This video was a project by Ensign Armand Pontejos for his master’s class at the University of the Philippines (Open University) while he was in detention. This was made in 2006:

Hopes to finally be able to perform duty in the Senate next year

Pimentel said he is bowing to the wisdom of President Aquino’s amnesty proclamation for members of the military that rebelled against Gloria Arroyo. Amnesty Proclamation No. 75 has been concurred in by Congress.

Magdalo Spokesman Ashley Acedillo said, “We thank the Court not only for submitting to the grace of the State but more importantly, in keeping with the spirit of the season.”
From ABS-CBN:

The Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Thursday deferred the promulgation of the decision on the rebellion cases filed against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and members of the so-called Magdalo Group involved in the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny.

Before Makati City RTC Judge Oscar Pimentel deferred the promulgation, he ordered a 15-minute recess at the start of the hearing after Capt. Nicanor Faeldon’s lawyer declared that they are joining the motion to postpone the promulgation filed by Trillanes’s camp.

July 27, 2003

The judge revealed that he already has a 260-page decision on the rebellion cases against Trillanes and the rest of the Magdalo Group.

The judge said that he will issue a formal order to defer the promulgation of the decision.

Reynaldo Robles, lawyer of Trillanes, said in an earlier interview on ABS-CBN’s “Umagang Kay Ganda” that they reiterated their earlier motion to postpone the promulgation before Pimentel’s sala after the House of Representatives concurred with President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s amnesty proclamation on Monday.

Proclamation No. 75, issued last November 24, grants amnesty to all active and former personnel of the military, police force and their supporters who may have committed crimes in connection with the Oakwood Mutiny, the Marines standoff, and the Manila Peninsula incident during the Arroyo administration.

Robles said that the motion was filed only on Tuesday, and they were informed that Pimentel got hold of the document only on Wednesday.

The lawyer said that there was no need to promulgate the rebellion cases since the amnesty proclamation has been approved by the legislature.

by Harry Roque

I was ambivalent when I first saw Antonio Trillanes IV on television. But there he was, a very young man, taking a clear and unequivocal stand against evil in government. My ambivalence may have something to do with four years of brainwashing called law school.

Like military cadets, we were brainwashed to think that the Constitution was supreme and that change had to be through constitutional means. Never mind that as a freshman at the UP College of Law in 1986, we had no Constitution to study but for a two-page document known as the freedom constitution. Never mind too that we started our law studies with a brand new extra-constitutional regime that was the regime of Corazon Cojuanco-Aquino.

Perhaps, the ambivalence may have been due to the many coups staged against Mrs. Aquino, a regime that I was willing to die for. There too is the fact that as a high school activist, I once told a group of PMAers who hitched a ride with my family in Baguio that I hoped that they would not end up being fascists.

(Last Wednesday night, a supporter of Trillanes hosted a dinner for him and the Magdalo officers and close friends. Here are some of the photos.)

Law thrives though on stability. Law exists, among others, to achieve predictability. This is why an activist lawyer, which is how I would like to think of myself, appears to be a contradiction in terms. Activists seek to change. Lawyers seek to preserve the status quo through the legal fiat that the Constitution is supreme.

But there was excitement when I first saw him on television. Part of it was that he and his men were doing what I myself would want but could not do myself: to bear arms against an evil regime. But amazed as I was with the picture of more than 300 men offering their lives to rid the country of corruption, the lawyer in me could not initially fully appreciate their heroism. This explains why as I annotated one State-of-the-Nation Address immediately after the Oakwood incident with no less than Korina Sanchez, I could not articulate even a token of appreciation for what Trillanes and his men did. It took many years of my own struggle against the cheating, lying, stealing and murderous evil regime before I could fully appreciate their heroism. In fact, it was not only after I saw a video of him walking out of his detention before I could fully appreciate the heroism of Trillanes and his men.

Whenever I feel tired of standing up against evil in government and have the occasional urge to retire into the stereotype of an upwardly mobile lawyer, I think of Sonny Trillanes and the many years that he spent behind bars fighting a regime and a system that is rotten and evil to the core. Whenever I feel that this nation deserves to continue to wallow in poverty because despite a change in government, corruption remains endemic; I ask myself: what have you actually done for this country? Certainly, nothing can compared to what Trillanes and his men did: like Ninoy, they were willing to die for this country. And unlike me and others who have only raised their voice against evil in government, Sonny gave up seven long years of his youth for this country.

Sonny’s and our fight, though, is far from over. We had high hopes that President Aquino, if only because of his pedigree alone, will usher in the winds of change and actually rid this place of both poverty and corruption. We had high hopes that after nine years of unabated killings and enforced disappearances, that P-Noy, himself a victim of these killings, would put an end to impunity at last. But no, almost six months into his administration, all we see are landmines laid by the previous regime both in the Ombudsman and in court. It also does not help that there is much squabbling within Team P-Noy. And yes, in this team itself, you have recycled personalities from the evil regime, some of whom with prior record for kleptocracy parading as members of civil society. There too are virtual unknowns whom we did not see nor hear from in the struggle against the evil one. Some did nothing but claimed credit for rallies that we organized and paid for ourselves.

