The Family Album of the Maquindanao Massacre

I am on an a Filipino mailing list. The focus of the list is the hometown of The Empress.

I do not pay the list too much attention but from time to time there is an item we look at. I took a look today and found a number of e-mails with the subject: GRABE OI!!!! PHOTOS FROM THE MAGUINDANAO MASSACRE. I interpret "Grabe OI" roughly as "OMG", it isn't but it signifies serious shock.

Now, I have had my hand in death at least animal death. I've shot and gutted birds and I've caught and cleaned fish. However, I ordered my e-mail client to load images. I then scrolled down.

The first and only image I gazed upon was of a person I had to gaze a bit to put the pieces together. Then it came into focus, I was looking at a head caked in mud. The head was butterflied open and an eyeball was apparent and very much out of place. I did not lose my cookies or anything but I quickly got out of that e-mail, put the laptop down, and walked away.

I am conflicted about looking at the rest and further conflicted about saving them or to let them purge out of the folder they are in when the time comes.

One thing my psychology 101 professor talked about was human cognitive development. She noted infants (can not recall what age) work on out of sight, out of mind. Images such as the one above informs me that out of sight out of mind is not just for infants. To bury that poor wretch does not change facts or the truth it just obscures it, puts it out of mind.

The large speculative finger points at the Ampatuan clan as the perpetrators and they attempted to bury their participation along with the dead in those pits and pin the blame on the MILF whom the Ampatuans helped the central Filipino government fight against.

Here is the Wiki entry on the massacre.

The Maguindanao Massacre

Some of you may have heard of the recent massacre in the Philippines. It took place in the province of Maguindanao.

To sum up, an entourage of reporters, low level politicians, women, and children were taking a gubernatorial candidate's candidacy papers to the concerned office to declare himself a candidate for governor of the province. The entourage was stopped and massacred — the suspect and speculation center on the current governor. The reason the candidate sent others to file his papers is because he figured a busload of reporters, women, and children would be immune to such attack. How horrible to be wrong in such a calculation.

As of this writing 57 are reported dead, however my recollection is that near 100 people accompanied the convoy and it seems rather realistic to believe all are dead.

Now, some of you will undoubtedly know or come to know that Maguindanao is in Mindanao and the more knowledgable of you may also be aware that Maguindanao is in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. However, and I can not stress this enough — the massacre is not due to jihadism. The massacre is due to warlordism.

Here is a good discussion the event with at least one person who has in depth experience in the region.

I have read about the massacre in a number of different forums and saw a discussion about it between Chistiane Amanpour and Maria Ressa. The early part of the discussion is the most informative. Maria makes it clear she believes this event is nothing more than political violence. That is exactly what it is..

While occurrences of political violence in my corner of the world are typically "candidate e candidate" there is a closer analogy. Street gangs. The scale of gang-related killings here is not on the scale of the Maguindanao attack, but the most vicious of street (motorcycle clubs, prison gangs, etc) gangs are similarly unconcerned about the murder of those they view as being in their way or a challenge to them. Innocents? Well, that is just too bad for them. If you challenged the likes of El Rukn on their streets and you and those in your presence would be similarly dealt with.

Another angle I have seen talked about is that of rido. While there is much about this event that does not fit that model, can anyone doubt the dynamics of rido will be present? The whole situation is likely to lead to a large number of reprisals which will be returned in kind. Of course, a bigger boss could prevent such reprisals, and this report indicates a bigger boss is definitely going to be stepping in.

Even so, will it amount to more than a few low level operatives being thrown under the bus? being blamed for the entire operation? [editorial note: I had forgotten for a moment how much I detest the stricken cliche!] What would be a just outcome and how likely is it to materialize?

[Update] 2009-12-09:
The sentence reading ...can anyone doubt the dynamics of rido will be present? used to read ...can anyone doubt the dynamics of rido will be absent?. The former sentence conveys the meaning I intended and NOT the later sentence. I apologize for the error.

A New Writing Gig!

Some months ago The Badger Blog Alliance shut its doors. Since then, I've essentially had only this outlet for writing. As far as venues go it is not that significant.

However, today I was invited and I accepted to contribute to Philippine Commentary owned by Dean Jorge Bocobo. Dean is obviously a Filipino but has resided in Pewaukee in the past. Dean's blog and perspective in the Philippines is an august one.

I am honored by his invite!

