The Tirad Pass Brigade (TPB) welcomes the pronouncements made by a yet unnamed group of generals about their willingness to divulge evidence pointing to the culpability of the Arroyo administration and the top brass of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the extrajudicial killings of activists, as well as their collusion in other illegal matters, including large-scale anomalies involving AFP funds and electoral fraud.
We have read the news reports in the Philippine Daily Inquirer detailing their interview with at least two generals who spoke under condition of anonymity. We are glad that they have expressed their readiness to support the planned investigation of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV on the killings of Leftist activists and provide him with “ammunition” for the investigation.
It is hardly a secret in the the armed forces that these killings are being carried out in accordance with government policy and upon orders of the top brass. The great majority in the armed forces are disgusted with these killings and can no longer stomach what is happening.
We are confident that once these generals start the ball rolling, more officers and enlisted men will follow suit. We trust that Sen. Trillanes will provide ample security and protection to those willing to testify, especially from the rank-and-file. We are confident that once Sen. Trillanes starts the investigation, others will be willing to submit their own pieces of evidence and testimony, including our comrades-in-arms who have been forced or misled into carrying out these heinous acts of murder.
By their courageous revelations and testimonies alone, they will be doing a great service to the armed forces and to the Filipino people. We hope this will eventually bring about a genuine and thorough cleansing and reform of the armed forces.
Maj. Rad Pasion
Spokesman, Tirad Pass Brigade (Democratic Movement of Concerned Officers and Enlisted Men)
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Tirad Pass Brigade salutes newly elected Sen. Antonio Trillanes
The Tirad Pass Brigade (TPB) salutes former Lt. SG Antonio Trillanes for his victory in the past election. His election as senator proves that his platform and rebellion against the Arroyo government are supported by the people, including ourselves who are from the corps of officers and the rank and file of the military and police.
The TPB is a democratic movement of soldiers and police elements who have united to achieve important reforms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, the government and Philippine society in general.
We support Sen. Trillanes in his stated objective of conducting, as his very first act in the senate, an investigation on the involvement of officers, intelligence units and their death squads in the killings and abduction of Leftist activists. The information we have confirm Sen. Trillanes’ assertion that the groups responsible for killing and abducting these activists are death squads controlled by intelligence units and receiving orders from high-ranking officers of the AFP, PNP and Malacañang.
Such an investigation by Sen. Trillanes will do good to the majority of soldiers and police forces who are not involved in these activities. An investigation like this will help pinpoint the masterminds and implementors of these killings and abductions and hold them accountable. Many previous investigations have pinpointed military and police officers as the perpetrators, but nothing has so far been done about this. Sen. Trillanes must pursue his investigation until this issue is resolved, especially since the guilty will surely try to block the exposure of their heinous crimes.
We will also support Sen. Trillanes’ plan to investigate corruption and other anomalies up to the highest echelons of the government, military and police, especially anomalies concerning the pensions, housing and health benefits of our soldiers and police elements.
We will likewise support Sen. Trillanes’ proposal to raise the salaries of ordinary government employees, including ourselves who belong to the AFP and PNP.
Sen. Trillanes can be assured of our full support for as long as he fights for the interests of the ordinary Filipino masses. He will receive even more support if he also pursues in the senate a wage hike for workers in the private sector and if he supports the implementation of genuine land reform.
We also believe that his support will broaden if he fights against US military intervention in the AFP and PNP. It would be good if he could also conduct investigations on the long-term presence of American soldiers within and outside military camps, especially in Mindanao.
With the stand he made in Oakwood in 2003 and his resistance to all attempts by high-ranking military and government officials to harass, deceive and bribe him, we expect him to remain steadfast. Indeed, we expect him to continue fighting despite all the intimidation, harassment and other legal and illegal impediments that the Arroyo government and the AFP top brass have set up against him and his family.
translation follows:
Pagbati ng Tirad Pass Brigade kay bagong Senador Antonio Trillanes (Hunyo 15, 2007)
Binabati ng Tirad Pass Brigade (TPB) si dating Lt. SG Antonio Trillanes sa kanyang tagumpay sa nagdaang halalan. Ang pagkapanalo niya bilang senador ay nagpapatunay na ang kanyang plataporma at paglaban sa gubyernong Arroyo ay sinusuportahan ng maraming mamamayan, kabilang na kaming mga upisyal at ordinaryong kasapi ng kasundaluhan at pulisya.
