Category: Military

Pasalamat ni Capt. Dante Langkit

Published by Ellen on February 15, 2011

Nakatanggap ako kahapon ng text galing kay dating Army Capt. Dante Langkit, isa sa napawalang sala noong Lunes sa court martial na naglilitis ng mutiny pag-aklas daw laban kay Gloria Arroyo noong Pebrero 2006 pagkatapos mabulgar na nandaya siya noong 2004 na eleksyun gamit ang military.

Sobra apat na taon ding nakakulong si Langkit. Nakalabas siya kasama ang kapwa niyang akusado nang naalis na sa Malacañang si Gloria Arroyo. Pinayagan siyang lumabas din noong kampanya dahil tumakbo siya bilang gubernador ng Kalinga. Natalo siya.

Ito ang kanyang text para sa amin ni Charmaine Deogracias ng NHK TV: “ Thank you for your support. All through the times of our ordeal you were there. In fact it was in those times that we came to know one another. You were one of the very few whose presence we felt.

“Those moments were bleak as though the right things which we believed in as basically right and noble for our country were not right after all. Our older brothers became our executioners and PMA was silent when we were unjustly incarcerated.

6 Scout Rangers acquitted of mutiny charges but not Miranda, Lim, Querubin

Published by Ellen on February 14, 2011

The court martial hearing the case of remaining nine officers accused of committing mutiny against Gloria Arroyo in February 2006 denied “for lack of merit” the motion to dismiss by retired Marine Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, and Col. Ariel Querubin.

Not acquitted

The court however acquitted Scout Rangers Maj. Jason Aquino, former Capt. Dante Langkit, Captains Montano Almodovar, Isagani Criste, Joey Fontiveros, and James Sababan.

Pinagdidiskitahan ng mga kasamahan ni Reyes si Trillanes

Published by Ellen on February 13, 2011

Nagmumura ang aking mga kaibigan ng nanunuod siya ng necrological service para kay dating AFP Chief Angelo Reyes noong Sabado ng gabi sa na kinuber ng ANC ng live.

Sabi niya sa mga papuri ng mga matataas na opisyal ng military kay Reyes, na nagpakamatay noong Martes, lumalabas na despalinghado ang pagiisip nitong mga opisyal na sinuswelduhan ng taumbayan.

Sabi ko “huwag ka na kasi manood para huwag ka na ma-stress.” May pagkamasukista naman itong aking kaibigan, nanood pa rin pero text siya ng text sa akin na minumura ang mga nagsasalita.

Corruption killed Angelo Reyes

Published by Ellen on February 11, 2011

Statement of former government officials

Unlike other cultures, our Filipino culture does not accord suicides by public figures one clear and definitive meaning.

Thus the message of a Filipino dying in public by his own hand often ends up being contested, improvised and twisted by various interested parties. And so it is with the tragic death of General Angelo Reyes. Did he put a bullet through his heart in an ultimate admission of personal responsibility for whatever wrong he had committed? Or was his willful termination of his own life a sublime act of protest to assert his innocence against unfair yet unremitting persecution?

The death of someone like Gen. Reyes who served our country for most of his life deserves our respect, prayers and reflection. This is a tragedy to one person, to his family and to many who believed and admired him for his personal, professional and public life. For his fellow Filipinos that Gen. Reyes left behind, his chosen timing and manner of exiting the public stage and this mortal world challenges us to seek some meaning and purpose from such a tragic loss. We, former senior government officials, choose to see the death of Gen. Reyes in the light of the principle that public office is a public trust.

1. We find no honor in a death without meaning to the welfare of our nation.

The unnamed powerful man behind Maj.Gen. Carlos Garcia

Published by Ellen on February 10, 2011

The mysterious powerful man behind Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia is once again mentioned in the news following the outburst of retired Commodore Rex Robles after the suicide of former Armed Forces Chief Angelo Reyes.

Robles, who belongs to Philippine Military Class ’65 said his closeness to Reyes goes back to PMA days because he was the yearling, the academy lingo for mentor, of Reyes who was in Class ’66.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV yesterday said investigations into alleged diversion and conversion of the military budget might lead to Malacañang during the administration of former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo.
“Masyadong malaki yung perang involved na imposibleng nasa level lang ni late General (Angelo) Reyes…sa Malacañang lang nagre-release ng ganung level,” Trillanes said.

http://www.malaya.com.ph/feb11/news2.html

The following version of that controversy which has now involved Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV , PMA Class ’95, is the result of my interviews with Robles, Trillanes and talk with other sources even before the Ombudsman entered into a plea bargain agreement with Garcia, the subject of the congressional investigation which has led to more revelations of corruption in the military.