Mayroon MIndoro!

Diyos ko naman! Mayroon Mindoro pa nan dito sa Wisconsin!. My God, we have a Mindororo here in Wisconsin too!

Mindoro is also a major island of the Philippines

Is the Duck Mooing?

The speculation on the cause of the Glorietta II bombing is that it is an accident and not, repeat NOT malice. PhilCentral relays comments by Senator Panfilo Lacson that the explosion was due to fuel vapors coming from the backup generator. I am skeptical (as are other) of THAT particular explanation, but the focus of Filipino bloggers remains on dumb accident or negligence.

Inner Sanctum explores the accident theory, which he says “geek friends” proposed even when official statements started focusing on that possibility:Over the weekend, several geek friends of mine have put forward deflagration as the probable cause of the Glorietta blast, especially after The Inquirer published a composite image of the blast site inside the Glorietta 2 lobby.According to them, deflagration is just like a gigantic fart, wherein tremendous gas pressure is released similar to a gas-powered canon–meaning, in one direction–as opposed to the ripple effect of a bomb.Philippine Commentary goes to greater lengths and points to One news item shows how intense emotions have gotten: Kin of Glorietta victims ask Arroyo for justice, not cash.

Source: Manuel L. Quezon III – Evidence 22 October 2007

So, while many of us discussed the possible connections to Islamo-Terrorism it seems very possible this explosion is not what it seems. It seems that duck-like animal is not quacking but mooing instead. That does not mean there are no problems with Islamic terrorism in the Philippines it means Glorietta II does not appear to have been an instance of it.

I would not be extremely shocked to hear it was a natural gas explosion:

And because the political situation is tense, notes from the peanut gallery expresses a suspicion that can only gather steam unless the authorities make an effort to remain sober and calm. For now, ksolaris points out one reason a gas explosion is the main theory right now:They’re still investigating the cause, and I’m wondering if it’s a busted LPG tank, since I do remember that some time earlier this year, one of the restaurants inside the mall caught fire…. The restaurant was back in business after about a week.A spokesman from Ayala Land says it doesn’t appear the explosion emanated from any restaurants.

Source:Manuel L. Quezon III –Target of opportunity (updated) 19 October 2007 In addition, DJB at Philippine Commentary dusts of explosion aracana to learn blast mechanics to try to understand the forensic evidence.

One more piece, angeliz105 at Sulit.com.ph relates her witnessing the events at Glorietta II. To be sure, much is lost but still it is possible to imagine and get an inkling.

What is Ex-(moonb)Atty General Clark Up To?

What do Slobodon Milosovic, Saddam Huessein, and now Jose Maria Sison have in common? Whatever it is DJB Rizalist is taking an interest in Ramsey Clark's latest effort:

Following his arrest on suspicion of ordering the murders of his former comrades (Arturo Tabara and Romulo Kintanar) CPP-NPA founder Jose Maria Sison has been indicted by a Dutch Court in The Hague, Netherlands and sent to pre-trial detention and custody for fourteen days.

Source: Philippine Commentary – Jose Maria Sison Indicted on Suspicion of Murder by Dutch Court (DJB Rizalist) Look who wants to defend him:

Former US attorney general turned human rights lawyer Ramsey Clark has offered legal assistance to detained Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Ma. Sison.

As this developed, Luis Jalandoni, National Democratic Front peace panel chair, said Sunday the Dutch government was "maltreating" Sison despite flimsy evidence, and allowing itself to be used by the Arroyo administration “like a horse pulling a cart."

Source: GMA News TV – Ex-US atty general Ramsey wants to defend Joma Sison Wow! I like the part about the Netherlands accused of being used by PGMA. I would wager the Netherland government was turning a blind eye to Sison's activities from the start, but Sison's activities came to be so blatant they could no longer be ignored.

I doubt Sison is being treated badly.

Ramsey Clark as is noted wants to defend Sison. No one is going to believe the Netherlanders are treating Sison poorly nor and charges the Philippines forced the Netherlands into arresting Sison will stick like oil on teflon. Clark is bound to another futile (and worthless if Sison is your friend then you are a reprehensible person) cause. Is there no one or no cause Ramsey Clark will not support? Oh yeah, those in the name of liberty.

Here is to hope Ramsey Clark gets a hat-trick!

Cigar Cutting!

