Sugarcane Truck Plows Through Family's House for the Third Time

A truck loaded with sugarcane rammed into a house in the early morning of January 14th killing two people. It is a tragedy on many levels. Let's take a closer look at the details as they differ from report to report.

https://visayandailystar.com/two-killed-by-wayward-truck/

A 10-wheeler truck figured in a road crash, slamming into a house along the highway at Brgy. Antipolo, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental, yesterday, killing of its two occupants.

Police said that JR Cordero, 30, died on the spot, while his 58-year-old mother, Ermie, was declared dead on arrival later at the Don Salvador Benedicto Memorial Hospital in La Carlota City.

PCapt. Hancel Lumandaz, Pontevedra acting police chief, in his report to the Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office, disclosed that the 10-wheeler Isuzu truck loaded with sugarcane, driven by Henry Salgado Sr, accompanied by his 8-year-old son, hit the road railings, slammed and fell into the house of Cordero family, resulting in the deaths of JR and his mother.

Also injured were Salgado and his son, as well as Leona Cordero, 12. Both minors, however, sustained minor injuries, while Salgado was reported to be in critical condition, according to the Pontevedra police.

The house of the victims was declared as totally damaged.

In this version of the story a man driving a sugarcane truck slammed into the road railings and fell over into the house. His son was riding shotgun and sustained injuries. A 12 year old girl who lived in the house was also injured. The house was totally damaged.

Now let's see how Philstar reported this story.

 A 10-wheeler truck loaded with sugarcane rammed a house along the highway in Barangay Antipolo in Pontevedra, Negros Occidental yesterday, leaving two occupants dead.

Police said JR Cordero, 30, died at the scene while his 58-year-old mother Ermie was declared dead on arrival at the Don Salvador Benedicto Memorial Hospital.

Capt. Hancel Lumandaz, Pontevedra acting police chief, said the truck driver, Henry Salgado Sr., is in critical condition in a hospital while his eight-year-old son and a 12-year-old girl, who were his passengers, suffered minor injuries.

The house of the fatalities was destroyed.

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2022/01/15/2153925/truck-rams-house-2-dead

In this version the house was hit by the sugarcane truck which was driven by Henry Salgado. Riding with him was his 8-year- old son and a 12-year-old girl. We are not told the relation of the girl to the driver. "The house of the fatalities was destroyed" is a rather cumbersome way of saying the house was destroyed. 

Next up is Sunstar.

https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1918186/bacolod/local-news/ma-son-die-3-injured-as-truck-rams-house

A family was caught by surprised when a 10-wheeler truck loaded with sugarcane rammed through their house at Barangay Antipolo in Pontevedra town, Negros Occidental past 1 a.m. Friday, January 14.

The accident claimed the lives of Ermie Cordero, 58, and her son JR, 30, and caused minor injuries to her daughter Leona, 12, Pontevedra Municipal Police Station deputy chief Lieutenant Rowell Peniero said.

Peniero said JR died on the spot while his mother Ermie died while being treated hours after she was brought at a hospital.

He said the Corderos failed to save themselves as they were sleeping when the accident happened.

Truck driver Henry Salgado, 46, of Barangay Bi-ao in Binalbagan town, and his eight-year-old son, were also injured and were brought to a hospital in La Carlota City, Peniero also said.

The police officials said, however, that the driver needed to be transferred to a hospital in Bacolod City as his injuries were severe.

Investigation showed that the truck was heading west of the provincial road and hit the railings upon reaching the area between Puroks Santan and Amorabita before ramming into the house of the Corderos.

The truck also fell and the about 40 tons of sugarcane it carries also spilled over the house made of mix materials.

The victims needed to be retrieved from the rubble of their collapsed house, Peniero said, adding that Salgado might have lost control over his vehicle since the road was descending.

Salgado may be facing reckless imprudence resulting in multiple homicide with damage to properties.

In this version were are told that the family "was caught by surprised" when a sugarcane truck rammed into their house. In this version we are told that the injured 12-year-old is the daughter of the woman and sister of the man who died. The family "failed to save themselves as they were sleeping" is a very awkward thing to write because it makes it appear like they are responsible for their deaths when the fact is a truck crashed into their home and dumped 40 tons of sugarcane on top of them. The driver could be facing charges.

Finally let's see what Panay News has to say about this story.

A 40-ton cane truck fell on its side and crushed a small house in Barangay Antipolo, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental early yesterday morning. Two people were killed and one was injured.

Authorities identified the fatalities as 30-year-old JR Cordero and his mother, 58-year-old Ermie Cordero.

JR’s sister, 12-year-old Leona, survived but sustained multiple injuries.

Pontevedra police traffic investigator Police Corporal Genesis Beñas, said the truck driven by 46-year-old Henry Salgado, Sr. was heading west and was making a turn when he overshot, causing the truck to fall  on to its side and crashing in to the Cordero family’s home.

The victims were trapped for several hours in the wreckage and ultimately both JR and Ermie were declared dead on arrival at a hospital in La Carlota City, Negros Occidental.

Salgado, meanwhile, was hospitalized after the incident. He is believed to be inebriated at the time incident.

It was also not the first instance that the house was involved in an accident. 

In September of 2021, a truck also smashed into the house of the Cordero family. No one was injured in that incident, although the family’s dog was killed.

