Four Days at EDSA (Day 4/ The Final Day)

Discordant Notes

February 25, 2012

Four Days at EDSA (Day 4/ The Final Day)

The description of that times were like the lyrics of the Frank Sinatra’s  song My Way: “ and now the end is near, and so I  face the final curtain…”

And on the fourth day, the coast became clearer. Now that the major TV and radio stations are all at the hands of the military rebels, the more we cannot rely on them on factual news. It’s all hallelujah time for the rebels and for Cory Aquino.  

We got a clearer picture, analysis  and news with the VOA and BBC broadcasts.

The hand of US Imperialism was very clear from day one. The United States sent its big time negotiator to Manila to warn both sides of the AFP, the Marcos loyalist and the RAM rebels led by Enrile and Ramos not to slug it out for it will only benefit “ the communists.”

And the two sides complied but conducted their own initiatives The Marcos-Ver forces ordered the AFP artillery from Fort Bonifacio to fire at Camp Crame but the army refused. They ordered the air force to bomb Camp Crame and they defected en masse. They ordered the PNP to disperse the crowd but the PNP defected to General Ramos.

On the other side, it was the RAM who seized the initiative. We were surprised to see in that morning newspapers the CHDF from Cagayan and former NPA rebel returnees who terrorized the masses of Cagayan with Major Aguinaldo who attacked and seized Channel 2 and 4 stations. It was the former ABS-CBN Broadcast center. And now they are being treated as heroes in Manila.

We learned it again in 1987 and 1989 during the “ acoustic wars” between the Pro-Cory yellow forces and the combined Marcos loyalist-RAM rebels cum coup plotters  with the US acting like a referee and dictating the tempo of their armed clashes and conspiracies.

One thing was clear. Everybody were claiming themselves as heroes. How they sacrificed so this will be a reality. Including the arch enemies of the people.

The same persons  who were also with Marcos – deep in his inner circle when he declared martial law; Juan Ponce-Enrile, the warlord from Cagayan and General Fidel Ramos who was the vice-chief of staff and PNP Chief during the 14 years of the Marcos dictatorship.

The media even the foreign press was announcing that there will be an important announcement that afternoon. The ground was abuzz with the unconfirmed news that Marcos had fled the Philippines. People were tired of the FVR psywar that Marcos fled earlier that was not true. Now they are all waiting for confirmation of the rumor that Marcos and his family fled somewhere.

It was erie silence again when the crackle from the radio came in. It was a voice of a magistrate and a women who is being sworn in as the President of the Philippines. Corazon Cojuanco Aquino, the bereaved wife of opposition senator Benigno Aquino Jr is now the president of the Philippines.

The news anchor described the events at Club Filipino in San Juan, Rizal. Present at the swearing in was General Fide Ramos and Juan Ponce Enrile. Later the news confirmed that they were appointed by Mrs. Aquino as Defense Secretary and new Chief of Staff of the “New Armed Forces of the Philippines” or the NAFP.

As the French says it; “ the more it change, the more it remains the same.”

The revolution is over. Marcos has fled the palace and that night, the news reported that multitudes of people ransacked the presidential palace. The rest is history.

We put off the radio. And we all went to sleep after four straight days of sleeplessness. Everybody were tired. I can just smile to see them dozed off at different corners of the house we were in.

And we know that a new chapter of the people’s struggle is about to begin.

With Enrile and Ramos at the helm, with the AFP in their control, it’s like Marcos time without Marcos. Weird but true. We are all thinking of the inevitable. What will happen to the people when the rebels forces or the NAFP  came back to the provinces?  Will they stop the human rights abuses or will they just aggravate it?

The King is dead, long Live the Queen!

We have to sleep and rest, save our energy to wake up for another day.

Days ahead will be full of troubles.

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Four Days in EDSA ( Day 3)

Discordant Notes

February 24, 2012

Four Days in EDSA ( Day 3)

“ The battle of EDSA will be decided on who can bring their reserves to Manila” 

This was the analysis of Prof. MacCcoy of Australia on a broadcast by the BBC on the third day of the EDSA Uprising. He mentioned the failed attempt of RAM forces to bring in reinforcements from Davao  in the Manila International Airport when they were all arrested upon arrival by the Marcos loyalist forces.

