A “confused” armed forces

Here’s something written by Teddy Benigno back in 2003.
http://www.geocities.com/benign0/1-00_intro.html

I think the following excerpt pretty much sums up the issue on whether or not shifting to a new form of government will do us any good.

First Mr. Benigno enumerates the pre-requsite characteristics of a society required to successfuly implement a parliamentary government:

“What are or were the essential features of parliamentary government as conceived by Britain?

They are, among others, rule of law, the supremacy of a popularly-elected parliament, collective responsibility of the Cabinet (executive to Parliament) and a tradition of stable, program or policy-oriented political parties (Prof. Olivia Caoili, Legislative and Executive Relations in the Philippines and the Parliamentary Alternatives). Read that again. Stable, policy-oriented or program-oriented political parties. Without such parties as an ideological glue parliamentary government in the Philippines would be a colossal sham.

Do not tell me Lakas-NUCD is such a party, or Laban, or NPC. They are no more political parties in the European parliamentary tradition as a slut crossing herself is the reincarnation of Joan of Arc.

On the contrary, because we do not have such political parties, a parliamentary government in 2004 will be a riot of traditional politicians endlessly vying for power. Who cares for the political doctrine of John Locke or the laissez-faire philosophy of Adam Smith? You have lots of money. You can always buy the majority in Congress – give it a fancy political name – and become prime minister until the next bimbo, with more money than you have, comes along.”

Furthermore, he wrote:

“The Philippines couldn’t join that phenomenal [East Asian] economic onslaught [of the 60’s and 70’s], a highly “Westernized” country, it was outside the loop of Asian values and Confucian family and community tradition. Our country was an outsider. In an ample sense, it had the religious and social culture of Latin America – Ramon Catholic, impoverished, submissive, patient, resigned. Lawrence D. Harrington of Harvard, an international authority on this issue, wrote about the Latino: “Resignation of the poor. To be poor is to deserve heaven. To be rich is to deserve hell. It is good to suffer in this life because in the next life, you will find eternal reward.” He could have been writing about the Filipino. By the way, failed parliamentary governments are strewn all over Latin America, an economically backward continent. ”

And…

“We have a culture heavily resistant to development for many reasons.

We have a lousy work ethic still to banish the legend of Juan Tamad. We have a predominant Catholic religion accused rightly or wrongly of erecting brick walls to national riches and prosperity because that is supposed to be a big sin. The rewards will come in heaven. Our leadership care only for coupons not change. We don’t trust anybody except members of our family. What is precisely needed for development is community trust, a communal reaching out for the network of business and financial bondings that economic progress requires. We are too frolic-prone and fiesta-prone. We abhor long-range goals and programs that will make us sweat like a pack horse. We want to enjoy life now, and not sacrifice for tomorrow. We have turned our back on progressive education, without which we will forever be chained to poverty. We have no discipline.”

Also…

“The bulk of Filipinos are Roman Catholics. Are we therefore consigned – because of our culture – to the languid state of losers and laggards in an Asia starting to boom with wealth and plenty? They have the Confucian culture and the Asian values. We don’t have them. “

“The higher you go up in rank, the more compromises you have to make, the more you become involved in unethical conduct and corrupted by the system,”
-Ganyan naman po ang system in every government institution not just the military. Palakasan

Its good the military is not participating. We dont know what we will get from them anyway.

If only the opposition merged with the laft and push for militias as a replacement for the AFP then all of you will always be assured of a willing armed component.

Dapat the AFP should not interfere in any politically motivated activities. Huwag silang magpagamit with these corrupt politicians.

Ang mukha ngayon ng Pilipinas ay higit pa sa isang basurahan na nilalangaw at punumpuno ng dumi at nangangalingasaw sa sobrang baho. Mga bahong mula sa di magkasundong partido: pulaan doon at siraan doon. Mga pagbabagayan na nauwi lalo sa paghihirap ng mga mamamayan at ng bansa. Sino ang biktima? Di po ba si Juan de la Cruz, na lugmok na at hirap na hirap nang makatayo.

Politicians are fighting for power and are using the innocent masses to acquire it. The ones who are paying the price for this are the poor people and the country.

Paul/KSA

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P.N. Abinales said:

The only 2 differences between the late 1960s and today are that GMA cannot promise the officers a new society and strategic, forward looking coalition. And her patronage is unable to go beyond the senior officials; the generals who have already broken bread with her. It has not gone down the junior and even middle-level. On this Marcos was the better tactician.
===============

See, the above encapsulates everything that is wrong about our regard for the military.

Military personnel should not be regarded as a bunch of people that politicians should be “breaking bread” with.