Salgado could face criminal charges over the incident, and police are still waiting for the decision of the Cordero family if they would press charges.

https://www.panaynews.net/cane-truck-crushes-house-in-pontevedra/

This story also tells us that the 12-year-old girl was the sister of the man and daughter of the woman who was killed. We also get the significant detail that the driver was inebriated. Why did none of the other news articles report that? We are also told that Salgado could face criminal charges if the family decided to press charges! That makes no sense if the man was driving drunk. According to the police his son told them he had been drinking all day!

The child of Salgado, aged eight, told policemen his father had been drinking the entire day before driving early in the morning of 15 August when the incident happened.

https://dnx.news/family-including-two-minors-to-face-charges-for-death-of-pa-in-kabankalan-drunk-driver-in-death-of-two-in-pontevedra-still-critical-in-hospital/

That is a crime punishable by law. The government should be the party who brings charges against this man and not the family.

One last thing that this story tells us is that this is not the first time this house was involved in a sugarcane truck accident. In September 2021 a sugarcane truck smashed into the Cordero's house and killed their dog.

https://dailyguardian.com.ph/dog-killed-after-being-buried-in-sugarcane-pile/

A pet dog was killed in a road mishap at Barangay Antipolo, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental yesterday.

According to Police Captain Hancel Lumandaz, town police chief, a German Shepherd was pinned by a pile of sugarcane that fell from a truck which overshot to the roadside.

Lumandaz said the truck driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle when it was about to turn.

The caption on the picture gives us even more information which is not in the article.

A truck loaded with sugarcane overshot to the roadside, hitting a portion of a house, and killing a pet dog at Barangay Antipolo, Pontevedra, Negros Occidental Tuesday. 

It's pretty tragic to lose a dog to a wayward sugarcane truck. But it gets worse. This same house was also the location of a sugarcane truck accident exactly a year earlier on January 14, 2021!

Beside the provincial road, if one faces east, an uprooted mango tree lies.

Its branches already wilted, leaves stripped almost a month after Odette, a Category 5 storm roared across the province a week before Christmas eve of 2021.

That tree is on a downward slope of the road that starts to curve right, the part where drivers usually start to hit the brakes.

On 14 January 2021, Ermie Gregorio and her son, JR, were saved by that tree when a truck loaded with sugarcane missed the curve and plunged headlong into their house.

Only a portion of the roof was hit.

A dog in the kitchen died.

Exactly a year later yesterday, 14 January 2022, Ermie and JR were asleep early in the morning around 1am when Henry Salgado was driving a 10-wheeler truck.

https://dnx.news/tiempo-suerte-tragedy-truck-crashes-crushes-house-kills-two/

A year ago the Corderos were saved by a mango tree. A year later the mango tree had been uprooted by typhoon Odette and they had no protection. The fact that they survived a previous sugarcane truck crash only to die exactly a year later from a sugarcane truck crashing into their house serves to increase the weight of the tragedy with the added level of irony.

All three trucks were going around a curve when they overshot it and took a nasty spill on the the same house. Thanks to the magic of Google street view you can virtually travel that dangerous route as it goes through Barangay Antipolo in Pontevedra.

Sugarcane Truck Route

It's unfortunate that every truck driver in the Philippines drives like a maniac speeding and racing through red lights. It does not help that sugarcane trucks are always overloaded giving them a potentially deadly cargo. Generally speaking sugarcane trucks are old rust buckets that seem to be barely held together. Oftentimes they don't have functional headlights. Each one of those trucks is a disaster waiting to happen. It is indeed tragic that this family's house was hit three times by a sugarcane truck but they are not the first. 

https://dailyguardian.com.ph/two-hurt-as-truck-crashes-into-house/

A mother and her son were injured after a six-wheeler truck loaded with sugarcane crashed into their house at Bangga Malubon, Purok Santol, Barangay Paraiso, Sagay City, Negros Occidental on Monday.

Wounded were Ruby Opelina, 49, and her seven-year-old son, whose name was withheld.

Police Major Antonio Benitez Jr., city police chief, said that the truck driven by 36-year-old Emilio Openio was moving in a descending direction when the vehicle’s brakes allegedly malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to crash into Opelina’s house and damaging it.

Benitez said that the mother was sitting, checking her son, who was sleeping, when the accident occurred past 10 a.m.

Both victims suffered minor injuries.

Benitez said that the mother is still confined at a hospital while her son was already discharged.

He said that the truck driver was already released from police custody after the 18-hour reglementary detention. Both parties also had an initial settlement, he added.

There is no reason the brakes should suddenly malfunction. These accidents are totally preventable if only the drivers practiced safety first which includes making sure the vehicle is 100% functional and slowing when going around a curve.

Insurgency: Duterte Says Chose the Government or the CPP-NPA

It is a fact that the AFP believes the defeat of the CPP-NPA is imminent. Many voices are declaring victory will be this year because the AFP has been following the timeline set by Duterte to defeat the CPP-NPA before his term ends. So, why is Duterte talking about stepping down if the people choose the CPP-NPA?

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1165080

President Rodrigo Duterte said there is no use for the government to stay if Filipinos support the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), by giving in to their extortion.