Sure, the fight against corruption is far from over. Sure, we continue to wallow in poverty. Sure, the killings are continuing. But for as long as we have young Filipinos willing to die for this country, there will always be hope for this country. That is the true legacy of Sonny Trillanes and his men.

But lest we forget, hero as he is, he too is human. I can only imagine Sonny’s happiness as he celebrates his first Christmas with his very young children as a free man. To Sonny, and the many heroes like him, Merry, Merry Christmas and may P Noy make do with his promises in the coming new years.

Photo captions:
Top photo was taken during his first press conference at the Senate on Dec.17.

Thumbnail photos:

1. Charmaine Deogracias, Marine Col (ret) Ariel Querubin, Sen. Gregorio Honasan, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Ellen Tordesillas

2. Front row: Billy Pascua, Cash Cabochan,Ashley Acedillo
Second row: Jyvie Macarubbo, Filmore Rull,Eman Tirador, Cesar Yassir Gonzales, Armand Pontejos, Cesar Tamba, Spencer Lo
Third row: Jonnel Sangalang, Francisco Bosi

3. Front row: Francisco “Dodong” Nemenzo. Jr., Honasan, Querubin, Trillanes, Berna Lomotan (host of the dinner), Jimmy Regalario
Back row: Princess Nemenzo, Maria Flor Querubin, Lorna Kapunan, Joseph Serapio, Herman Laurel III
4. Trillanes with Ashley Acedillo and Izzie Ocampo
5. Trillanes with the cook and waiters

Mla Pen, Dec. 11, 2010.Three years ago (On Nov 29, 2007) we were all on these very steps of the Manila Pen under stressful circumstances. The attire and the smiles reflect the healing with the passage of time.

Pambihira talaga ang Pasko sa Pilipinas. Pagpasok ng buwan ng Disyembre grabe na ang trafik. Pakiramdam ko palagi na lang ako naghahabol . Maraming report na kailangan tapusin bago matapos ang Pasko. Kailangan isingit ang shopping kahit papa-ano. Nakakaloka ngunit hindi ko ipagpalit ang Pasko sa Pilipinas sa pasko sa ibang lugar.

Masaya ngayon ang Pasko ng mga sundalong Magdalo dahil nasa labas na sila pati na rin si Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. Nagkaroon kami ng konting salu-salu ng Miyerkoles at nakakatuwa. Pinag-usapan namin ang mga Pasko nang nasa kulungan pa sila. Biruan namin, nakaka-miss rin.

Dahil sa iba-iba silang kulungan, sini-schedule namin noon ang pagbisita sa kanila.Hindi kaya isang araw lang. Nagsi-share kami ng listahan kung sino-sino ang nasa Marine Brig (na pagkatapos ng nangyari sa Manila Peninsula ng 2007, ang karamihan ay inilipat sila sa Camp Crame), sa Fort San Felipe sa Cavite at sa Villamor Air Base, para maayos ang pagdala ng mga regalo.

Mla Pen, Nov. 29, 2007

Noong Disyembre 2007, mula sa Marine Brig, pumunta kami sa CMU kung saan nakakulong si dating Army Capt. Dante Langkit, Lt. Sonny Sarmiento at Lt. Aldrin Baldonado.

Bawal ang media bumisita sa detention center. Minsan hindi ako nakikilala, kaya walang problema, nakakapasok. Minsan hindi nakakalusot.

Kapag nakikilala ako, nakiki-usap ako dahil sinasabi kung hindi naman ako nandun para mag-interview o mag-report kung di magbisita sa kaibigan. Minsan pinagbibigyan. Noong Christmas 2007, hindi talaga kami ni Charmaine Deogracias ng NHK pinagbigyan. May dala kaming pagkain at laruan para sa mga anak nina Sarmiento at Baldonado na magbibisita sa kanila araw na yun. Nakalusot kami sa unang guwardiya. Sa pangalawang guwardiya, napansin ang pangalan ko. Tumawag pa ang military police. Dali-dali kaming umalis at baka pati kami imbestigahan at i-detain.

Former Air Force Capt Dan Orfiano and wife Jasmin. They also got married while Dan was in detention. They now have two kids. Take note of Ascott Hotel in the background.

Doon kami natulog sa resort ni dating Pangulong Estrada na kaharap lang ng Camp Capinpin. Kaya nakapag-noche buena kami sa detention center. Kina-umagahan nag Christmas Party na kami doon. Masaya.

Malaya na lahat ngayon dahil sa amnesty proclamation ni Pangulong Aquino. Ito ang unang Pasko na lahat na Magdalo at ibang sundalong nanindigan laban kay Arroyo ay hindi na nakakulong. Nakakapanibago daw, sabi nila.

Nag-aadjust sila ngayon sa buhay sa labas. Hindi madali para sa mga Magdalo na pitong taong ang buhay nila ay umikot lang doon sa loob ng apat na bakod ng kulungan. Medyo mahina pa raw ang kanilang sense of direction. Marami na kasi ang nangyari at nag-iba sa Metro Manila at sa bansa sa pitong taon na nakakulong sila. Wala pa ang Mall of Asia noong 2003. Kunti pa lang noon ang building sa The Fort. Oakwood pa ang pangalan ng hotel sa Makati Commercial Center noon kung saan sila nanindigan laban kay Arroyo. Ngayon Ascott na.