Ang TPB ay isang demokratikong kilusan ng mga sundalo at pulis na nagkakaisa para makamit ang mahahalagang reporma sa loob ng Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, gubyerno at buong lipunang Pilipino.
Sinusuportahan namin si Sen. Trillanes sa naipahayag niya na ang unang plano niya pagkapasok na pagkapasok sa senado ay itulak ang imbestigasyon sa mga kaso ng pagpatay at pagdukot sa mga aktibista ng Kaliwa at ang pagkakasangkot dito ng aming mga upisyal, mga yunit sa intelligence at ang kanilang mga death squad. Sang-ayon sa aming nalalaman ang sinasabi ni Sen. Trillanes na ang mga grupong pumapatay at nandudukot sa mga aktibista ay mga death squad na kontrolado ng mga intelligence unit at kumukuha ng order mula sa matataas na upisyal ng AFP, PNP at Malacañang.
Ang gayong imbestigasyon ni Sen. Trillanes ay makabubuti sa nakararami naming karaniwang sundalo at pulis na walang kinalaman sa mga pagpatay na iyon. Makatutulong ang ganitong imbestigasyon upang matukoy at mapanagot ang tunay na mga utak at nagpapatupad nitong mga pagpatay at pagdukot. Marami nang dating imbestigasyon ang tumukoy sa matataas na upisyal ng militar at pulis bilang mga salarin, pero wala ring nangyari. Kailangang maipursige ni Sen. Trillanes ang kanyang imbestigasyon hanggang sa malutas ang usaping ito, lalo na’t tiyak na pagsisikapan ng maysala na hadlangan ang paglalantad ng kanilang mga karumal-dumal na krimen.
Susuportahan din namin ang plano ni Sen. Trillanes na imbestigahan ang mga kaso ng korapsyon at iba pang anomalya hanggang sa kataas-taasang antas ng gubyerno, militar at pulisya, lalo na ang mga anomalya sa pamamahala ng pondo sa pensyon, pabahay at kalusugan naming mga sundalo at pulis.
Sinusuportahan din namin ang panukala ni Sen. Trillanes na itaas ang sweldo ng mga karaniwang empleyado ng gubyerno, kabilang na kaming mga nasa AFP at PNP.
Makaaasa si Sen. Trilanes sa aming lubos na suporta kung ipaglalaban niya ang interes ng karaniwang masang Pilipino. Lalong lalawak ang kanyang suporta kung ipupursige rin niya sa senado ang pagtataas ng sweldo ng mga trabahador sa pribadong sektor at kung susuportahan niya ang pagpapatupad ng tunay na reporma sa lupa.
Naniniwala rin kaming lalong lalawak ang kanyang suporta kung lalabanan niya ang pakikialam ng militar ng US sa AFP at PNP. Mainam din kung maiimbestigahan niya ang paglalagi ng mga sundalong Amerikano sa loob at labas ng mga kampong militar, lalo na sa Mindanao.
Sa kanyang ipinakitang paninindigan sa Oakwood noong 2003 at pagbigo sa lahat ng pagtatangka ng mga nakatataas sa militar at gubyerno na gipitin, linlangin at suhulan siya, inaasahan naming hindi siya titiklop. Sa halip ay inaasahan namin ang patuloy niyang paglaban sa kabila ng lahat ng pananakot, pagtugis at iba pang ligal at iligal na balakid na ginagawa ng gubyernong Arroyo at matataas na upisyal ng AFP sa kanya at kanyang pamilya.
The TPB is a democratic movement of soldiers and police elements who have united to achieve important reforms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, the government and Philippine society in general.
We support Sen. Trillanes in his stated objective of conducting, as his very first act in the senate, an investigation on the involvement of officers, intelligence units and their death squads in the killings and abduction of Leftist activists. The information we have confirm Sen. Trillanes’ assertion that the groups responsible for killing and abducting these activists are death squads controlled by intelligence units and receiving orders from high-ranking officers of the AFP, PNP and Malacañang.