"(If the Filipinos would say they want NPA, we give it to them. We will go down. We will give the government to them. Let's all retire since the Filipinos would support NPA),"Duterte said in his prerecorded "Talk to the People" aired on state-run PTV4 late Monday night..

Duterte was referring to 53 long years of extortion and other illegal activities of the CPP-NPA.

"(So you Filipinos, choose. Choose between the NPA or this government. Because if you say you want the NPA, their methods, just tell us that, and we will all go down)," he said.

What is this defeatist nonsense? Where is this coming from? Is this another joke? Surely no one is going to be surrendering the nation to the CPP-NPA yet here we have the so-called "father of the nation" saying he will do just that. Some father!

And who is he talking to? The AFP has conducted more than a few operations due to intelligence provided by local citizens who do not want the NPA in their area. In fact, it was local people who provided the AFP with the location of Ka Bok, the Karl Marx of the Philippines.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1165376

Legaspi clarified that Villanueva’s neutralization on January 5 was long overdue as the people of Region 11 (Davao) and its neighboring regions whom the NPA members have victimized and terrorized, “long wanted his captivity and even death.”

He said this is proven by the neutralization of Villanueva that was made possible by the cooperation of the masses to the campaign of the government of putting an end to more than five decades of the communist scourge in the country.

“Ka Bok’s death is a manifestation of CPP’s losing grip, control, and influence over their so-called “revolutionary mass base,” he added.

Legaspi said the CPP-NPA may have previously earned the trust of the masses in the remote areas, but they achieved this through deception, brainwashing, radicalization, and indoctrination.

A concerned local resident also alerted authorities to an NPA arms cache in Nuevo Ejica.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1165242

Troops of the 84th Infantry Battalion of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Kaugnay and Philippine National Police (PNP) Provincial Office of Nueva Ecija discovered an arms cache of the New People’s Army in Barangay Minuli, Carranglan, Nueva Ecija on Wednesday.

Maj. Gen. Andrew Costelo, acting commander of the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom), said the troops were conducting peace and security efforts when a concerned resident of Barangay Minuli tipped off the location of the arms cache of the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Costelo said the war materiel and communication equipment include an M203 grenade launcher, three stocks/butt plates of M14 rifle, six cartridges of 5.56mm, 10 rounds of 40mm high explosive, four long 5.56mm magazines assembly, two short 5.56mm magazines assembly, five ICOM two-way radios with a charger, a 30-liter container with rice, two keypad cell phones, and, assorted medical paraphernalia.

Another concerned citizen in Agusan del Sur tipped off the location of NPA rebels which resulted in a gun battle.

https://www.kalinawnews.com/army-npa-clash-high-powered-firearms-capture/

Three (3) assorted high powered and low-powered firearms with ammunitions were captured by the troops of the 26th Infantry (Ever Onward) Battalion under the operational control of 403rd Infantry (Peacemaker) Brigade, 4th Infantry (Diamond) Division, Philippine Army during an encounter while conducting focused military operations at the hinterlands of Sitio Damming, Brgy Zillovia, Talacogon, ADS on January 12, 2022. 

Lt. Col. Reynald Romel A. Goce, Commanding Officer of 26IB said the encounter transpired at around 6 o’clock in the morning and the fierce firefight lasted for seven (7) minutes that resulted in the capture of two (2) high powered and one (1) low-powered firearms which consisted of one (1) Caliber .30 (Garrand) rifle, one (1) Caliber .30 Carbine Rifle and one (1) Caliber .22 Rifle. Various war paraphernalia was also captured such as three (3) cellular phones, subversive documents, and other belongings. 

The presence of the armed group was compromised by a concerned citizen confirming their location which was immediately responded to by the military forces through conducting intensified military operations in order to suppress their planned atrocities in the area.

“With the capture of these firearms, we believe that the NPA in our Area of Operations was demoralized and we will continue to pursue them aggressively under the rule of law until they abandon this futile armed struggle. Once again, we are encouraging the remaining NPA to peacefully lay down your arms, surrender and start a more peaceful and meaningful life with your family or you have to prepare to face the consequences,” Lt. Col. Goce added.

It's too bad they did not kill or capture any of those rebels. Maybe they will surrender and avail of the government's bribery program. Since December 1st 130 people in Luzon have done just that.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1165357

A total of 130 communist terrorist group members and supporters in Northern and Central Luzon have returned to the fold of the law since Dec. 1, 2021.

Maj. Gen. Andrew Costelo, acting commander of the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) and concurrent commander of Joint Task Force Kaugnay, said on Thursday the surrenderers include 15 regular New People's Army (NPA) rebels, 12  Militia ng Bayan, one arrested personality, and 102 members of different NPA-affiliated mass organizations in the two Luzon areas.

In addition, Costelo said a total of 17 firearms and three improvised explosive devices were recovered since December last year.

“As our soldiers on the ground deliver successive blows to the communist terrorist groups in the region, it is only indicative of their already dwindling forces as more of their members realize the manipulative ploys of their leaders, and yield to the government,” he said in a statement.

Costelo expressed optimism that the communist insurgency is already on the brink of extinction, and continues to encourage remaining communist terrorists to lay down their arms and yield to the government.

“The growing number of surrenders manifests the exasperation of the members and supporters of the communist terrorist groups of fighting for a false ideology that only threatens their safety as well as that of their families,” he said.