Noong Disyembre 11, ikinasal ang isang Magdalo, si dating opisyal sa Philippine Navy na si Ltjg Arturo Pascua. Alam nyo ba kung saan ang reception? Sa Conservatory ng Manila Peninsula.

Ang asawa kasi ni Art, si Claudine Ordoñez, ay dating nagta-trabaho sa Manila Peninsula. Kaya tawanan ang lahat ng sinabi ng kapatid ni Art na si dating Air Force Lt. Billy Pascua, “It’s good to be back at Manila Pen.”

Naala-ala sila ng mga waiter at sinabi nga sa kanila na “memorable” daw ang Nob. 29, 2007 para sa kanila.

Ang leksyun siguro dito ay kahit anong unos ang dinadaanan, huwag mawalan ng pag-asa.

Caption :

1.Andy Torrato,Manuel Cabochan,Ellen Tordesillas, Charmaine Deogracias,Eugene Gonzales,Jayvie Macarubbo,Garry Alejano, Armand Pontejos, Jimmy Austria (holding floral bouquet),Jonnel Sangalang in a GQ pose, Dan Orfiano.

2. James Layug, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Ellen tordesillas

3. Dan Orfiano and wife Jasmin

By Tessa Jamandre
VERA Files

First day in Senate office, Dec. 23, 2010

Air Force Capt. Dan Orfiano always sets his mobile phone on silent mode while Navy Ensign Armand Pontejos still hides his phone and replies to texts secretly. Both of them keep forgetting that in the outside world their mobile phones no longer stand the risk of being confiscated by jail guards.

Orfiano and Pontejos were among the more than 300 soldiers who took a stand against former President Gloria Arroyo’s misgovernance and demanded her resignation at the Oakwood Premier Hotel in Makati on July 27, 2003. The group was christened “Magdalo” by a TV executive producer who was reminded by the sunburst image on the soldiers’ red armbands of the symbol of Emilio Aguinaldo’s Magdalo faction in the revolutionary Katipunan. They have been known as the Magdalo since then.

Please click here (VERA Files) for the rest of the story.

By Ryan Chua, ABS-CBN News

“Let me be clear. We admit guilt as far as rising up against the most corrupt president this country ever had,” he said. “Proudly.” – Trillanes

Reiterating that they have no regrets about rising against the previous administration, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and other Magdalo soldiers on Wednesday formally applied for amnesty, which requires an admission of guilt.

In his application form, Trillanes signed a portion acknowledging his involvement in uprisings that entail “a violation of the 1987 Constitution, criminal laws, and the Articles of War” and recanting his statements in the past that are contrary “to this express admission of involvement/participation and guilt.”

Trillanes clarified that this does not mean admitting that what they did against the Arroyo administration was wrong.

“Ever since hindi naman kami nagpanggap na ‘yong ginawa namin ay natutal na ginagawa ng sundalo. We are man enough to admit we have broken rules in the pursuit of our cause,” he told reporters after submitting his application.

Trillanes said what they signed was just a general admission of guilt of some rules, and does not mean they’re regretting anything.

He added that they’re not admitting to the charge of coup d’etat because it has not even been proven.

“Let me be clear. We admit guilt as far as rising up against the most corrupt president this country ever had,” he said. “Proudly.”

When he buckles down to work at the Senate this month, Trillanes vowed to prioritize measures related to the military, such as modernizing the Armed Forces amending the National Defense Act. He said he will also push for another increase in soldiers’ combat pay.

President Aquino’s grant of amnesty to members of the military who stood up against Gloria Arroyo’s misuse and abuse of presidential powers is a fulfillment of his promise to reshape Philippine society back to its moral state which has been misshapen so badly by Gloria Arroyo for nine years that she was in power.

How the amnesty was carried out to where it is now- the processing of applications of those who want to avail of the amnesty- is instructive of how to navigate around the various forces not only of the competing allies of the administration but also of the political opposition.

Aquino was elected overwhelmingly on the promise of reforms and a discontinuation of Arroyo’s perversion of the justice system for her interest.

But many in the government bureaucracy, having internalized Arroyo’s practice of twisting the law to suit her interest, could not comprehend the message of reform in Aquino’s electoral victory.

From the very beginning, even during the presidential campaign, Aquino was clear about his stand that Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and other Magdalo officers did not commit coup d’etat as defined in the Revised Penal Code. He also said continued detention of Magdalo soldiers was an injustice.

Aquino knew that the reason the core leaders of Magdalo were charged with the non-bailable coup d’etat even that was not the appropriate charge was because Arroyo wanted to keep them in prison for life. She could not forgive Trillanes and the other Magdalo officers for their temerity to stand up to her.

Aquino realized his problem with the Department of Justice when Justice Secretary de Lima recommended that they just wait for the promulgation of by the Makati Regional Trial Court of the coup d’etat case. Not really surprising because the ones who prepared the recommendation were the very same people that Arroyo used to persecute the Magdalo officers.

That’s the reason why Malacañang decided not to involve the DOJ in the preparation of the amnesty proclamation. But in fairness to De Lima, she defended the proclamation during the congressional hearings.