Its funny because Prof.McCcoy stressed  in his BBC analysis that the Philippines have only two C130 plane and it is still controlled by Marcos forces. The RAM forces came in a regular PAL flight. I will learn later that Prof. McCcoy made a very good study of the notorious RAM officers and it was a very authoritative study of the human rights violations by the RAM during the 14 years of Marcos dictatorship.

Earlier, the marine contingent was stopped by the multitudes of people at the corner of Ortigas and EDSA. The old amphbious vehicles/tanks driven by the Marines were stopped by Col. Tadiar because he cannot bear driving it through the millions of people who were holding up their tanks. Thus the reserves were stopped cold in their tracks by the people.

On the onset, as if the advantage was still on the dictator’s side. But on the third day, the balance of forces began to turn as some of the AFP forces began changing sides, became neutral or refused to budge in their positions as millions of people gathered in EDSA to protect the rebel forces.It seems that the dictator is losing his grip on his forces who began to mutiny.

Late that night, we heard over DZRH that private cars shadowed a convoy of armed personnel carriers (APC) coming from Malacanang before they reached EDSA and blocked their way at Timog Avenue. The cars were led by actor Aga Mulach and former broadcaster Orly Mercado. We can visualize the chase and can hear the honking of cars by the tune of "LABAN."

But were also saddened when Radio Veritas (DZRV) went off the air because of a bombing incident but were gladdened again when Radio Bandido went into the air. It was so nice to hear the battle hymn during that election campaign; “Mambo Magsaysay.”

What really surprised us is that the PNP forces under General Alfredo Lim who headed the NPD, switched sides and refused to obey the orders of the dictator to disperse the crowd at EDSA. He reported to General Ramos and took orders from him.

And then we heard over DZRH that early morning that the some AFP anti-riot forces led by General Balbandero, Camp Aguinaldo  Commander tried to disperse the crowd at Santolan. They threw gas canisters at the crowd but the wind blew the gas back to the camp perimeter at the delight of the crowd.

The biggest news of that day was the defection of the 9th Strike Wing of attack of the Philippine Air force. They were tasked to attack Camp Crame but Col. Sotelo, a Cagayano and a province mate of Enrile changed his mind when he saw the millions of people in EDSA.

Instead of attacking Camp Crame, he landed the helicopters into the parade ground of rebel held camp  and reported to the rebels. Now the AFP rebels have their air force.

Later that afternoon, the Sikorsky helicopters bombed the palace, destroyed some air assets in Villamor Air Base and warned the Marcos family and their cronies that their end is near.

The coup de grace came late in the afternoon when the military rebels were able to wrest the two government owned radio and television stations, Channel 9 and Channel 4 and the live feed of Marcos inauguration at Malacanang Palace went off the air.

We were right in cautioning ever body that the fight is not yet over when General Ramos announced that the Marcos Family fled.He even bragged that it was the job of the police to arrest the President who is still holed up in Malacanang. It was all a psy-war propaganda. It turned out to be false alarm because Marcos went on air on his inauguration. But when the broadcast was cut-off, we felt something is really happening that night.

We went on the 3rd day without seeing any military forces in their camps. We heard in the FEBC news that the notorious 48th IB Philippine Army based in Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya  was deployed at the GMA TV Station in EDSA.It was the erie silence that bothers us.

The 17th, 41st  and 21st IB were called to the NOLCOM Headquarters in Tarlac. The 5th Division, the armored component of the AFP was based in the North. They were  called in as reserves with all its APC's to Manila  but cannot proceed to Manila. They were at the NOLCOM  HQ and was stalled in Tarlac because the  borders of Pampanga and Bulacan were barricaded by the people. The center of struggle  now is in the urban areas.

Even the government radio is now broadcasting the news that the PNP is under the control of Ramos loyalist. One by one, the PNP regional commands are reporting that they are awaiting orders from Camp Crame and not from Malacanang.

Changes are happening everyday, and it kept us on our toes.

What if Marcos forces counter-attack?  Are they still capable of mounting  a last ditch stand or a desperate offensive?