Compare the optimism of Maj. Gen. Andrew Costelo that the CPP-NPA is on the brink of extinction with Duterte telling the nation to chose the government or the CPP-NPA. Well, if the CPP-NPA is on the brink of extinction then there is nothing to choose now is there? So, who was Duterte talking to when he said choose between the government and the CPP-NPA?

Book Review: Neither Trumpets nor Drums

Neither Trumpets nor Drums is a memoir written by former Vice President Salvador "Doy" Laurel about his time in the Cory Aquino administration. Rather than being a pean to or a complete takedown of Cory Aquino, Salvador Laurel gives his honest impressions of the time both documenting his hope for her Presidency after years of martial law under Marcos and his disappointment at what actually happened. The subtitle is Summing up the Cory Government.

The major drawback of this book is that it is a big tease. Though Salvador Laurel offers "revelatory" insights and behind-the-scenes stories about Cory Aquino’s governance he never explores them. It's all a sketch with a very faint outline. He skips over a great deal during the period of 1986-1987.  For instance, while he makes a big to-do about Cory scraping the constitution and imposing a revolutionary government he never once mentions the newly written Constitution and the 1987 plebiscite. That is a huge and stunning omission. 

Several times he mentions people were secretly advising Cory but he never asks "who." He seems disinterested in that subject as if their identities are obvious and either we should know or perhaps he would rather not say. For instance, Doy notes that Cory Aquino swore to him she would never seek the nomination for the Presidency and to show her sincerity she nominated him at the UNIDO convention. But then she heard a voice from God and decided to run. Doy did not think it was the voice of God speaking:

One day, she told the Cardinal: "I will run. I have decided. My decision was made on December 8." It was the closing of the Marian Year. Cory was then on retreat at the Pink Sisters Convent. "I am sure to run. It is God's will," she repeated.

Our first meeting was at her house on Times Street on Saturday, November 23 at 5:00 p.m. I told her she should not run. "You are are Ninoy's widow. If you run, they will attack you and vilify Ninoy. Your victory will be Ninoy's victory but your defeat will also be his defeat. You should not risk that. When you go up a boxing ring and put on gloves, they will hit you even if you are a lady. You should just be our symbol - above and beyond the fray. Let me do the fighting, let me take the blows for you," I said. But she did not answer. It was obvious that she was told just to listen by a hidden group of advisers.

p. 37-38

Why is it obvious she was being advised by a hidden group? Who were these people? Doy refers to this hidden cabal again a few paragraphs later.

Our fifth meeting was held at the Puyat residence in Quezon City. Present were my brother Sotero, Cory's daughter Ballsy, and our host, the late Vincente "Teng" Puyat. On that day, Cory confided to me that she was not really interested in running the government. She simply wanted to be the instrument to remove Marcos. Since she did not know anything about running a government, she said she would be just a ceremonial President, like Queen Elizabeth.

She then offered me the Prime Ministership and promised to step down after two years. She offered 30 percent of the Cabinet, the remaining 70 percent to be appointed after prior consultation between us. All these were written on a piece of paper which she initialed, item by item, on the left margin of the document.

I asked for time to decide. Early the next morning, I left alone for my beach house in Matabungkay. I had to make the hardest decision in my life. I knew Ninoy well. His word was good. But I did not know Cory well enough. Could I trust her? Would her word be as good as Ninoy's? Or was she a mere instrument of her family's interests and her hidden advisers? It was obvious that she has been changing her position and reneging on her words because her secret advisers had been changing her agenda for her.

p. 39

Those are explosive revelations that Salvador Laurel simply does not explore. Not here and not even in his concluding remarks. He never asks who "her secret advisers" might be or what were her family's interests and how they affected her governance. He also never discusses the fact that she said she would step down after two years to make way for Doy. Did he really think Cory offering to step down after two years to make way for him was actually going to happen? Did he really think that it was an ethical offer? He must have since he accepted the offer and later asks her why she reneged on those promises.

These hidden advisers return when Salvador Laurel discusses Cory's decision to abolish the constitution.

I felt it ironic that after abolishing a dictatorship, we should again resort to dictatorial power by abrogating the Constitution and governing by decree. It had become apparent that Cory's manipulators had planned from the very start that they would monopolize power through Cory.

I recall, for instance, that a few minutes before we took our oath on February 25, 1986, Cory showed me the text of her oath of office. I noticed that instead of the phrase "preserve and defend the Constitution of the Philippines," what she had typed out was "preserve and defend the Fundamental Law," obviously prepared by her hidden advisers.

p. 54-55

If "Cory's manipulators had planned from the very start that they would monopolize power through Cory" then it should be rather easy to discover their identities and to figure out exactly what their plan was. Likely it would come through the new Constitution. But Doy skips over that whole period. He does not discuss the writing of the new constitution at all. Not even a blurb. Nothing. Nada. That is a glaring omission of arguably the most important event after EDSA. Why does he do this? He is writing a book exposing the truth about the Cory Aquino administration and he charges her with being manipulated by others seeking to seize power through the abolition of the Constitution and the writing of a new one but he never explores that line of thought. That makes no sense espeically as Laurel is very critical of her decision to trash the 1973 Constitution.