Appreciative of the President’s support for them, the Magdalo on their part, worked on each and every member of Congress for their support (except the Arroyos, of course). When the President issued the first amnesty proclamation (No. 50 which was later on revised into Proclamation No, 75), 160 of the more than 200 congressmen and 16 of the 21 senators were signatories to the resolution for amnesty to the soldiers who rebelled against Arroyo.

But despite the lack of numbers, Arroyo’s allies made it difficult for the proclamation to pass. Representatives Edcel Lagman, Anthony Golez, Milagros Magsaysay were conscientious in grilling the officers and administration officials. They got a lot of help from the grandstanding Liberal Party member Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, who used the hearings to recall his role on the coups against President Cory Aquino.

Arroyo’s allies insisted on apology from the officers. The officers find this ridiculous and unacceptable. In the end a compromise agreement of an expression of guilt facilitated the concurrence of the House in a vote of 213- 7.

During the voting, Gloria Arroyo stepped out of the room.

There was also resistance from ranking officers of the military; many of them resented the daring of the young officers.

A source in the military overheard Brig. Gen. Gilberto Roa, Judge Advocate General and member of the amnesty committee say that he will make it difficult for the officers applying for amnesty because now they have the additional job of drafting the Implementing Rules and Regulations and process the applications.

Asked why he said that, Roa denied he ever said that. In a text message, he said, “I deny ever saying pahirapan ko sila and I’m aware I have no legal basis to do it as the mandate of the amnesty committee is more ministerial to process the application for amnesty.”

He said further,“ As of today (Tuesday) 23 officers and 35 enlisted personnel applied for amnesty to include Senator Trillanes. Ask them if there’s anyone na pinahirapan ko.”

Former Marine Captain Gary Alejano said Roa must have said that in jest because he has been very helpful to them in their application, making the process efficient.

Last Tuesday Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV applied for amnesty with the Department of National Defense Ad Hoc Amnesty committee established to process the grant of amnesty.Included in the application form is an admission of involvement in either of the three incidents:July 27, 2003 Oakwood Mutiny ,February 2006 Marines Stand-Off, and the
November 29, 2007 Peninsula Manila Hotel Incident .

They were to narrate facts of their involvement/participation in the incidents either of the three incidents they checked.

To the Magdalo officers those were not a problem because “my nangyari naman talaga.” What was a bitter pill to swallow for them was the part where they had to sign, “
I hereby acknowledge that my involvement/participation in the subject incident/s constituted a violation of the 1987 Constitution, criminal laws and the Articles of War. I hereby recant my previous statements that are contrary, if any, to this express admission of involvement/participation and guilt.”

Just to be able to move on, they signed. But as Trillanes said, “Let me be clear. We admit guilt as far as rising up against the most corrupt president this country ever had,” he said. “Proudly.”

I’m going to THE WEDDING today.

Not the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in Westminster Abbey.

It’s the wedding of Bem Pontejos and Bam Frangue, two wonderful people I know.

It will be held at the Holy Rosary Parish in Boracay at 3.pm. Reception will follow at the Sagana Ballroom, Shangri-la’s Boracay Resort & Spa.

Of the couple, I first met Bem at the Marine Brig in Fort Bonifacio where he was detained together with other Magdalo officers for standing up against the unelected and corrupt Arroyo presidency on July 26, 2003, what is now referred to as the “Oakwood mutiny.”

Bem is Armand Pontejos. At the time of the Oakwood incident, Bem was then a young ensign with the Naval Special Warfare Group having graduated from the Philippine Military Academy in 2001.

I met Bam later, who turned out to be a province mate.

In one of my home visits during the 2007 election, I noticed Trillanes-for-senator streamers at the San Jose plaza. There were also vans going around with Trillanes streamers. I wondered who his leader was in Antique.

Trillanes told me the girlfriend of one the Magdalo soldiers was the daughter of one of the mayors in Antique. He was Mayor Frangue of Caluya, an island near the northern tip of Antique where the Semirara coal plant is located.

I was told later by a neighbor who was a member of our town’s (Laua-an) Sangguniang Bayan that Mayor Frangue asked fellow mayors to carry Trillanes in their ticket, which they did.

That kind of Magdalo network explains why despite being in detention and short of campaign funds, Trillanes won a Senate seat.

Trillanes, as expected, is one of the wedding sponsors together with his wife, Arlene, and fellow Magdalo officers, LTsg James Layug and Manuel G. Cabochan.

I saw familiar names in the list of sponsors: Sen. Gregorio Honasan; Sen. Loren Legarda (also an Antiquena) former Antique Governor Sally Perez, former Arroyo political adviser Ray Roquero; Col. Ariel Querubin and wife, Maria Flor; Jeanne Monteverde; Bernadette Lomotan.

The wedding vows will be officiated by Most Rev. Romy Lazo (Bishop of Antique). Two of the seven co-celebrating priests are Fr. Danny Tabuyan, a barrio mate, and activist priest, Robert Reyes.

Today’s wedding is proof of the adage” love conquers all.”

In their wedding website (Bem is an IT genius), the couple related their love story.