We closed our eyes and had an uneasy sleep that night.Too many questions unanswered and yet more questions came to the fore.  Is this just a prelude to a more bloody revolution like Russia in 1917 or China in 1949 or very specific in the Philippines?

We will know the answer on the next day.

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FOUR DAYS of EDSA ( Day 2)

Discordant Notes

February 23, 2012

FOUR DAYS of EDSA ( Day 2)

Arturo P. Garcia

Away from where the action is, we were like boxing or basketball aficionados listening to the radio and getting a blow by blow account on what is happening in EDSA in Metro Manila on the second day of the Mexican stand-off. And that was February 23, 1986.

To facilitate the news, we assigned people to listen every hour on different stations. We assigned them to listen to specific radio stations like the DZRH, Radio Veritas, the government radio and the foreign broadcast namely the BBC, the VOA and the Far East Broadcasting Corporation (FEBC) based in Manila but was broadcasting via shortwave.

We discussed and analyzed the news as it comes.

We also assigned people to listen on their rounds, so while the others sleep, others can still listen to the news  as they do their daily chores. Everybody were glued to their radio sets. And then we made it a point to hoard batteries because we feel that the crisis will go on for days.

All the radio stations gave a blow by blow account especially when the breakaway group of Enrile and Ramos transferred from indefensible Camp Aguinaldo or the DND building to a more defensible Camp Crame, the headquarters of the PNP that is very loyal and controlled by FVR.

The evening earlier, Cardinal Sin made a call to the public to mass at EDSA to protect the breakaway duo who from the broadcast made a public confessions of their sins against the people and asked the people to protect them

It was a revealing moment when Enrile admitted the fake ambush in 1972 and the cheating in Cagayan Valley. We were right after-all and we were elated that the truth about election rigging in the northern provinces were validated by the guy who made it possible. The old warlord who was so arrogant is now trembling at his unknown fate and is laying on the table the truth at last.

And we were surprised that Enrile and Ramos admitted that Cory Aquino won the elections and they were offering to recognize her as  the elected president of the Philippines. I smiled and thought, how desperate men clutch at straw at their desperate hours.

And then we confirmed the fact that days before, the rag-tag PC Major Rodolfo Aguinaldo’s private army composed of former NPA rebels, Negrito fighters and CHDF from several towns of Cagayan were transported by bus to Manila.

Yes, we missed how these arrogant bands who usually marched in the town centers, manned the checkpoint and brutalized the people everyday, harass religious and human rights workers and even ordinary people—everyday.  And all of a sudden they were gone.

We also confirmed that companies of PC soldiers under Provincial Commander Tirso Gador, fresh from his advance schooling in Fort Benning , Georgia the personal bodyguard of Defense Minister Enrile who was also from Cagayan also went to Manila riding public busses in civilian clothes to converge in Manila to take part in the failed coup.

Later we learned that they manned the defense building in Camp Aguinaldo where Enrile and Ramos made their press conference. We saw their faces on the morning Manila newspapers that filtered the provincial capitols.

Later we  learned from the radio that they were being armed from the helicopters coming from the provinces that dropped arms cache on top of the MND building in Camp Aguinaldo.

That morning, the still confident dictator paraded before the media, his generals and captured coup plotters and proudly announced that they discovered and quelled the palace coup that was hatched by the RAM led by Col. Gregorio Honasan. He asked the Defense minister and the PC Chief and also the Vice-Chief of staff to surrender peacefully.

He even commented; “This is the most documented mutiny I have ever seen in my life. So, Minister  Enrile and General Ramos, IO again ask you---surrender now because all your actions are duly recorded.”

It was very quiet in the provinces because nearly all the army and the PC camps were empty. It seems everybody were in Manila. But it was very silent and we were not used to that silence. The only time that obscure silence occurred was the day when Senator Aquino was killed in the airport. And that was August 21, 1983.

We made a joked. That this is the time that the NPA must declare that the provinces in the north are “liberated areas”. But they did not do it. Maybe they did not like the joke. Or maybe they do not have the capacity to do that. Or both.

One by one, politicians have switched sides. I heard a former navy officer resign and placed his bet on the side of the people. The DZRH as well as Radio Veritas has reported there were millions of  people in EDSA.

We all concluded that that will be a long night.

The second long night at EDSA.

******