History might have taken a different course if Cory had not abolished the 1973 Constitution. If her avowed objective was to achieve political stability at the earliest possible date, she should have repealed only the Marcos amendments, particularly Amendment No. 6, which had perpetuated one-man-rule. It was like burning a house just to kill a rat.

But Cory chose to burn the entire house. In her attempt to demolish the infrastructure of dictatorship, Cory wrecked the entire political structure and thus delayed and derailed the application of needed solutions to our worsening problems. Her policy of vengeance and retribution likewise fueled a power struggle that would last beyond the end of her term.

p. 59-60

Again, explosive revelation with nothing to back it up. He never gives a single example of "her policy of vengeance and retribution" nor does he discuss this "power struggle." Who was struggling for power? How and to whom did Cory show "vengeance and retribution?"

The issue of the Constitution returns again on page 117. This time Laurel claims he discovered a plot to dissolve Congress and invest the President with legislative powers.

In 1991, I exposed a surreptitious plan to convert Congress into a constituent body with the objective of changing our form of government to the parliamentary system. Although I am not per se against the parliamentary system, the haste and stealth with which the House railroaded Concurrent Resolution No. 42 made it highly suspicious. Not enough time was given for the thorough discussion and deliberation of such a major issue. House Concurrent Resolution No. 42 would convert the Congress into a constituted assembly to amend the Constitution, dissolve both houses of Congress, and then unconstitutionally vest the President with legislative power. Some commentators saw this as an illicit attempt on the part of Cory's manipulators to extend her tenure.

p. 117

That such a brazen plan that Salvador Laurel himself exposed gets only this lame paragraph is brazen in itself. How would this plan have worked exactly? Who were its authors? Why does he refuse to name names? Why does he refuse to discuss who Cory's manipulators might be? Surely Doy was not a stupid man and knew exactly who these people were but he chooses to leave us in the dark.

Laurel does not only brush over the actions of Cory. He brushes over the entire 6 year period of 1986-1992. Here is one example among many.

The most controversial forum took place on March 4, 1991 on the subject of amnesty. At that time, the Secretary of National Defense and the Chief of the AFP were opposed to the idea of a general unconditional amnesty and had proposed instead the grant of a conditional and selective amnesty - a move which stirred very heated discussions. 

I have always maintained that the country's sad star of disunity and disorder is one of the main causes of our economic mess. A nation cannot move forward amidst disunity and disorder. And so we chose "Imperatives of National Unity" as our topic for the sixth CCF.

In preparing for the forum, I met with top military officers in Camp Aguinaldo and visited captured military rebels in their cells. Reports and video tapes of my meetings became the main resource for materials for discussion. A consensus was reached, among others, that the proclamation of a general amnesty accompanied by vigorous institutional reforms, including all-out war against graft and corruption, was the key political solution consistent with the Constitution. 

Because there was yet no Presidential Proclamation of general amnesty to which Congress would concur, the forum urged the President to fill the legal vacuum by issuing a new Presidential Proclamation and to determine once and for all, with the concurrence of Congress, whether such amnesty would be conditional, general or selective. 

p. 119-120

What is he talking about? Amnesty for who and for what? This talk of amnesty comes straight out of nowhere.  At this point in the book it is 1991 and he has mentioned no coups at all except for the one which took place on August 28th, 1987. There were actually nine coups throughout Cory's term. Laurel finally mentions those coups several pages later on pages 135-137 but he says only two were serious. He actually calls the Manila Hotel coup a "cocktail party!"

The Manila Hotel incident of July 6, 1986 was more of a cocktail party than a coup. Although Senator Arturo Tolentino was perhaps dead serious when he proclaimed himself Acting President, the theoretical basis on which he propped himself up was old hat. He claimed that ht legislature had legally proclaimed him and Marcos; but that proclamation had already been superseded  by the EDSA revolt. Besides, nobody was hurt in that tragic-comic episode and the punishment meted out to the conspirators was "thirty push-ups.

p. 136

The Davide Commission report of 1990 gives a completely different account of this so-called "tragic-comic" "cocktail party."

https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/downloads/1990/10oct/199010-Report-Fact-Finding-Commission.pdf

Barely five months after the assumption into office of President Aquino, a group of armed military men and supporters of former President Marcos occupied the Manila Hotel for 37 hours ostensibly demanding constitutional reform and stronger anti-communist measures, on one hand, while declaring their own government, on the other. There were at least 490 fully-armed soldiers and some 5,000 Marcos loyalists who witnessed former Senator, Foreign Minister, and Marcos's Vice-Presidential running mate Arturo Tolentino take his "oath of office" as "acting President" of the Philippines on behalf of Marcos, who was then exiled in Hawaii. The hotel was declared as the temporary "seat of government". 

p. 135

490 fully-armed soldiers and 5,000 Marcos loyalists showed up to the party. On page 142 of the report there is mention of P10 million worth of damages done to the hotel including cancelled bookings caused by this "cocktail party."  A contemporary report from the Chicago Tribune expands on that.

The last time Tolentino was in the Manila Hotel, his supporters had trashed the place. 

The gleaming Italian restaurant, where Tolentino sat behind a starched white table cloth drinking ice water Monday morning, had been littered then with mud, paper cups, spilled rice and chicken bones. 