They first ‘met’ through text in July 2000. The courtship began after almost three years of text messaging sometime in February 2003. They finally met in May 2003. Then, in July 2003, ‘Oakwood’ happened.

Bem and Bam’s love blossomed behind barbed wires. In their own words: “That was when we learned what sacrifice and freedom meant, and what true love can endure.

“Despite the circumstances, we were incredibly (Oak)wooed by each other that we officially became a couple on September 3, 2003.

“Visits, takeouts, and sneaky phone calls made our days exciting. Our dates and anniversaries, and all other special occasions, were spent inside strictly guarded barricades– three in those seven years– where sentinels walked around, watching every move.”

While in detention, Bem earned two master degrees through the University of the Philippines ‘Open University.’ When he got his first master’s degree in Management Information System, he was allowed to attend the commencement exercises with armed escorts.

Bem and Bam wrote: “At the end of the day, it is what we believed and saw in each other – the beautiful face, the even more beautiful heart, the passion and conviction, the brilliance, the wonder, the laughter – that mattered. These are what made “us” work; these are why there is nothing we would not do for the promise of a lifetime together.”

Bem and Bam, your love story inspires us all. We wish you happy and meaningful life together.

Some “survivors” of what media calls the Nov. 29, 2007 “Manila Peninsula siege” got together with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV (no, not at the Manila Pen).

Yesterday’s reunion had an added significance in the sense that Trillanes, Brig. Gen. (ret.) Danny Lim and other members of the Magdalo, who dared take on Gloria Arroyo at the height of her power, are now free. Trillanes is serving his electoral mandate in the Senate and Lim is deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Customs.

And Arroyo, their jailer?

It is now being debated whether she should be granted her request for a house arrest or be confined at a government facility. She has been charged with electoral sabotage in the 2007 election, a crime punishable by a life sentence and bail is not recommended.

Definitely, the detention facility being prepared by the Aquino government for Gloria Arroyo is luxury compared to the prison condition that Trillanes and the Magdalo officers endured during their seven years (starting July 27, 2003 in connection with the Oakwood mutiny) of incarceration.

But it underscores what we call “gulong ng palad.”

Reflecting on what happened four years ago, Trillanes admitted there were tactical lapses which in some ways led to political fallouts.

But the fatalist that he is makes him think that what happened in Manila Pen happened “for a higher reason that is still unfolding.”

Trillanes said there are bigger challenges facing the country and he said, “Hopefully the Manila Pen experience strengthened us to face these.”

Sen. Sonny Trillanes and wife, Arlene with Mother Lily.

Si Trillanes kasi ang isa sa ilang kandidato para senador na inindorso ni Mother Lily. Kasama sa kanyang inindorso ang tatlong topnotchers na si Grace Poe, Loren Legarda, Alan Cayetano at Chiz Escudero.

Sabi ni Mother Lily, “Alam nyo ba kung bakit naka-mini skirt ako?” At talaga naman blooming si Mother na kamakalian lang ay napabalitang lumalaban sa lung cancer.

Sabi ni Mother, crush niya si Trillanes. Biro niya:”Kung ma-reincarnate ako,gusto ko maging asawa si Sen.Trillanes.” Lalo siyang kinilig nang hinalikan siya ng bata at guwapong senador.

Tawa naman ng tawa si Arlene Trillanes, ang magandang asawa ng senador.

Sen. Sonny Trillanes, Reps. Gary Alejano and Ashley Acedillo, with Mother Lily Monteverde and friends.

Noon 2007, nang unang tumakbo si Trillanes para senador, isa sa masugid niyang taga-suporta ay si Jeane Monteverde, ang bilas ni Mother Lily.

Nakakulong pa si Trillanes noon at si Arlene ay nag-aaral sa Australia. Nang magbigay ng party si Mother Lily para i-announce ang kanyang endorsement, ang dumalo noon ay ang nanay ni Trillanes at ang kanyang dalawang anak.

The 2003 original batch. Not complete but most of them have held on together. Re. Acedillo quipped as they were preparing for the picture taking:”Everything started with this.”

Maala-ala natin na nanindigan sila laban sa kurakutan at panloloko ni Arroyo noong Hulyo 2003 sa tinatawag natin ngayon na Oakwood mutiny. Noong Nobyembre 2007, nag-walk out sila sa hearing ng kanilang kaso sa Makati City Hall. Dahil sa palpak ng ibang mga grupo na dapat ay sumuporta sa kanila, napunta sila sa Manila Peninsula. Pinasok ng military ang tangke sa lobby ng hotel para mapwersang sumurender ang mga rebeldeng sundalo.

Sabi ni Alejano sa kanyang pasasalamat, sinasabi ng iba na talo ang Magdalo nang sila ay kinulong. Ngunit sabi niya ngayon, hinalal sila ng taumbayan. “Panalo ang Magdalo.Panalo na rin ang taumbayan,” sabi niya.

Discussing with re-elected senator Antonio Trillanes IV . issues for the 16th Congress.With Charmaine Deogracias of NHKTV.

Ang nakakatuwa sa mga Magdalo, habang nakakulong sila, hindi nawala ang kanilang pagnanasa na magsilbi sa bayan. Nagpatuloy ang kanilang pag-aaral sa pamamagitan ng internet sa University of the Philippines Open University. Kaya nang lumabas sila, may mga master’s degree sila sa Public Administration.