An ex-military chief’s untimely death

Published by Ellen on February 9, 2011

by VERA Files News that former Defense Secretary and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes on Tuesday committed suicide shocked the…

Gloria’s call to Reyes

Published by Ellen on February 8, 2011

One of early visitors of Reyes l — Photo by Luis Liwanag for VERA Files

Retired Navy Commodore Rex Robles said in his talk with former AFP Chief Angelo Reyes the past weeks, the latter was very worried and felt the walls coming down on him.

His last conversation with Reyes was Monday noon. Reyes told him that Gloria Arroyo called him up recently to inquire about two things: One, she wanted to know who was the mistah of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV who delivered his (Reyes) Jan. 14, 2011 letter to the senator asking him to reveal who was “powerful person” behind former military comptroller Carlos Garcia, and two, she wanted to know why Robles was attacking Paranaque Rep. Roilo Golez.

It must be noted that Reyes sent Trillanes the letter before former military budget officer, Lt. Col. George Rabusa with his expose on Reyes getting P50 million send-off gift and P10 million allowance every month on Jan. 27. At this time, the issue was limited to the plea bargain agreement between the Ombudsman and Garcia.Does this mean Reyes knew he would be dragged into the controversy?

On Arroyo’s second concern, Robles said he is suspicious of Golez’ motive in attacking Reyes and that it is diverting the issue from Garcia. He said that people protecting Garcia are doing it through Golez.

Former AFP Chief Angelo Reyes commits suicide in front of mother’s grave

Published by Ellen on February 8, 2011

Former AFP Chief Angelo Reyes shot himself in front of his mother’s grave at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina.

He was brought to Quirino Memorial Hospital where he expired. It happened minutes past 7 a.m.

Retired Navy Commodore Rex Robles said he talked with Reyes yesterday noon. He sounded worried. He said Gloria Arroyo called him up recently.

1. She wanted to know who was the mistah of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV who delivered his (Reyes) letter to the senator asking him to reveal who was behind former military comptroller Carlos Garcia.

2.Arroyo also wanted to know why Robles was attacking Paranaque Rep. Roilo Golez.

Robles said he was with Reyes two nights last week.

Related article by Glenda Gloria in the Comments section.

Health Secretary Enrique Ona who was at the hospital gave the official medical bulletin that Reyes was pronounced dead officially at 8:32 am.

Real men cry

Published by Ellen on February 6, 2011

I like men who cry. It makes them very humane and vulnerable. And manly.

Air Force Col. Antonio Ramon “Sonny” Lim couldn’t hold back his tears when he testified at the hearing of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee investigating the controversial plea bargain agreement of the Ombudsman with the retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia.

He said in Pilipino that ever since the news about the corruption in the military broke out, he had been thinking of coming out with what he knew and decided that under Aquino’s reformist administration, “Panahon na na malaman ng sambayanang Pilipino ang katotohanan. (It’s time that people know the truth)”

Lim was the assistant of retired Lt. Col. George Rabusa, former budget officer, who had earlier spilled the beans on three AFP chiefs of staff – Angelo Reyes, Diomedio Villanueva, and Roy Cimatu – getting bienvenida and despedida money ranging from P50 million to as high as P150 million and monthly allowances of P10 million.

Palpak UAVs, and more exploded in Senate hearing

Published by Ellen on February 3, 2011

Miriam Santiago and George Rabusa — Where have you been all these years? Miriam asks Rabusa during last Thursday's Senate hearing. Photo from Malaya.

The AFP, under Chief of Staff Roy Cimatu, bought unmanned aerial vehicles to be used against the Abu Sayyaf for $2 million based only on a board room presentation without bidding and canvassing. “Nagbagsakan yun. Hindi po nagamit. I don’t know how long. Palpak, nagbagsakan,Rabusa said.

Sabi nga namin,na 1-2-3 tayo. We had no more contact with the Israeli company,” he added.

Following is David Dizon’s report at ABS-CBNNEWS online:

Diversions of soldiers’ salaries and United Nations funds, multi-million cash gifts to military chiefs of staffs, and illegal military contracts were just some of the bombshells revealed during Thursday’s resumption of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing on military corruption.

Under pressure from senators, Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez reluctantly said her office would file a manifestation with the Sandiganbayan seeking to defer action on its plea bargain agreement with former military comptroller Carlos Garcia in light of testimonies of new witnesses that could bolster the plunder case originally filed against Garcia.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/feb04/news1.html
http://www.gmanews.tv/story/212155/ombudsman-to-file-manifestation-on-recommendation-to-withdraw-plea-bargain-deal

Former military budget officer George Rabusa, aided by his former staff Lt. Col. Ramon Antonio “Sonny” Lim, said former military chiefs Diomedio Villanueva, Roy Cimatu and Angelo Reyes received “pabaon” (send-off money) upon their retirements from active service.

Villanueva allegedly received the largest “pabaon” of P164 million, followed by Cimatu with P80 million and Reyes with P50 million.