Carpets had been pulled up and doors had been kicked in. Phones had been ripped from the walls and safe deposit boxes had been pried open. 

In all, hotel officials said there was $500,000 worth of damage, all done in the name of Tolentino, who proudly proclaimed himself the proxy of Marcos. Tolentino and most of his followers managed to avoid any major reprisals for their actions.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1986-10-14-8603170548-story.html

That's some "cocktail party!" Why does Salvador Laurel dismiss the seriousness and significance of this coup attempt? We shall never know.

One has to wonder what the real agenda behind this book is. Every paragraph is written in such a way as to leave the reader expecting the next revelation. Here is one such revelation.

Cory's claim about having restored democracy has to be examined against the facts. When Cory assumed office, a number of media establishments were found to have been operating under Marcos rule as state enterprises. In line with the principle that the press must be free from government control, a process of restoring these media outfits to their original or rightful owners was set in motion. Cory aborted the process by keeping a number of TV and radio stations on sequestry status.

Up to the end of her term, these sequestered media functioned as propaganda arms of her government, competing with the private media, and unabashedly obfuscating issues in her favor.

p. 143-144

As awful as that sounds Laurel offers no proof for this claim. He does not name a single one of the media establishments she kept as a propaganda arm nor does he show any of the said propaganda. I am not accusing him of lying. I am accusing him of not being forthcoming with the whole truth. From the introduction we are told that the purpose of this work is to assess the Cory Aquino government. But there is no assessment going on here, only a superficial description of events. There is a quick movement from one event to the next focusing primarily on the work of Salvador Laurel and not the governance of Cory Aquino. I suppose he could be forgiven having written this book in 1992 when the long term effects of her administration could not yet be seen. 

If there is anything that could be called an assessment of Cory Aquino's presidency it is the oft cited "love letter" Laurel wrote to her on August 13, 1988. Here are a few excerpts.

We promised our people morality and decency in government. What do we have instead? The very opposite. It is now openly admitted by many, including your former Solicitor-General and some of your own close relatives in Congress, that the stench of “accumulated garbage” — I’m quoting your own first cousin, Congressman Emigdio Tanjuatco, Jr. — rises to high heaven; that the last years of Marcos are now beginning to look no worse than your first two years in office. And the reported controversies and scandals involving your closest relatives have become the object of our people’s outrage. 

We promised to ‘break the back’ of the insurgency. But what is the record? From 16,500 NPA regular when Marcos fell, the communists now claim an armed strength of 25,200, of which 2,500 are in Metro Manila. They have infiltrated not only the trade unions, the schools, the churches and the media but your government, above all, and now ‘affect’ 20 percent of the country’s 42,000 barangays, according to official statistics. 

The truth is that the peace and order situation is much worse today than when you came into office. It is now the number one problem of the nation. 

From city to countryside, anarchy has spread. There is anarchy within the government, anarchy within the ruling coalesced parties, and anarchy in the streets. These require your direct intervention. Yet you continue to ignore this problem.

p. 90-95

Once again these are scathing accusations that he has chosen not to explore or mention except for in this letter. Just before the text of this letter begins Laurel gives the context for which he has written it. Laurel had been ordered by Aquino to resign as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs for the stupidest reason possible.

All I could make out was that she wanted the resignation of the entire Cabinet, including mine - all because Joker Arroyo and Joe Concepcion "had shouted at each other" in her presence.

p. 84

In an interview in August 1988 with Louie Beltran, Salvador Laurel gave a completely different answer as to why he resigned. He said it was because there was no counterinsurgency program being implemented by the administration.

5:25 Louie Beltran: When you were in the Cabinet were you aware of any counterinsurgency program being implemented by the administration?

Salvador Laurel: None and that is the reason I resigned as Foreign secretary.

What are we to make of this admission in light of the book which was written 4 years later? These reasons for resigning contradict each other.

A few days later, this is in September 1987, Doy and Cory met. He finally unburdened himself in front of her.

"Whatever happened to all those promises you made, Cory? Why was the constitution abolished without even telling me? Why did you appoint me Chariman of the Presidential Blue Ribbon Commission to investigate the behest loans only to be suddenly abolished again? Why am I now being asked to submit courtesy resignation - just because Joker Arroyo and Joe Concepcion has a shouting match?

Cory looked down and gave a halting reply: "I was told... that the EDSA revolution... erased all those promises..."

I did not bother to ask who had told her so. Everybody was quiet. Doña Aurora's head was power as if in prayer. I broke the silence. "If that's the case, Cory, there is nothing more to talk about."

p. 88

Cory asked what he was going to do now? Would he join the opposition? 

"No. Not yet. I want this government to succeed. I don't want to see it fail. I've worked hard, sacrificed so much, to bring it to power. I'll wait for a year. I'll support you whenever you are right. I'll disagree with you wen you are wrong. I'll only oppose you when you insist on being wrong."

I kept my word. I waited a full year. But I could not see where she was going. The nation was adrift. Government had no direction. "Rela-thieves" and "Kamag-anaks, Inc." were on the rampage. Corruption, vindictiveness, ineptitude and hypocrisy had started to rear their ugly heads.

p. 89

It is maddening to read this. Laurel waited a full year watching the government taking note of what was happening, concluded it was getting worse all the time, and then he penned his "love letter" of August 13th, 1988. Why then does he give no specifics? Surely he had them in hand or else he could not have penned that letter. Or maybe he did not have the specifics. After all he could not even bring himself to ask Cory who told her that EDSA erased all the promises she made to Laurel. 