Sabi nina Trillanes, Alejano at Acedillo, ipagpatuloy nila ang pag-asikaso sa kapakanan ng mga retired na sundalo at kanilang mga pamilya.

“Alam namin ang kanilang mga hinaing. Tatrabahuin naming na mabigyan sila ng sapat na benepisyo para magiging sulit naman ang kanilang sakrispisyo sa bayan,” sabi ni Alejano.

Pinakita sa akin ng aking kaibigang si Pamsy Tioseco, public relations officer ni Sen. Loren Legarda, ang magandang Christmas decoration sa pintuan ng opisina ni Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV sa Senado.

“Talagang excited na sila sa pagdating ng kanilang boss,”sabi ni Pamsy tungkol sa mga staff ni Trillanes.

Talaga naman. Sa paglabas ng panibagong amnesty proclamation (Proclamation no.75), kung saan isinama ang mga suhestyun galing sa mga senador at congressman, inaasahan na makalabas na si Trillanes sa kulungan bago mag-Pasko.

Sana nga bago Disyembre 15, bago mag-Christmas break ang Senado para makita naman niya ang kanyang opisina.
Pitong taon nang nakakulong si Trillanes as kanyang panindigan sa paglapastangan ni Gloria Arroyo ng batas at pagtiwala ng taumbayan. Unang nilang ginawa ng kanyang mga kasamahang opsiyalk at sundalo ang pagkondena sa korapsyun sa pamahalaang Arroyo sa Oakwood Hotel noong Hulyo 27, 2003.

Nanindigan sila ulit noong Nobyembre 29, 2007, tatlong taon na ngayong araw, nang sila ay nag-walkout sa hearing sa Makati Regional Trial Court at pumunta sa Manila Peninsula.

Kahit binoto siya ng taumbayan para senador noong 2007, na nagpapahayag lamang na hindi nila minamasama ang kanyang ginawa, hindi siya pinayagan ng korte na dumalo sa Senado.

Committee hearing at detention center

Sina Trillanes at Estrada ang may-akda ng bill na itaas ang ng 25 porsiyento ang base combat pay ng mga sundalo na mula pang 1985 ay nakapako sa P240 sa isang buwan. “Ang baba ng tinatanggap ng ating mga sundalo na sweldo. Maliit ang kanilang allowances at kulang na kulang ang kanilang mga benepisyo. Isa sila sa mga pinakababa ang suweldo sa gobyerno,” sabi ng senador na dating opisyal ng Philippine Navy.

“Nakataya palagi ang buhay ng sundalo para pangalagaan ang kapayapaan ng ating bansa at ang ating demokrasya. Dapat din natin siyang alagaan,” sabi ni Trillanes.

Kapag nagiging batas na ang kanilang bill, kailanganin ang P2.5 billion para sa 88,075 soldiers na makikinabang dito.

Grace Poe in San Pablo city

By then, we would know whose campaign is struggling from collapsing and whose campaign is pulling away.

The latest surveys that we got this week (Pulse Asia for ABS-CBN) which put Grace Poe leading (28 percent) with just a few percentage points over Rodrigo Duterte (24 percent), who dislodged Jejomar Binay (21 percent) in the second place and Mar Roxas closely following with 20 percent, was conducted a few days before the Supreme Court declared that Poe is qualified to run for the presidency of the Philippines.

Miriam Defensor-Santiago, by the way, held on to her three percent.

The survey was conducted March 1 to 6 while the Supreme Court decision on Poe was released March 8.

The Magdalo survey conducted March 2-4 also had the same result: Poe, 31 percent; Duterte, 29.5; Binay, 21.5 ; Roxas, 14.3; and Santiago, 3.3.

Rodrigo Duterte

Also, even more than a week ago, Binay’s “recovery” seems to have stopped. From 24 per cent last February, he slid down to 21 percent first week of March, allowing Duterte who gained two percentage points to overtake him in second place.

No wonder, Duterte, who was noticeably soft on Binay before, has joined the call for the vice president to answer the report of the Anti-Money Laundering Council that he amassed “billions” from infrastructure projects and hid it through back accounts of dummies.

Jejomar Binay in Vigan

The P100 million remittance was reportedly facilitated by the law firm where the Vice President’s daughter, Makati Rep. Abigail Binay, now running for Makati City mayor, is a partner.

Binay through his spokesman Joey Salgado has denied Inquirer’s story on the AMLC report. Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance slammed the report as “false” and “outdated”. UNA dubbed it as a politically motivated “well planned black propaganda.”

Mar in Batangas

LP spokesman Rep. Barry Gutierrez said the public’s lack of trust on Binay is his own doing.“If (the report) is already dated, then why didn’t he answer it before? If it’s not true, why didn’t the VP himself face the Senate to prove that it’s false?” he said.

In our man-on-the street interviews, there were a number who said they will go for Binay despite the allegations of corruption against him. Some believe Binay’s line that the allegations are untrue while others said if he is corrupt, he has proven to be a competent leader.