Military personnel should be loyal to the country and EXPECTED to fight and obey orders when told to do so. Fighters’ core competency lies in fighting, and not in deciding the political correctness of their orders.

Instead on speculating about the military’s political leanings, Filipinos should have one single and clear directive to their soldiers — and that is to shut up and wait for their orders coming from the proper authorities.

Whenever we entertain the notion that soldiers are supposed to have anything in their heads beyond what is supposed to be a singular a focus on learning and acquiring new ways to fight more effectively, then we open doors for them to fancy themselves as factors in the political arena.

Whether or not GMA or any president whatsoever can “promise” whatever to whoever military officer should not distract our soldiers from their one and only job — to fight when told to fight and to prepare themselves to fight when there is no order to fight.

The opinion and sentiments of military personnel have no place in politics in a truly mature democracy.

Bravo!

P.N.Abinales and Benny Boy really do keep me on my toes.

Perhaps Benny Boy would make a better analysis of his own country’s failures in Iraq? Tsk..tsk….

Soldiers for fighting? Mali naman ata yun. Remember that what we want is to strenghten our institutions. And one such intitution is our military – the AFP. What makes a military first and foremost are traditions and values, regards to bravery, camaraderie, reward and respect. If that tradition has been crippled by corruption… pag mas marami kang kaibigan kamaganak na general mas malaki tsansa mo sapromotion o lalao na pag kinaibigan mo ang presidente… you can’t just say that soldiers must be soldiers. Else, just elicit a robotic clone army where obedience is written in circuits.

Rather you cleanse the institution within. Chain of command is not the above all definition of being a soldier. Especially having a confused organization, trying to uphold the chain is futile without addressing the evil inside and that is corruption. Corruption in the tradition and wealth of the military.

How could you fight the enemy when you see the face of your enemies in the chain of command.

Why it is hard to depoliticized the military?

Because they have guns…

What remains of the military is the packet of soldiers fignting the insurgencies in the south and NPA. They are the real soldiers firing their guns to save our republic. Because the military bureaucracy is already tainted with corruption.

our militarys case is not hopeless though… of course the real solution is again highly unrealistis at this time. That is to have a very idealistic leader with national vision.

She’s winning by default alright… and sadly, there’s nothing we can do about that. So let us not wait for the military’s help because definitely none will come: aside from a sick military we have a creeping impeachment case. soon it will be crippling then on a crippled case.

Of course we can not wait for the military to intervene at this point in time. We have to rely more on the the correctness of our cause and on our own strength. We must continue to build the pressure and should not be distructed by cha-cha. There are many triggers in the impeachment complaint and more are still coming. And with so many compromises she had made and impending EVAT (for petroleum, electricity, and water), how can she control budget deficit with the credit downgrades, how can she control spiralling prices, with diminishing business support on her government how can she control economic breakdown, how can she expect to control the people’s anger. Military will come in not by choice but as a matter of necessity or consequence.

since high school days , captain jarque has followed his conscience and has assessed every situation with a passion and thoroughness that can be seen in his impressive resume. he has always made a stand when necessary.

thus, it is interesting that he views the rule of law as being different from the soldier’s honor code of truth , fairness, and justice. in law school , future lawyers are taught that such things were the same.

indeed these should be, if the impeachment trials are heard with a view that the truth should prevail. then for the sake of our suffering people we will know if this country still follows the rule of law and not of men.

BUT, BUT, BUt….to do al this means doing some serious reading on the history of the AFP’s politicization from Aquino to the present (in which one of the best pieces was a book on RAM that PCIJ published during the Aquino period)

The name of this book is Kudeta: The Challenge to Philippine Democracy. PN Abinales is correct. It is an excellent starting point giving an excellent overview of the military and its rebellious factions, and provides an analysis of the changing status and role of the military and its relations to the central government, the office of the President, civil society, the US, and the CCP and MNLF.

Mr. P.N. Abinales,

Kawawa ka naman. You’re mind is so imprisoned by your textbooks and concept of history that you fail to grasp ideas without referring to your schoolbooks to back-up your lack of any insight. If you will take a look at your last five-paragraph post you will find that is nothing more than a long and wordy ad hominem (which of course most people in this blog will fail to see given that they are pre-disposed to being impressed by preachy types such as yourself).

Everyone knows that the Philippine military somehow got politicised through its history and everyone knows that everyone shares a vision of the military someday becoming politicised (which of course you merely re-stated in your usual wordy manner).

