ellen tordesillas – Page 368 – Making life worth living.

Ping revisits “Garci”; Isafp agent ‘sings’

Published by Ellen on August 21, 2007

A former military intelligence agent, allegedly the source of the “Hello Garci” wiretapped conversations, has resurfaced two years after the scandal rocked the country and almost toppled the Arroyo administration.

Former T/Sgt. Vidal Doble of the Intelligence Services of the AFP (Isafp) appeared in a videotape played by Sen. Panfilo Lacson during a privilege speech at the Senate yesterday.Doble first came into the scene in 2005 when Samuel Ong, former NBI deputy director for intelligence, claimed he had the “master of all tapes” of the recorded conversations between President Arroyo and former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano who is alleged to have spearheaded cheating in May 2004 to ensure Arroyo’s victory.

The Akbar connection

Published by Ellen on August 21, 2007

My column last Monday on the lessons the government has not learned from the 2001 Lamitan tragedy elicited a number of comments, giving more information about the connivance among the bandits, local politicians and military officials.

In last Monday’s piece, a line in the June 1, 2001 incident After Battle Report which I quoted was unintentionally deleted. It should read:

“Capt. Guinolbay also went about soliciting the help of every soldier and policemen he could find to help solve the problem by being deployed around the compound. It is worth mentioning that during the crisis, there were a lot of policemen and soldiers at the mayor’s residence that were called upon by Capt. Guinolbay but didn’t lift a finger. The governor of the province was also at the mayor’s residence at that time but neither of the executives came out to help or at least look at what was happening outside.”

Slain Marines ‘not sitting ducks’–commander

Published by Ellen on August 20, 2007

‘Troops not on test mission’

Update: General walks out of press conference; junior marine officers explain “test mission”.

By Joel Guinto

The Marine ground commander in Basilan denied observations that the 15 troops slain in a clash with Abu Sayyaf fighters on Saturday were mowed down like “sitting ducks.”

In a phone interview, Brigadier General Juancho Sabban, commander of Joint Task Force Thunder, said the fatalities, who included four young lieutenants fresh from the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), “knew what they were doing” and were guided by veterans of the Basilan pursuit.

Ang Baywalk at ang Boracay

Published by Ellen on August 20, 2007

Dumaan ako noong nakaraang linggo sa Baywalk sa Roxas Boulevard at maaliwalas na. Makikita na ang Manila Bay.

Mabuti naman at ginawa kaagad ni Mayor Alfredo Lim ang pagpatanggal ng mga pangit na structures doon. Ngayon talagang Baywalk. Pwedeng lumakad at mamasyal ng maayos. Hindi madumi at magulo.

Kaya malaki talaga ang pasalamat ko na nanalo si Lim. Kasi kung si Ali Atienza ang nanalo, baka hahaba pa ang linya ng mga pangit na restaurant at bar sa Roxas Boulevard. Ang tsipipay tingnan!

Akbar and the ghost of the Lamitan siege

Published by Ellen on August 19, 2007

Coming from a meeting with detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, said there’s a lot of similarities of the deadly incidents that happened in Lamitan on June 2, 2001 and in Tipo-Tipo last July 10, both in the province of Basilan.

Last Saturday’s hostilities also in Basilan remind us of the Lamitan siege because the five officers who perished during the assault to take the Abu Sayyaf camp in Ungkaya Pukan were part of Force Reconnaissance. They were on a test mission that is a prerequisite before graduation. In Lamitan, Scout Ranger Class 142-2000 under Course Director Capt. Ruben Guinolbay had just completed their test mission when ordered to prepare for deployment to the Southern Command area of responsibility.

In fact, one of the recommendations that came out of the Lamitan debacle was to “desist from employing units which are not 100 percent combat ready.”

Walang katapusang parada ng mga bangkay

Published by Ellen on August 18, 2007

Habang sinusulat ko ito patuloy ang bakbakan sa Basilan. Labin-limang Marines na naman ang patay.

Lima ay mga opisyal at sampu ay enlisted men. Ang babata ng mga namatay na Marine officers. Ang isa ay 22 taong gulang. Ang isa sa mga namatay, si si Lt. Salvador, ay number 7 sa PMA Class 2005. Number one sa Philippine Navy.

Kailan pa hihinto itong walang kabuluhang kamatayan ng ating mga magigiting na sundalo?

Air Force helicopter crashes during clash with Abu Sayyaf

Published by Ellen on August 18, 2007

Update: Bodies in crashed helicopter recovered

From ABS-CBN online:

A Philippine Air Force (PAF) pilot was killed while his co-pilot and a crewman were wounded when a military helicopter crashed during a clash with al Qaeda-linked Muslim extremists in Basilan province Saturday afternoon, ABS-CBN News reported.

Lt. Col. Epifanio Panzo, PAF spokesman, said the MG-520 helicopter plunged into Bubuan Island, south of Basilan, around 5 p.m.

Panzo said the Philippine Navy has rescued the two injured helicopter crewmen and retrieved the body of the unidentified pilot. They were brought to the headquarters of the 1st Marine Brigade in Basilan.

The killing of the Marines goes on

Published by Ellen on August 18, 2007

Breaking news.

Fifteen Marines died in Basilan today – five officers and ten enlisted men.

The officers who died are so young.

Lt. Salvador, PMA Class 2005.
Lt. Loperaz, PMA Class 2006
Lt. Sumera, PMA Class 2006
Lt. Solorin, PMA Class 2006
Lt. Pinera, PMA Class 2006

MILF Seeks Leverage as Fighting Against Abu Sayyaf and MNLF Escalates

Published by Ellen on August 17, 2007

By Zachary Abuza

On August 3, U.S. federal agents arrested Rahmat Abdhir, a 43-year old dual Malaysian national working as a computer engineer in California. In the 16-count indictment, he was charged with providing material support to a designated terrorist, Zulkiflir Abdhir (aka Zulkifli bin Hir or Marwan)—a senior leader of Jemaah Islamiya (JI), currently based in the southern Philippines—and Rahmat’s younger brother (Terrorism Focus, April 3).

Rahmat was in frequent e-mail contact with Zulkifli, and sent him more than $10,000, and also packages of materials, including ammunition clips, two way radios, rifle scopes, uniforms and other equipment.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the indictment was e-mail correspondence between Zulkifli and Rahmat’s brother that sheds some important light on the very complicated dynamics of the ongoing relationship between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), hardline elements within the MILF and JI.

Trillanes:Arroyo gov’t has no moral right to offer amnesty

Published by Ellen on August 17, 2007

by Ashzel Hachero

Detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has rejected an “all-encompassing” amnesty proposed by Speaker Jose de Venecia.

“I won’t accept an amnesty especially coming from such an illegitimate government. That’s the easiest way out but I would not accept it,” Trillanes said Thursday after attending a hearing of his coup d’état case at the Makati regional trial court.

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