Something happened at the detention center in Camp Capinpin, Tanay today:
This morning, Col. Marcos, custodian commander and a team from the Philippine Army headquarters with a lady lawyer, a cerain Atty. Abucayon, tried to coerce nine of the remaining 14 detained enlisted personnel in Camp Capinpin to sign an affidavit saying that they have not been harmed, maltreated nor coerced.
The certification is a standard operating procedure in transfer of prisoners. The nine were to be transferred from Camp Capinpin to the Philippine Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio.
The soldiers refused to sign without a lawyer.
Their lawyer, Atty. Vicente Verdadero, later called up and advised them not to sign because he said, “when they were brought to Camp Capinpin almost two years ago and imprisoned,it was already coercion and maltreatment”
“They didn’t go there voluntarily to be detained without charges,” Verdadero added.
AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon and Army Chief Alexander Yano called up and ordered that the process “be quickened”.
Caught in the middle, a source said, “Col. Marcos threatened the soldiers. The detained officers came to the rescue. Verbal altercation ensued.”
The source said, Col. Marcos later mellowed and “nagmamakaawa” for the soldiers to sign the affidavit. The soldiers stood pat on their rights.
“As custodian, Col. Marcos wanted to wash his hands clean and forced the soldiers to sign an affidavit that they were not coerced and that they were treated fairly and humanely while in detention. The soldiers objected because they were illegally detained for almost two years now without official charges,” the source further said.
The nine were at first persuaded to sign but realizing that they were had, they took back the documents they signed. They were brought down to Fort Bonifacio in the evening.
It is feared that the soldiers would be put at the ISG (Intelligence Security Group) bartolina and break them down and force them to turn against Brig. Gen. Danny Lim and other Army officers.
The nine are: Ssg Reynaldo Bala, Ssg Marciano Saraspi, Ssg Alexander Verzon, Ssg Ronnie Dizon, Ssg Rodelio Tuazon, Ssg Nelson Alquiza, Ssg Rodelio Tuazon, Sgt Arthur Arienda, Sgt Pastor de Guzman, Sgt Richard Javier.
The 14 are part of the 40 enlisted personnel who have been detained for almost two years without charges in connection with the alleged aborted plan to withdraw support from Gloria Arroyo in February 2006. The 26 were discharged “without honor” last week.
The 28 detained officers are led by Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, and Col. Ariel Querubin.
Check out Bystander’s entry on writ of amparo. I think the flurry of activities on the detained enlisted personnel has something to do with the effectivity of writ of amparo starting Oct. 24.
Excerpts from a Presidential Speech of Resignation
Good evening my countrymen:
This is the 37th time I have spoken to you from this office, where so many decisions have been made that shaped the history of this Nation. Each time I have done so to discuss with you some matter that I believe affected the national interest.
In all the decisions I have made in my public life, I have always tried to do what was best for the Nation.
In the past few days, however, it has become evident to me that I no longer have a strong enough political base in the Congress to justify continuing that effort. As long as there was such a base, I felt strongly that it was necessary to see the constitutional process through to its conclusion, that to do otherwise would be unfaithful to the spirit of that deliberately difficult process and a dangerously destabilizing precedent for the future.
But with the disappearance of that base, I now believe that the constitutional purpose has been served, and there is no longer a need for the process to be prolonged.
I would have preferred to carry through to the finish whatever the personal agony it would have involved, and my family unanimously urged me to do so. But the interests of the Nation must always come before any personal considerations.
.
I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as President, I must put the interest of the country first.
The nation needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad.
To continue to fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great national issues of economic prosperity and political stability..
Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. The Vice President will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office.
By taking this action, I hope that I will have hastened the start of that process of healing which is so desperately needed in this country.
I regret deeply any injuries that may have been done in the course of the events that led to this decision. I would say only that if some of my judgments were wrong, and some were wrong, they were made in what I believed at the time to be the best interest of the Nation.
To those who have stood with me during these past difficult months, to my family, my friends, to many others who joined in supporting my cause because they believed it was right, I will be eternally grateful for your support.
And to those who have not felt able to give me your support, let me say I leave with no bitterness toward those who have opposed me, because all of us, in the final analysis, have been concerned with the good of the country, however our judgments might differ.
To have served in this office is to have felt a very personal sense of kinship with our people. In leaving it, I do so with this prayer: May God’s grace be with you in all the days ahead.
I understand that Esperon is targetting specific officers, taht is why they are leaning on the enlisted men, so that they can get these EMs to rat on the officers. Its called suborning perjury!
Hollow Talk for Hallow’s Eve.