The issue I cite, once again, is our tolerance of this situation just as we tolerate all the stupidity happening in our society today and just as we fail to realise the extent of this ridiculous tolerance because of our small-minded willingness to dance to the tune of the noisy few (among which are politicians like yourself). Of course you are too well-read and rote-educated to see beyond your schoolbooks which is evident in your posting style the content of which can’t seem to move beyond the historical and political paradigms that imprison your little mind.

You speak of reading books as being beyond me intellectually? Why don’t you check out your own style — a lack of any capacity to evaluate ideas on their logical merit without having to refer to your schoolbooks. Any rote-learned schmoe can do that. You merely demonstrate the very weakness that plagues the Pinoy labour force — highly educated and technically adept (as evident in our world-renowned ability to find employment overseas and take outsourced labour-added-value industries) but devoid of any imagination and insight (as evident in our inability to advance our domestic technologies, commercialise our inventions, develop high-added-value design-based industries, and make better movies).

ON ANOTHER NOTE, I noticed somebody complaining about the PCIJ blog being slow to load. May I suggest to the Admins that you truncate the data in your shout box. Maybe that’ll help. 😉

And back to topic, for some insight on the intellectual bankruptcy of Pinoy society that Mr. Excitement here has amply demonstrated, check out this article:
http://www.geocities.com/benign0/agr-disagr/10-comsen.html

Mr. P.N. Abaninales, Mr. P.N. Abinales, what makes you think I am American? You seem so quick to assume so but not show any inclination to substantiate this claim. For someone who keeps talking about what I don’t know you seem to exhibit very little of what you claim to know in any case.

So what is there that needs to be known about the Philippine military beyond the fact that it is (1) now a lame duck and (2) it is highly-politicised? Of course, as you say, there are a “lot” of Pinoys who “(a) understand their situation, and (b) change their condition.

But how much is “a lot”? The RESULTS don’t seem to support this claim because there is (1) scant evidence that Pinoy society actually realises, much less “understands” the gravity of its situation and (2) very little indication of any inclination to “change their condition” as is evident with how we lurch from one bout of street parliamentarianism and petty political crisis to another.

And true enough you pride yourself in dishing out “political analysis”. Tsk tsk. Again you embody the whole problem that is Pinoy society — too much focus on political stuff when we’ve already shown that political solutions no longer suffice to cure the cancer of our society. Is it any surprise that a country that is so politicised and so full of politics hardly moves forward?

Just what we need. More “political analysis” from yet another politician, and more encouragement to engage in more “close political reading”. We’ve already got enough political reading around here 😀

And to think the mother of all political solutions is being debated — a shift to a parliamentary system. Does anyone here really think changing political systems will change Pinoy society. That’s what we all thought back in 1986. In fact everytime we change a president, we always think things will get better. Doesn’t that tell you something yet? I’ll tell you again: POLITICAL ANALYSIS and the POLITICAL SOLUTIONS that are outcomes of said political analysis aren’t worth the paper they are written on much less the people who dish them out.

And, hey, you then say you prefer you “also prefer the views of Pinoys on the ground”. ha ha! Haven’t we heard that before. You fail to mention that all these Filipinos “on the ground” (which probably includes your generation) have failed miserably in the last 50 years to build a prosperous nation. Tsk tsk. You’re one of those people who seem to be still living in la la land, thinking that old schools of thought are what will drive any prospect for change in our politician-weary society. As I said before, it is thinking like yours that have run our nation to the ground.

And to cap it all, this is all you come up with:

“…that statement, my Kano friend — is one I would suggest to a class in English I: thorough gobbledygook, pure bombast — all signifying nothing.”

Well here’s some food for thought all those who look up to people like you:

(1) Despite you dishing out these summary dismissals of insightful views like mine, you seem to fail to cite SPECIFICALLY why you think they signify nothing. If there is anyone who is too lazy to critically evaluate opinion around here, it seems to be you.

(2) You have made your assumption that I am a ‘Kano’ the cornerstone of most of your arguments, which begs the question: How reliable are arguments that are made on the basis of an unsubstantiated assumption.

That’s right dude. Show everyone here how big a dinosaur you are. People will slowly realise how big a fool you, your generation, and your profession has made of the Filipino people. 😀

Benny Boy, Benny Boy, the issue of your Americanism is not anymore an issue. It’s a given. Mas mahusay pa magsinungaling yong kababayan mong si Karl Rove sa iyo. You might want to learn a few tricks from him by reading the latest issue of Time Magazine instead of continuing to rely on Politics for Dummies.

And once more I am amazed at your American ignorance. The Philippine military today is not a “lame duck” institution. If you follow the discussions — and if you know its history — it’s become a major player in the political game. Pres. Arroyo relies on the AFP senior staff to keep herself in power. The reason people do not think the opposition will win in this particular contest because people know where the AFP leadership is putting its bets. You obviously did not know that because it was not in CNN-America.