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Do you smoke cigars? I know some of you do. What do you use for cutting the tips of your cigars? Do you use a cigar cutter such as shown above? Or perhaps you use a cigar cutter of similar but simpler design than the one shown above? Well, hate to break it to you, such cigar cutters are sooooo metrosexual you need to grow a pair (however, if you are a woman cigar smoker then feel free to use fancy cigar cutters) and learn how to cut cigars the manly way!

Step 1

Go to your table saw with the requirements. A box of cigars (I like Alhambra Cigars from the Philippines) Also, note the Old Style & Jagermeister, please note the peppermint schnapps are missing.

Step 2

While we enjoy woodworking we do not like to smoke sawdust, so clean off your work surface as is demonstrated. Shop vacuums & high pressure air also work in lieu of brooms.

Eye & Ear Safety

Be sure you have something covering your eyes while performing cigar cutting operations. Also not the hearing protection, and spare stogies at the ready. For this work I suggest classical or baroque period music as romantic and modern music will most likely at times be drowned out by the saw only to deafen you as the tables are turned.

Preparing to Cut

Make sure everything is square!

Adjust Blade Height

Adjust the height of the blade so the teeth barely clear the top of the cigar. This is also for safety!

The Perils of Kickback

Duh! If you want to go back to using the bejeweled cigar cutters stand in such a matter! Stand off to the side so if the blade kicks your cigar back it launches harmlessly!

Let 'er Rip!

Make sure all is clear of the blade and turn your table saw on. Then, slowly and carefully feed the end of the cigar through the blade. Do not push it through fast but feed it slowly.

The Clean Result!

Wow! Which side is factory cut and which is table saw cut?

Now, Enjoy!

Nothing like a cleanly cut cigar!

Caution

Obviously, the above post is offered in jest. Working with power tools such as table saws & chop saws carries the very real risk of injury. My brother and myself have worked around such tools pretty much our entire lives and we know what we are doing. If you have never worked with such power tools I STRONGLY RECOMMEND YOU DO NOT attempt the above procedures.

Vote!

What? Yeah, go out and vote! Not here in the USofA but for any Filipinos reading this blog get out and vote in your upcoming elections.

I have only one endorsement to make. If you live in Barili Cebu make sure to vote for

RAMON BOY EWICAN

for vice mayor. Ramon Boy Ewican is a good man worthy of your vote!


Updates:

1. 5/22/2007 6:30 am US Central Daylight Time

Word is Kuya Ramon is the declared winner (the declaration happened sometime ago)! Yeah! Also I gratuitously type in the word "Philippines" to help someone searching for this post to find it! If you find it, let me know by adding a bark! Salamat!

2. 5/15/2007 10:45 am US Central Daylight Time

A text arrives from my sister-in-law (sister to my wife & Kuya Ramon) saying Kuya Ramon wins by a 400 vote margin. Though, the local comelec has not issued a statement regarding this. I have to believe 400 votes is a slim margin and a recount will happen with more time for... Not yet time to celebrate, while winning the first count is important it is not over yet.

3. 5/15/2007 7:00 am US Central Daylight Time

It has been up & down with Kuya pulling out to an early lead, then falling behind, and the latest news is kuya Ramon is leading!

Up The River You Go!

I noticed a number of googlers landing here searching for Michael Ray Aquino. In order to catch up with the case see for a collection of my writings on this case (and a few other blogs). A quick summary is Michael Ray Aquino & a certain Leandro Aragoncillo were arrested and charged with espionage. Mr. Aragoncillo was handing off classified material he had access to, to Mr. Aquino. Mr. Aquinio then passed it on to his bosses in Manila who are concerned with toppling the government of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PGMA).

Both of the accused in this case have plead guilty after initial resistance to the charges. Apparently, Mr. Aquino's & Mr. Aragoncillo's sentencing date is coming up and despite the pleas the prosecutors are seeking maximum jail terms.

In addition, their laywers are working every angle they can.

The lawyer for Michael Ray Aquino threatened to "rake [Leandro Aragoncillo] and the government over the coals" by calling Vice President Dick Cheney and former Vice President Al Gore and other government officials to testify regarding Aragoncillo "and his activities during the relevant time period."

Source: Asian Journal Online – Lawyer Threatens to Call US VP Cheney, Gore to Testify in 'Pinoy Spy' Case Good luck. I have a hard time imagining either of the two VPs are in any position to testify anything about Aragoncillo.