Without further elaboration these are merely broad and sweeping accusations. The vagueness of these accusations have been useful to those who would seek to return to the so-called golden years of the Marcos regime. They point to Laurel's complaints without the burden of proof because of the authority Salvador Laurel possessed as Vice President and an insider in the Cory Aquino administration. Why would the former Vice Preisdent lie? I am not calling him a liar. I am saying we need something more concrete than mere accusations.

While this book is an important historical document it leaves much to be desired. It is used by many Marcos revisionists to paint Cory as a devil who set out to destroy the legacy of Marcos. This is especially the case with the incident where Laurel was summoned by Marcos to Hawaii. There he was told to relay the following message to President Aquino:

“Please tell Mrs. Aquino to stop sending her relatives to me," he continued. "They are proposing  so many things. I have already established a foundation and I am turning over 90% of all my worldly possessions to the Filipino people. Enrique Zobel has all the papers. He and the Papal Nuncio, Msgr. Torpigliani, will sit in the Board to see to it that 90% of all that I have are properly distributed to our people. That is much better than what Mrs' Aquino's relatives have been proposing. I am leaving only 10% for my family."

p. 108

Salvador Laurel then goes on to relate that Cory would not see him so he could deliver the message. However she did allot an hour to meet with Tom Cruise. He calls this her greatest mistake and says she could have solved the Marcos wealth problem once and for all if she had only accepted the message. I will discuss this tantalizing episode in-depth in a future article. Suffice to say once again Laurel leaves a lot out and does not tell the whole story.

There is not much more to discuss about the book. It has a lot of shortcomings and they are not exactly made up for. Far from being a summation of the Cory government it is a personal memoir written from one man's viewpoint. There is nothing wrong with that per se but it deprives the reader of any nuance or context in many places. The text is in dire need of annotations. As for the strange title "Neither Trumpets nor Drums" we get an explanation in the last chapter.

In the tradition of heraldry, the trumpet served as the symbol of victory or the birth of a new day. Drums, on the other hand, always preceded an execution, their persistent, percussive sound signifying death or a burial, the end of something evil.

The Cory government, by remaining indifferent to the popular glamour for change, failed to herald a new ear for our country or to bury the traditional forces of cronyism, favoritism, corruption and greed.

p. 150

For as much as Salvador Laurel is critical of Cory Aquino's administration it is very important to point out that he never once whitewashes the Marcos dictatorship. He never apologizes for Marcos. He never indicates in any way that life under Marcos was much better than under Cory or that Cory was worse than Marcos. But that hasn't stopped people from twisting his words.

https://twitter.com/ilda_talk/status/1272667107570802694

Cory’s late former Vice President Doy Laurel had something to say about this. He wrote an open scathing letter to Cory outlining the deception she, her family and allies did. She betrayed him and the people. In so many words, he said Cory became worse than Marcos.

Such an analysis by one of the editors of Get Real Philippines is monumentally moronic and proof positive that she has not read this book and does not understand the letter to which she is referring. At no point in this book or in that love letter does Laurel indicate that "Cory became worse than Marcos." On pages 5-8 he gives a scathing indictment of the Marcos regime starting off by noting, "Our country was not free." Any Marcos revisionists looking to use this book for their purpose should keep that in mind.

Retards in the Government 241

 It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1537455/cotabato-city-village-exec-shot-while-praying-inside-mosque

A village official in this city was seriously injured when an unidentified gunman shot him while he was praying Thursday inside a mosque.

Major Rustum Pastolero, chief of the Cotabato City Police Station 2, said Amil Sula, 45, of Barangay Rosary Heights 5, was praying inside a masjid along Don E. Sero Street when the gunman barged in at 7:10 p.m. and opened fire.

Pastolero said stray bullets also hit the man beside Sula, former village councilor Abner Ampaun, 39. Residents claimed that several other men praying inside the mosque suffered minor injuries.

Initial police investigation showed that two men arrived near the mosque on a motorbike. One of them, wearing a facemask and a hooded jacket, alighted and went inside for the attack.

Pastolero said the gunmen quickly sped away while the victims’ relatives rushed them to the hospital.

“We are still investigating what triggered the shooting (and) who was behind it,” Pastolero said.

An attempted assassination against a village councilor while praying in a mosque by unknown men for unknown reasons.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1164798

The National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) has recovered more than 300 firearms under the “Bawi Operations” which led to the recovery of firearms issued to dismissed personnel.

Citing a report submitted by the Regional Task Group, NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr., said Friday that the latest operation resulted in the recovery of a Beretta 9mm caliber pistol bearing serial number G42558Z without magazine from a dismissed police officer in Barangay San Antonio, San Pedro City, Laguna on Thursday morning.

Danao said the government properties will be turned over to the NCRPO for proper disposition where a total of 344 firearms have already been recovered since February 17 last year.

 (I will not allow the abusive and addicted policemen to remain in the ranks of the NCRPO. I will make sure I discipline every police officer in our region. We should be the ERA of our organization) Example to everyone, Responsible to everything and Accountable (ERA) in every action,” Danao said.

