Cervantes was frequently seen inside Camp Crame where he usually conducted interviews with mediamen.
On August 9, 2000 Philippine Daily Inquirer came out with a banner story on the formation of a "new group" that is "out to wake up Erap," named Aklas Pilipino reportedly composed of "former Cabinet officials of the Aquino and Ramos administration, leaders of the Young Officers’ Union, and former Moro rebels asking President Estrada to reform."
In the above report by Donna Cueto it was Cervantes, again described as a co-founder of YOU, who was widely quoted. Among other things that he said, he warned that the new group was prepared to take "drastic action if the administration would not mend it ways."
Aklas Pilipino is not a new name. It was already used by an alliance among the YOU and its supporters in 1989 when a coup attempt was made against the Cory government. It then meant Aklasan ng Kabataang Lakas ng Sambayanang Pilipino. It was mentioned in the book, "Kudeta, The Challenge to Philippine Democracy," by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.
During the press conference regarding Gov. Chavit Singson's charges against President Estrada on October 9, 2000 at the Klub Pilipino in Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, Cervantes was spotted milling around and acting as one of those in-charge of the affair. Like those worn by members of the pro-Joma Sison Kilusang Mayo Uno and Bayan and by followers of the governor on that day, Cervantes was wearing something red, apparently the color agreed upon for the occasion.