Yet, in the Pulse Asia survey last January on the voters most important consideration in choosing a presidential candidate, number one is “Untarnished character/reputation, not corrupt”, 28 percent followed by a clear program of action, 14 percent and extensive experience in governance, 12 percent.

Let’s see next survey how these values manifest in the light of what are being exposed in media and how it will impact on the candidates’ campaign.

Pres. Duterte takes a swipe at critics before Filipino community in Myanmar, March 19, 2017. Malacanang photo by Marcelino Pascua.

Not surprisingly, President Duterte resorted to incoherent rant when asked about the plan of Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano to file a supplemental impeachment complaint to include developments in Scarborough Shoal and Benham Rise.
This happened in a press conference in Myanmar Monday where Duterte was on a state visit.

Duterte said, “Well for what? If he (Alejano) wants to fight with China, he can lead. I would be glad to send him as the first batch of delegation of Filipinos who want to take the Spratly Islands and all of those they occupied now. Sige. Siya ang mauna.(Go ahead. He should go first). It would be a slaughter for the Filipinos to do that.
‘Yung kanyang tapang-tapangan, huwag munang. (His acting brave, don’t) Do not compare me with you. You are all cowards. Alam ninyo nakita ‘yung kagitingan ninyo noong nag-mutiny kaya mga walang hiya kayo. (You know we have seen your “bravery” when you staged a mutiny. You are shameless.)”

He continued fulminating more about the protest actions that Alejano together with Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and the Magdalo group did against Gloria Arroyo when they were young military officers in July 2003 (Oakwood mutiny) and in November 2007 (Manila Pen siege) which were irrelevant to the question about China’s activities in Scarborough Shoal and Benham Rise.

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano

Scarborough shoal, also known as Panatag and Bajo de Masinloc, is under effective control of China which call the rock “Huangyan” since April 2012.

Last Sunday Duterte said: “Well, we cannot stop China from doing his thing. Hindi nga napara ng Amerikano (The Americans were not able to stop [them])”

Duterte’s reply to Alejano showed his confusion. The question was about Scarborough shoal, in Central Luzon. His answer was about Spratlys, in another side of the Philippines near Palawan, which is also claimed wholly or partly by China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

Alejano scored Duterte for “portraying the Philippines as helpless and defenceless.” He said there are many ways that a president can protect the interest of the country without going to war. “Military confrontation is not the only option, but it should be our last option,” the bemedalled former Marine captain said.

However, he said, “In the very remote and unlikely event the continued incursions of China in Philippine territories lead to war, “every Filipino should be ready to defend the country as mandated by the Constitution, including myself. Ang pagsilbi sa bayan ay hindi na po bago sa akin.(Serving the country is not new to me.) I am more than willing to fight for this country, to lead our troops against China, or any other foreign intruder.”

But he made a special request to Duterte: “Pahiram ako ng jet ski (Let me borrow your jet ski).”

It should be recalled that during the campaign, Duterte vowed to assert Philippine claim on the Spratlys:”I will ask the Navy to bring me to the nearest point in South China Sea that is tolerable to them and I will ride a jet ski. I’ll carry a flag and when I reach Spratlys, I will erect the Filipino flag. I will tell them, suntukan o barilan (boxing or shootout).”

Duterte’s jetski diplomay. From the FB page of Mary Anne Tejada.

Duterte is now singing a different tune: “We are not in a position to declare war. But I said to China that someday during my term as President, I will have to confront you about the arbitral ruling and that would be maybe, during the time when you begin to extract minerals and the riches of what is inside the bowels of the Earth,“ he said last Monday.

Update May 31, 2017:

Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV
“During the security briefing, I asked Sec. Lorenzana based on their intel reports, if I or the Magdalo group is linked in any way with the Maute? He answered, ‘No, Mr. Senator. Na receive din namin ang information na galing daw kay Abe Purugganan. Hindi totoo yun. Hindi namin pinansin yun.'”

Rep. Gary C. Alejano when he filed impeachment complaint against President Duterte last March.

“This is the height of irresponsibility of those involved in spreading this fake and malicious information especially in this trying times when our brothers and sisters in Marawi need all the support from the Filipino people. I categorically deny that Magdalo is involved in any terroristic acts or is affiliated with any terrorist groups. The intelligence community could affirm this as we have constant engagements with them,” Alejano, speaking for the group, said in a statement.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, one of the officials of the political organization, said “it is obviously a black propaganda, a very vicious one.” He said he will address the issue after a scheduled briefing by military officials for senators on Monday.

Former Undersecretary for Special Concerns Abraham ‘Abe’ Purugganan wrote in his Facebook page on May 25, “There is prior information last April of pilferages of firearms by Magdalo group for allegedly continuing ‘special ops’ during the Ramadan to sustain disturbances operation’.

Former Undersecretary Abraham Purugganan’s FB page.

“I am trying to withhold my conclusion pending more information to confirm this but my experience in intelligence analysis tells me that there is a connection especially when all information points toward Magdalo.
“Precautions have to be made.”

Purugganan was a former spokesman of the Young Officers Union (YOU), a group of young military officers who staged the December 1989 coup d’etat against the government of Corazon Aquino in 1989. The coup attempt paralyzed the commercial center of Makati.

Purugganan joined the government of Gloria Arroyo as undersecretary of Presidential Adviser on special concerns Norberto Gonzales. He no longer holds any government post.