It isn't just the two former VPs who face threats from Aquino's attorney, but Aragoncillo as well. The prosecution sees the request as a delaying tactic and I have to concur (see comments above).

Seems Aquino has a good attorney. Wonder where he is getting the money from? I suppose that is coming from his bosses. Where do his bosses get the money from? Hehehe, I have an idea, but would like to hear yours.

NOOO MANNY, DON'T DO IT!

Manny Pacquiao the super feather-weight boxer from the Philippines is stepping into another ring the Filipino political ring!

Manny Pacquiao is becoming a national Filipino sensation after beating Eric Morales and then just the other day (last SA April 14) KOing Jorge Silas (Jorge's first defeat).

FWIW (Kano ako, kasi), here is my take on the situation. Politicians are exploiting Mr. Pacquiao to bolster their careers. While I respect Mr. Pacquiao's talents and the fact he has what it takes to rise to the top ranks of international boxing I am concerned about his ability to distinguish loyal & capable advisers as opposed to opportunistic & corrupt advisers. I am concerned about his ability to play the games that go on in politics at the level he has chosen to enter the game. Mr. Pacquiao brings a lot of star power to the voters much like Erap did. What is good is Mr. Pacquiao unlike Erap is starting at the bottom, but I feel he should start at an even lower level.

There was one boxer who had an adviser and promoter. That boxer was at the top of international boxing in just about every way one can be. He made millions of dollars and now that guy is in hoc to the IRS and essentially penniless. That boxer is Mike Tyson and the promoter is Don King. I will not say what I believe here but read this story involving Don King (skim the material and search for "Don King" in the web-page). I am afraid a well intentioned man may be used by clever and conniving politicians.

Of course, holding elected office is open to all citizens. However, I do not believe it is a thing to be entered in lightly. At least, Mr. Pacquaio is starting closer to the bottom than Erap. I would suggest he run for city or provincial office first and start going up from there. If he is capable of dealing with office and resisting its many siren songs the voters will see that. He will also learn much better the games that go on and how to play them best to win for his constituents and avoid the traps.

The Empress

Is fine, the "family business" is taken care of, may God shine his perpetual light on the soul of our sister. Since the business completed (Filipino funeral are not trivial affairs often times family from the world over has to assemble, and when that happens then there is a nine-day or so vigil, and then the funeral mass with the interment following) it has been well deserved rest and relaxation. Her family went to Bohol and visited the famed Chocolate Hills


Well, I just called The Empress and talked with her instead of txting with her. It was excellent to hear her sweet voice again and to hear all I associate with being in the Philippines. Dogs barking, roosters crowing, and family & children in the background. What is even better is since I have been to her sister's house in Barili I know exactly where she is and can visualize the scene.

Anyway being Easter they have plans to attend Mass (or have attended) and their next foray is to either Negros Occidental or Negros Oriental. Negros is one island but, IIRC, there is a range of low mountains separating the eastern portion of the island from the western portion. In addition, this Wikipedia article reports the people are culturally different from each other, with the people in Negos Oriental being Cebuano speakers (i.e. Bisayan). So, my guess is they are bound for Negros Oriental.

No matter, check out the websites I link to and take in the beauty that is the Philippines.

Corregidor.

As promised here is an installment of the things we did while on vacation in the Philippines.

A Brief History

The second foray from our place of residence was to Corregidor Island. Corregidor Island as you may recall was the site of a famous last stand. The Japanese attacked the Philippines the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor and by January of 1942 had pretty much controlled Manila and the surrounding areas. By April of 1942 American and Filipino resistance on the peninsula of Bataan came to an end leaving Corregidor isolated. The forces on Corregidor held out for another month and surrendered to the Japanese on May 6, 1942.

This is the location where General McCarthur (a son of Wisconsin) uttered "I shall return" when leaving under presidential orders. Also to leave the island was Manuel Quezon the President of the Philippines at the time. Unfortunately, President Quezon never returned to his inang bayan (mother land) alive. President Manuel Quezon's grandson Manuel Quezon III now blogs here (and we tried to arrange a meeting but it never happened, next time na lang!, visit his blog and tell him Marcus Aurelius sent you!

