blackshama's commentary on Philippine issues

One of the major national security issues that face the Philippines and neighbouring countries is massive environmental changes that can cause the displacement of hundreds of thousands if not millions of citizens. As of this writing, metropolitan Bangkok is now being innundated by massive monsoon floods and the engineering interventions made by the Thai government in the last 20 years of rapid economic development are proving of very little use. The Prime Minister of Thailand  Ms Yingluck Shinawatra, has to call on the Thai armed forces to offer relief and rescue. Like the Philippines, the massive evacuation of thousands of citizens is a logistical challenge that will tax the capacity of the government of Thailand. However the Kingdom of Thailand is in a much better position to respond. Why? The Armed forces of the ASEAN countries have seen improvements in training, equipment and recruitment. These countries armed forces have enough strength to call in times of national environmen...

The families of the 19 soldiers killed in an MILF-Abu Sayyaf ambush in Basilan are now starting to bury their brave dead. The flag draped caskets are blessed by the priests, taps and the final salute is fired. The coffin is then laid into the tomb. At the end of these military ceremonies whatever the rank of the dead soldier, the flag is lifted from the casket before entombment and folded in the way that every boy scout learns on the first days of service to God, Country and People. The folded flag is presented by the senior officer on graveside duty to the spouse, or if the soldier is not married, to the parents with the words "A grateful Republic thanks your son/daughter/husband/wife for his/her service" The Republic will forever be grateful. The soldier does not guarantee freedom as mistakenly assumed by some. It is the Constitution that does so. The soldier takes the oath to defend the Constitution and rest of the citizenry are just asked to live it and perhaps de...

All set to bravely defend the Republic against its enemies! My father who was with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and retired as a general officer had a son and once he could walk did not put him into a Gucci but into a Philippine Army uniform! The only "pabaon" General Vallejo ever had upon retirement after 30 years of service was a pistol and a high powered automatic rifle (which he was entitled to after serving the Republic in its wars against enemies sworn to destroy it). However after the 1986 EDSA revolution, he donated these weapons to the Philippine Army museum so that young soldiers will have an idea of what it means to defend the Republic. Dad also spent countless hours training me to be a marksman and that began as soon as I first opened my eyes as a baby. By the time I was in high school, I was already trained to shoot and be deadly accurate at it! But I never had that weapons fetish. I never got the wind about using guns as a way to project one...

The death of General Angelo Reyes should be viewed within the context of the EDSA phenomenon which spawned the current political system we have. This system is showing the inherent decay of this system. General Reyes has been truly eaten by EDSA II. The moment he stepped on the platform of the EDSA shrine and guaranteed the ascendancy of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, he sealed his destiny. But I wonder if he had foreseen that the EDSA II 'revolution" will eventually digest him? The Macapagal-Arroyo years while it brought improvements in Philippine society has sealed its place in history as probably the most corrupt government Filipinos ever had. The tragedy is that a then promising young and competent officer like Angelo Reyes was eventually digested by the corrupting  and digestive acids of the EDSA constitutional system. Thus it is a about time we cease celebrating EDSA and work for a revolutionary arrangement in which we have a new constitution and a new political settleme...

The unfortunate death of ex AFP Chief of Staff, Angelo Reyes has sparked a discussion of suicide in Pinoy society. I think the discussion is good since Pinoy society has to face up to the problem of suicide aside from the religious aspects of this. In a sense suicide is a taboo topic in Pinoy society and this is a reflection of the  generally conservative Roman Catholic culture of the country. But economic and social pressures have driven many to take their own lives. Just last December, a couple hanged themselves on the MRT pylon at EDSA Mandaluyong, snarling traffic for hours. We read about financially desperate breadwinners committing suicide, but aside from the reports, this isn't really news! When a student of Ateneo tried to commit suicide, this became news. What drives people to suicide are many but medical science considers this as a mental health concern. Suicides are considered as "cries for help" or attention and is linked with lack of coping mechanisms for...

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has publicly expressed its desire to bring back the ROTC as a required college subject for males. Well I don't agree. It should be a required subject for females also! :-) Seriously, I don't agree with the proposal making ROTC mandatory at all. This for the following three reasons. 1) The national security environment has changed . The Republic has different threats to its security as compared to that 40 years ago. (My example to fellow ROTC alums is that before our "enemy" were the Commies across the China Sea now it is natural and man made disasters give or take a few terrorists!) 2) The AFP will have to have a more responsive training strategy and program for citizen soldiers given this new security environment. 3) The AFP is ILL EQUIPPED to train an effective citizen army more so with ROTC cadets that serve because they are required to do so. Making ROTC mandatory defeats the whole purpose of having an effective and re...

Army wives are soldiers too and by extension army brats are soldiers also. My father served in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and saw action in Korea, Vietnam and the numerous unresolved insurgencies of our republic. My mother in many instances had to raise us by herself and was resigned that one day, her husband will come home in a box. The children too had to accept that and that duty to the Republic will take their father from them. I never had the concept of Sunday being a "family day". Dad was on duty on Sundays or at the front. We had to soldier on. When my father passed away years after retirement from the Armed Forces, my mother thanked the good Lord that her husband did not come home in a box. We brought the box home to bury our father. But it is very heartbreaking to see a picture in the blurbs of a 3 year old boy rousing his dad to wake up from his coffin. But I believe that the boy had an inkling of his dad as a soldier. And all army brats are proud that the...

The People Power regiment I hope that the AFP top brass is joking when the Air Force commanding general said that even with the lack of fighter aircraft, we will defend our islands with "warm bodies"! The AFP should now consider drafting People Power stalwarts. After all they have warmer bodies than our soldiers. Maybe we can have a readily mobilized People Power regiment that can be air dropped to PagAsa island. And thay can flash their trademark Laban signs at the invading Red Army. Our armed forces have become so pathetic in its capabilities. The blame really is on the successive Malacanang tenants we have had in the last 20 years or so. Worsening food security and the Communists I suppose the AFP has still more firepower than the New Peoples Army. The communist ideologues really have the gall to intensify attacks during this coming crisis. This will cause more hardship for the masses. Maoism, Leninism and Stalinism all variants of the unscientific ideology of Karl Marx ha...