Danao said the measure aims to prevent the use of issued firearms by dismissed personnel in illegal activities.,

"(What we are doing to recover issued firearms from our colleagues who have been dismissed from service, suspended and AWOL is a procedure so that such firearms are not used in bad practices. It is also one of our rules that when you are no longer in service, government property initiatives must be returned),” he added.

344 firearms have been confiscated from dismissed cops since February of last year.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1164978

Mayor Victor Samama here believes he was the target of the series of harassments, which included a strafing and grenade explosion, that hit this town on two separate occasions.

“These could be the handiwork of my political opponents,” Samama told reporters here Monday.

A member of the Barangay Peacekeeping Action Team (BPAT) manning a coronavirus disease 2019 control point in Barangay Poblacion was injured when gunmen strafed his location last Friday night.

The mayor said the BPAT detachment, which was near his home, was attacked by gunmen on Friday with the bullets hitting his vehicle parked nearby.

On Saturday night, he said a rifle grenade attack also hit a house near his home at the town proper.

Colonel Jibin Bongcayao, Maguindanao police director, said an initial investigation showed that the strafing and rifle grenade attacks appeared to be directed toward the house of the mayor.

A local mayor has been the target of several attacks. Looks like someone wants him dead.

https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/topstories/regions/817895/radio-commentator-running-for-councilor-shot-dead-in-sultan-kudarat/story/

A radio commentator running for councilor in Lambayong town in Sultan Kudarat was shot dead in Barangay Carmen, Tacurong City on Wednesday, the police confirmed.

The Police Regional Office 12 identified the victim as Jaynard Angeles.

PRO12 PIO chief Police Lieutenant Colonel Joyce Birrey said Angeles was gunned down around 10 a.m.

According to a report of GMA News stringer Ferdinandh Cabrera on Super Radyo dzBB, Angeles was shot in the head by the unidentified perpetrator near a car wash station.

A radio commentator running for political office was assassinated by an unknown man for unknown reasons.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1165151

A House of Representatives panel has recommended the filing of criminal charges against former Department of Information and Communications (DICT) undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr. over the alleged irregularities in the government’s Free Public Internet Access Program (FPIAP).

In its report released to media on Tuesday, the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability recommends the filing of charges against Rio for violating Section 3 of Republic Act (RA) No. 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act) and RA 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees) regarding the implementation of the FPIAP.

According to the panel, the DICT committed non-feasance when it transferred the management of and funds for the Pipol Konek Project, which is a part of the government's free internet program, to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

It noted that the DICT-UNDP Pipol Konek Project failed to complete the 6,000 sites at targeted locations and provide free Wi-fi internet access during the period agreed upon and even after the deadlines were extended.

“After three hearings and almost five months of deliberations and committee report preparation, I am proud to report to our countrymen that we have recommended filing charges against former DICT Secretary Eliseo Rio for his negligence in entering with agreements with UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and for poor implementation of the project failure to look out for best interest of the Filipino people,” Committee Chairperson Michael Aglipay said.

The report said the DICT committed misfeasance when it entered into the financing agreement with the UNDP for the project when the DICT could have resorted to procurement on its own as it did with the other suppliers for the implementation of the FPIAP.

The panel said among the causes of delay in the project was the lack of meticulous planning coupled with ineffective coordination with concerned local government units, private suppliers, and service providers; challenges brought about by the coronavirus pandemic; and problems encountered during validation of target sites for the project, among others.

Charges have been recommended against former DICT Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr for failing to complete the Free Public Internet Access Program. He transferred the finances and management of the program to the United Nations Development Programme which is what led to the charge of malfeasance because the DICT should have been the one to control the project.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1539017/cop-about-to-get-out-of-motorboat-slain-in-northern-samar

Four unidentified men killed Monday a policeman assigned to the Provincial Intelligence Unit of the Northern Samar Police Office in Barangay Calingnan, Catubig town, Northern Samar.

Staff Sergeant Joerel Pajac, 39, was about to disembark from a motorboat, when the perpetrators, who appeared to be waiting at the seaport, shot him several times.

The policeman immediately jumped into the river to escape, but the suspects continued shooting him and fled towards the direction of Barangay San Francisco, Catubig.

Lt. Col Ma. Bella Rentuaya, the spokesperson of the Eastern Visayas police, said Pajac’s body was found after more than an hour.

An intel officer was gunned down by several men as he disembarked from a boat.

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1165182

A civilian employee of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Calabanga, Camarines Sur was arrested for selling suspected shabu during a buy-bust operation on Tuesday afternoon.

Maj. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office 5 (Bicol), on Wednesday identified the suspect as Norberto Elorpe alias “Obet”, 36, of Barangay San Miguel of the same town.

He was assigned at the Magarao Municipal Police Station in Camarines Sur.

"The suspect was tagged by police operatives as an illegal drug pusher and protector, coddler, of an illegal drug group operating in the area," Calubaquib said, citing a police report.

During the operation initiated by joint elements of the PNP's Integrity Monitoring and Enforcement Group (IMEG) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, the suspect yielded four sachets of suspected shabu weighing 7 grams, with an estimated street value of PHP47,600.

A civilian PNP employee has been busted for selling and possessing drugs.