Pinoys understand the gravity of the situation. That’s why some protests, while others push for parliamentarism. Some expose the inanities of government, while others try to reform it from within. Others of course go to the mountains and join the NPA, while others go abroad to earn money to be sent home. You are insulting the ability of our people to come up with different responses — many of these unfamiliar to you because you know very little about Pinoy society.

Well, political analysis is much better than making lunatic political prescriptions, don’t you think? At the very least, it helps contribute to the process of democratic debate and clarification of political issues and positions. In America, I am made to understand that you folks prefer sound bytes and well prepared political phrases. Which explains why you have your president who thinks Iraq can become a democracy by handing power to pro-Iranian Shiites, and why, Kanos like you come up with con games like “check my blog, learn something, and let me collect tong money.”

Actually Benny Boy, you might want to check out former University of the Philippines president Jose Abueva is proposing vis-a-vis federalism. There is actually some reasoned and well-meaning discussion on this. But, again, this might be too much for your limited intellect.

To accuse an entire generation of having failed betrays an American’s complete ignorance of what happened to that generation when they were still young. Remember martial law, Benny Boy? Your government supported Marcos and Imelda and they, together with the AFP, in turn almost destroyed an entire generation. It was these people who messed up the country, not an entire generation. Again, I do not expect a Kano like you to know that.

Well, it’s difficult to “critically evaluate [your] opinion around here” because they are based mainly on fantasy and wackiness. They have no basis in reality. So when faced with dunces like you, all one needs is to constantly remind readers how very little you know about what’s out there in Manila and its environs.

Finalmente: And I — and many others — are still waiting how much dollars you’ve conned out of people who logged into your website.

Talk about someone demanding transparency and honest-too-goodness change. Tsk, tsk, typical Kano, nang nadiscover ang racket labas ng labas ng maraming excuses…including denying one’s citizenship.

P.S. I’m sorry folks, but I just can’t let this pass. Our Kano friend declares: “Despite you dishing out these summary dismissals of insightful views like mine…”

Insightful views? Talk about self-serving statement. OK, I will at least give Benny Boy’s “insightful views” some considerationbut IF AND ONLY IF, he comes out clean to us in regards to how much tong he has collected since he conned a couple of people to log into his web.

In the meantime, those of you interested in the continuing politicization inside the AFP, including its various manifestations through time, might want to check also the following (apart from PCIJ’s still engaging book Kudeta).

Francisco Nemenzo, “A Season of Coups” UP Diliman Review, Vol. 34, No. 506 (1986) — this might be included in a collection of essays the former UP president is preparing, which is edited by Butch Dalisay

Felipe Miranda, “The Military,” in the book collection, The Philippines after Marcos, edited by R. J. May and Francisco Nemenzo (Australia: Croom Helm Ltd) — I think photocopies of this essay can be requested at UP Third World Studies Center

Alfred W. McCoy, Closer than Brothers: Manhood at the Philippine Military Academy (Pinoy edition published by Anvil and you can easily get a copy at Powerbooks or any National Bookstore) — great stuff on RAM and the PMA class of 1946

The PCIJ site has also has past analyses of AFP politicization, including reprints/reposts of the various fact-finding commission studying military politicization (http://www.i-site.ph/)

There is also a book whose title eludes me now, but which refers to the need to reform and clean up the corruption inside the AFP Logistics Command.

Enjoy the read!

“How do you cure the cancer eating at our nation when it has already spread in every nitch and corner of our government?”

Expose it.

Benny Boy, Benny Boy, many thanks for admitting that you are indeed a con man (“Why don’t you take a guess how much my website earns me? WARNINGl: Baka ma-inggit ka lang.”). I can’t be envious kasi I always think tong collection and con games are not good for the soul.

Of course, no American schoolboy can recite those books and articles I posted. Their on Pinas; I do not expect you to know them. Also, there is no need to share my insights on these books as I leave that for those interested in AFP politicization to decide. Kung baga, suggested readings so that this particular discussion — now or in the near future — will be more meaningful (this, of course, excludes dunces like you who think freedom and money are synonymous to each other)

To return t your other ripostes. Political solutions by THE ELITES have so far failed to work. You are mistaken in associating it with all of us Pinoys. Understandably so, since your limited mind prevents you from seeing the complexity of the political forces involved. Those who rally, those who propose alternatives have not been given an chance and opportunity to propose, much less implement their views. In a lot of cases, in the past, they were sent to jail or killed.