Arroyo: Time to heal wounds from troubled past
By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines — Faced with mounting criticisms over her decision to pardon convicted former president Joseph Estrada and threats of a stronger impeachment case, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reiterated the need to “heal the wounds of the troubled past” and unite as a nation.
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How many people do you think will actually listen to her?
Heal the wounds? It’s her continued presence that scrapes the scab off our wound before it can heal.
Kapal ng mukha.
Bahagi ito ng endgame ni GMA. Galitin ang ibang sundalo para pag naubos ang pasensya, pwedeng ikalat ang balitang manggugulo na naman sila.
Talk to the hand Gloria! Eto ang piso ko, bumili mo na lang ng kausap mo!
This is a sign of desperation on the part of Esperon and his own cabal at the AFP. They know Glueria is heading for the exit. And they are now thinking about possible legal implications of what they did.
Kaya ba ni Esperon ang makulong?
Or, is it “Kaya ba nating ikulong si Esperon?
Hanggang ngayon nangangalap pa rin si asspweron ng “witnessess” against the “men of honor”. Ginawa na niya ang lahat tulad ng pagabswelto ng mga opisyales na dapat nakakulong din sana. Pinalaya lang ni asspweron itong mga ito kapalit ng testimonyang pilit na pinapipirma sa kanila. Ito ang gagamitin ni asspweron kung sakaling maipipilit niya ang kangaroo court martial. Itong mga pinakawalan niyang mga sundalo ay marahil bibigyan din niya ng doble o tripleng promotion. Yun din ang gagawin ni asspweron sa mga enlisted men na inilipat niya ngayon sa Fort Bonifacio. Katulad ni Langkit at ni Aquino na pinahirapan ng husto para umamin ng gusto niyang paamin. Maruming maglaro itong si asspweron. Akala niya habang buhay siyang may kapangyarihan. Nalilimutan niya na may katapusan din ang kanyang proteksyon. Sa dami ng atraso niya sa mga sundalo, hindi malayong manganganib ang buhay niya balang araw. Wala siyang pwedeng sisisihin kundi ang kanyang gahamang layunin. Pangsarili lang niya ang iniisip niya. Kung may dignidad ba naman siya di sana hindi siya idinawit sa “Hello Garci” at hindi niya ipinain ang sarili niyang mga tauhan na gamitin ni tiyanak para magdeklara ng 1017 na maala martial law na decree. Para sa akin, wala siyang kuwentang AFP chief. Bagay nga siya sa pwestong “bodyguard” lang ni tiyanak. They are like peas in a pod!
kaanu-ano ba ng nasirang marcos itong si koronel, baka remnant ito ng rehimeng makoy, sabagay, pag nagpalit ng gobyerno, malamang na private na lang ang ranggo ni koronel, hehehe, mahirap sa tao yung wala ng pakundangan, makakaganti rin kami sa inyo, kahit kurot, kukurutin kita sa bangungot,,,, bwahahahahahaahahah
Two can play the game.
I would take the affidavits of the soldiers now, para ma-preserve ang kanilang recollection of these events. I will ask them to name names. This affidavit will include a line that says “I am issuing this affidavit because I anticipate that they will try to break me down to sign the government affidavit” or something to that effect.
At the appropriate time, the new affidavit can be presented in Court.
Affidavits are not self-authenticating, requiring that they be affirmed in Court. Kapag na-present yung dalawang affidavit, lalong mapapatunayan ang coercion. The very text, and the conflicting assertions will bolster the claim of coercion
Para matindi, ipasulat kamay sa sundalo ang kanyang affidavit, para makitang hindi preparado ng kung sino.
Isa pa, ipasulat sa kanyang dialect – Tagalog, Kinaray-a, whatever. Mas lalabas na authentic yan, against the anemic affidavit of the government.
Great ideas Atty. We are so thankful that you are around in this blog site. Or should I say..tank full of great ideas ready to explode at ibomba kay gloria..hindi yong maliit as in glorietta…goria sa malacanang.. raku gid nga salamat.
Atty36252,
Ang galing mo! Pero bakit hihintayin pang mailabas yung ‘forced’ affidavit. Hindi ba pwedeng i-affidavit na nila yung ginagawa sa kanilang coercion ngayon? Para di na pwedeng tanggapin yung ipapa-affidavit sa kanila ng pwersahan.
That’s a novel idea, Atty.
Can their relatives visit them? It’s important in times like these that they are assured support of family members.
Tibayan nyo ang loob nyo, mga mahal naming sundalo. Huwag nyong kalimutan magdasal.