The Visit

We woke up fairly early on the day we went to Corregidor. The boat leaves fairly early and Manila traffic is punishing to even the most seasoned big city commuters. Fortunately, my sister-in-law has a nice mini-van and a couple of expert drivers who know Manila and how to drive in the traffic. Driving in the Philippines is worth a blog of its own!

We reached the wharf and bought our tickets and had about a 30 minute wait until we would be permitted to board the boat to Corregidor. So, we bought newspapers and waited. Eventually we were allowed to board and were subject to security searches, bags were looked through, we were patted down, and metal detected. After seeing the wanted signs in the waiting room the security was a relief. Terrorists had in the past struck ferrys in Manila Bay, so the company that was conducting the tour was working to minimize such risks.

The day was nice, seas smooth. Our boat ride lasted a little more than an hour and each group or a set of groups was assigned a tour bus and tour guide. We landed, disembarked and located our tour bus and settled in. The tour guide was a "kinkoy" (joker, does the Global Tour Guide Union specify this as a qualification?). Busses was designated for Japanese visitors, visitors speaking only Filipino, and for others speaking English. Needless to say we were on the English bus (my Tagalog is not that great and my buddy Augustus is not studying Tagalog but Bisayan). One set of busses went in one direction and the remaining busses went another.

On the boat ride they played a film on the histories of Manila Bay and on Corregidor and while not being off from anything I know I thought were a little hokey. I am a patriotic American but I thought the puffery on my nation could and should be minimized. The guide gave a good outline of the history too and was good about explaining the details of the guns found about the island.

We stopped at various sites spent about five to 15 minutes at each site and from time to time our guide would get out and provide further commentary on the site. There was one site memorializing the Filipino people and the Filipino leadership of the time and it was helpful to have our guide at this site. Quite a bit of the memorial was dedicated to President Manuel Quezon (see above).

Eventually we found ourselves at the island's hotel for a lunch stop. They served a drink (I can not recall what it was but it was good and not something most of my American countrymen would be familiar with) and then led us into the dining room where a buffet lunch was served (part of the tour deal). The food was good and most Western tastes would have little problems with what was served, especially good was the San Miguel Beer! A three man combo was taking requests from each table and seranading the tables with the songs. Since Augustus and Adria had Sarah Lynn along the combo chose to sing Freddie Aguilar's Anak. Other songs heard were Waray-Waray and Manila.

The Ugly of it All

It was at the end of our lunch that I spotted the only ugliness of this trip. This should serve as a warning to all who visit the Philippines and any other place for that matter. A man was at the register settling up his bill (must have been on a different tour than us or had a couple of drinks he had to pay for) and one of the tour guides (not ours) went fishing for his wallet or goods in the man's back pocket. It was my determination the guide came away empty handed and so I said nothing but I should have asked the potential victim to check his goods out.

In fact, no matter how upscale of a place we were at there were many signs that said to keep a close eye on one's valuables. Good advice no matter where you are.

Back on the Road

The rest of the journey was pretty similar to the first half the highlights of the second half were the museum, the Pacific War Memorial, and the lighthouse.

The museum contained artifacts from the fighting uniforms, flags, weapons, letters, etc related to the fighting on Corregidor. It contained a full wall map containing dates and locations of major WWII battles.

The Pacific War Memorial was nice but was undergoing maintenance so could have been much nicer. It was still a moving tribute to the men who died fighting in the Pacific theater of WWII battle.

The lighthouse afforded spetacular views of Bataan and the island most notably the Pacific War Memorial. That was the end of the tour for us and we boarded the ferry and headed back to Manila.

Its Not the History, Its the Contrast

Corregidor without a doubt is a place of history. Therefore our schoolchildren will not be taught about it and it will be mostly forgotten after my generation passes (or perhaps mine + 1). However, what stirs me most about visiting battlefields is how they are now places of great peace and beauty which stands is in stark contrast to what they were in history.

The winds blow the flags standing on the island (Japanese, American, and Philippino) and the waving of the flags with the wind and the ocean do not bring to mind the screams of wounded men. Even the now silent artillery pieces and mortars have lost their warlike auras and it is hard to imagine these things lobbed tons of fire and steel in the hopes of causing personal and material destruction.

The only exception was Malinta tunnel. Deep in the heart of the tunnel there wasn't serenity but something else, what? I can not say, but the quiet in the tunnel was not tropical peace.

In the End

If you ever find yourself in Manila you MUST put a Corregidor tour on the top of your list.