This was why I really suggested that you stop making those political prescriptions based on your reading of Politics for Dummies, or Keynesianism for Beginners, or in watching CNN-America. I am sure some of the people here would be happy to lend you their copies of T. Agoncillo, R. Constantino, O. Corpuz and other prominent political historians who will show who really messed things up in Pinas (I can’t lend you my copies — baka ibenta mo!)

I actually read your pieces in the past and came out puzzled that these were prescriptions not based on reality, targeting the wrong people (investigative journalists) and making sweeping accusations (the “Pinoy”) on us Filipinos. Typical Kano nga, kung baga. Nowadays, however, I read them like comedy skits by a really not-so-suave con man who desperately tries to to get us to log into his website so he can collect tong money. As for your “insightful views,” they are way up there with CNN’s Capitol Gang (one of your favorite TV shows in America, I assume).

Victim mentality? It was the simple truth: the US did support Macoy, and one needs not to be an aggrieved Pinoy to know that. In fact, one of your fellow countrymen, the smart journalist Raymond Bonner wrote about it (Waltzing with a Dictator: The Marcoses and the Making of American Policy). It was from Bonner that I got the information from, not from some hapless perenially angry Pinoy nationalist. But of course, I do not expect you to have read Bonner.

We Filipinos being an “embarrassment” of the US is a convenient excuse for not seriously taking stock of the past. And I am sure a young Kano like you are laughing to the bank over our plight as a people (your web con game, remember?).

I stand corrected though: a Kano like you did learn a few things from our elites — tong collection via the web. But then again, one can also say you did learn that from the mafiosis of Little Italy.

So much for your moral outrage. Tsk, tsk, Kano talaga — gustong mangaral at sa kumita sa hirap ng iba. Typical…:)

“fight for the spirit of democracy” 😀

Now THAT is a classic.

Dude, YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

Panay na lang tayo “fight”. Kelan naman ang “build”?

Problema sa atin, panay tayo palaban e. Then we self-righteously seem to imply that there is something inherently wrong with sitting in an airconditioned office. Bakit? Masarap naman talaga ang naka erkon a? If it smells like a crab…

Lest you guys forget, it is only when those who are quietly beavering away in their cubicles in their airconditioned offices speak out and ACT that any of those street antics you people are fond of become successful. That is what happened in d one en only horiginal Edsa I of 1986. 😉

Wag na kayong magka-ilusyon pa na ma-uulit itong hinahanap niyong piyesta. Masyado nang maraming flyover sa Edsa para diyan.

Now, we’re down to inane annotations…hay naku

Benny Boy, Benny Boy, I am not interested in how much you raked in in this dishonest venture of yours. I’m sure it’s plentiful and you’re drinking pina colada these days in some cafe in L.A. I’m just wondering how this con game of yours dovetails with your public displays of outrage at the corruption, misuse of power, misuse of democracy, etc., that you rail against.

But then again, I realized that this is not a contradiction to someone who thinks money and freedom are synonymous to each other. Maybe I am wrong…maybe you may indeed be a typical Pinoy racketeer.

Tsk, tsk…con (American) men talaga…typical.

Benny Boy naman….wala ka namang sinabing substantial tungkol sa AFP and your posts are pretty much vacuous despite your insisting they are “insightful view” — all from Day 1. What else is there to talk to you about?

Anyway, good luck with the tong collection, “dude” and maybe you can gain a lesson or two from Chavit Singson (Teka, at bakit ka nga ba ipinatalsik sa isang e-group? Nabisto yong pangongotong mo?).

Off to work na talaga….baka ma-accuse pa tayong ng Kano na ito na “fight” ng “fight” na lang…

when the fight for impeachment in the house is over… the next battle ground would be the senate. watch flavier the seemingly innocent guy but as much a GMA supporter trying to strenghthen the majority’s number as early as today.

“Actually I’m quite flattered. Tagal mo nang sinasabi that I’m not worth your time and yet you keep coming back for more. Looks like I just keep hitting that raw nerve. ha ha!”

Not really, the best thing that con men and tong collectors have done to me was to make me laugh. At the last laugh’s on me too — now everyone is alert in this blog about your pangongotong…bistado ka na, “dude.”

[…] In his latest piece, “What’s with the Armed Forces,” posted in the PCIJ blog on July 26, he ascribed the failure of a “constructive group” to emerge from the AFP amid the ongoing political crisis to a divided and “confused” military organization and the close watch being kept on potential political dissenters. […]

[…] The country’s armed services do have officers who know how to just say no. Before de Leon, there were the likes of the late Army Capt. Rene Jarque, a staunch reformist who exposed corruption in the military but who had to leave his career in 1998 a disillusioned soldier. […]