He describes himself in Linkedin as a “freelance consultant.” His company, Strategic and Risk Management Consulting, helps “private and public organizations achieve their corporate operational & strategic objectives and minimize risks: organizational risk, reputation risk, financial risk, operational risk, and cyber risk among other risks that can affect an organization.”

His post on Magdalo’s alleged connection with the Maute Group appeared in his Face book page with the image title “I support Martial Law” at 10:47 p.m. of May 25, two days after the declaration of Martial Law in Mindanao. As of May 27, the post was shared by 9,488.

Online sites that shared the post did not have information about owners, one of the attributes of fake news.

Purugganan’s FB post on Magdalo

Alejano said they are gathering evidence on who are behind the spread of this false information. Their lawyers are also studying legal action. “Binabalaan po namin ang mga taong sangkot na alisin at burahin ang mga ganitong kasinungalingan. Ang mga sangkot ay nais lamang sirain ang aming reputasyon at ibaling sa amin ang galit ng tao na sa halip ay magalit tayo sa totoong mga may pakana at nagsagawa ng pag-atake sa Marawi (We are warning those involved to erase the lies they are spreading. Those involved want to destroy our reputation and divert towards us the anger of the people for those behind the attack in Marawi.)

“The Magdalo group strongly condemns the dastardly acts perpetrated by the Maute group and other lawless elements in Marawi City. We sympathize with the people of Marawi and urge the government to swiftly resolve the crisis with minimum damage to innocent lives and properties. I am confident with the capability of our Armed Forces to deal with this situation as they have proven in the past incidents even without the declaration of martial law,” Alejano, a former Marines officer said.

Alejano and Trillanes belong to Samahang Magdalo and came to prominence when they, together with about 300 soldiers, seized the Oakwood Hotel at the Makati Commercial Center in July 2003 in protest against the government of Gloria Arroyo. They made another failed attempt against Arroyo in November 2007 at the Manila Peninsula.

Almost all the core members of the Magdalo group were imprisoned for seven years. While in detention, Trillanes ran for senator in 2007 and won. He was re-elected in 2013.

The Magdalo Party-list won two seats in the 2013 elections. In the 2016 elections, the group got one seat.

The Samahang Magdalo has grown into a nationwide organization. Members who have violated the mission of the group, Alejano said, have been expelled, pointing out that the protest action they mounted in July 2003 was to denounce the irregularities in the military.

“Security sector reforms are a major part of the legislative agenda of the Magdalo in Congress when we joined politics then and now being former members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Rest assured that the best interest of the Filipino people and the country is foremost in our minds,” he said.

15 years ago at the Oakwood Hotel in Makati.(AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

When Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Rep. Gary Alejano and some 100 officers and soldiers were preparing to mark the 15th year of the life-changing decision they made when they went out to denounce the corruption in the dubious presidency of Gloria Arroyo, little did they know that she would be installed as Speaker of the House, third in the line of succession to the presidency.

The irony was not lost on the officers and soldiers who spent seven years of their lives in detention for what they did on July 27, 2003.

“Critics of the Magdalo point to the fact that we once broke the military chain of command, and in the process found ourselves in the crosshairs of the State. We faced the consequences of the stand we made fifteen years ago, and we accepted the fate that the Arroyo regime imposed upon us”, said Ashley Acedillo, who was then a 26-year old first lieutenant in the Philippine Air Force.

Acedillo served as spokesman of the group until his election as member of the House of Representatives (Magdalo Party List) in 2013 to 2016.

“It is perhaps both ironic and troubling that 15 years after the events of July 27, 2003 that saw almost 400 AFP officers and soldiers publicly demonstrate against the corruption of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) and her cohort of favored generals and senior officers, we mark this occasion with the spectacle of a surreptitious ascension of now-Representative Gloria Arroyo as Speaker of the House,” he said in a statement.

Acedillo said what happened at the Batasan Monday last week merely underscored the saddening state of affairs of our country and reflected the real ‘State of the Nation’ – that of an incompetent and weak President, upstaged by a truly corrupt and boundlessly ambitious former President who Duterte himself unleashed from the yoke of corruption charges and a farcical house arrest, only now to once again prowl upon the smeared lower House and prey upon the Filipino people again.”

Magdalo 15 years after Oakwood.

To those who are troubled by Arroyo’s return to power, it seemed that all the struggle – physical-economic-political-emotional – have been for naught.

But Acedillo sees it as a continuing challenge and for them deepen their commitment to nation building.
Magdalo has come a long way. Dismissed by Arroyo and her advisers as just a bunch of a group of young officers full of themselves who still has a lot to learn in political warfare, they have produced one senator and two partylist representatives.

Magdalo has further strengthened its organization through opening its ranks to volunteer Filipinos who are encouraged to be responsible citizens of the country and to engage in community works aimed to address problems encountered in the grassroots level. Magdalo chapters composed of hundreds of thousands of volunteers have been organized in almost all provinces of the country and even abroad. The Magdalo Foundation was also created to help underprivileged members of the Samahang Magdalo and other constituents.

With Arroyo’s second ascent, Magdalo sees bigger challenges ahead.