Such an investigation by Sen. Trillanes will do good to the majority of soldiers and police forces who are not involved in these activities. An investigation like this will help pinpoint the masterminds and implementors of these killings and abductions and hold them accountable. Many previous investigations have pinpointed military and police officers as the perpetrators, but nothing has so far been done about this. Sen. Trillanes must pursue his investigation until this issue is resolved, especially since the guilty will surely try to block the exposure of their heinous crimes.
We will also support Sen. Trillanes’ plan to investigate corruption and other anomalies up to the highest echelons of the government, military and police, especially anomalies concerning the pensions, housing and health benefits of our soldiers and police elements.
We will likewise support Sen. Trillanes’ proposal to raise the salaries of ordinary government employees, including ourselves who belong to the AFP and PNP.
Sen. Trillanes can be assured of our full support for as long as he fights for the interests of the ordinary Filipino masses. He will receive even more support if he also pursues in the senate a wage hike for workers in the private sector and if he supports the implementation of genuine land reform.
We also believe that his support will broaden if he fights against US military intervention in the AFP and PNP. It would be good if he could also conduct investigations on the long-term presence of American soldiers within and outside military camps, especially in Mindanao.
With the stand he made in Oakwood in 2003 and his resistance to all attempts by high-ranking military and government officials to harass, deceive and bribe him, we expect him to remain steadfast. Indeed, we expect him to continue fighting despite all the intimidation, harassment and other legal and illegal impediments that the Arroyo government and the AFP top brass have set up against him and his family.
translation follows:
Pagbati ng Tirad Pass Brigade kay bagong Senador Antonio Trillanes (Hunyo 15, 2007)
Binabati ng Tirad Pass Brigade (TPB) si dating Lt. SG Antonio Trillanes sa kanyang tagumpay sa nagdaang halalan. Ang pagkapanalo niya bilang senador ay nagpapatunay na ang kanyang plataporma at paglaban sa gubyernong Arroyo ay sinusuportahan ng maraming mamamayan, kabilang na kaming mga upisyal at ordinaryong kasapi ng kasundaluhan at pulisya.
Ang TPB ay isang demokratikong kilusan ng mga sundalo at pulis na nagkakaisa para makamit ang mahahalagang reporma sa loob ng Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, gubyerno at buong lipunang Pilipino.
Sinusuportahan namin si Sen. Trillanes sa naipahayag niya na ang unang plano niya pagkapasok na pagkapasok sa senado ay itulak ang imbestigasyon sa mga kaso ng pagpatay at pagdukot sa mga aktibista ng Kaliwa at ang pagkakasangkot dito ng aming mga upisyal, mga yunit sa intelligence at ang kanilang mga death squad. Sang-ayon sa aming nalalaman ang sinasabi ni Sen. Trillanes na ang mga grupong pumapatay at nandudukot sa mga aktibista ay mga death squad na kontrolado ng mga intelligence unit at kumukuha ng order mula sa matataas na upisyal ng AFP, PNP at Malacañang.
Ang gayong imbestigasyon ni Sen. Trillanes ay makabubuti sa nakararami naming karaniwang sundalo at pulis na walang kinalaman sa mga pagpatay na iyon. Makatutulong ang ganitong imbestigasyon upang matukoy at mapanagot ang tunay na mga utak at nagpapatupad nitong mga pagpatay at pagdukot. Marami nang dating imbestigasyon ang tumukoy sa matataas na upisyal ng militar at pulis bilang mga salarin, pero wala ring nangyari. Kailangang maipursige ni Sen. Trillanes ang kanyang imbestigasyon hanggang sa malutas ang usaping ito, lalo na’t tiyak na pagsisikapan ng maysala na hadlangan ang paglalantad ng kanilang mga karumal-dumal na krimen.
Susuportahan din namin ang plano ni Sen. Trillanes na imbestigahan ang mga kaso ng korapsyon at iba pang anomalya hanggang sa kataas-taasang antas ng gubyerno, militar at pulisya, lalo na ang mga anomalya sa pamamahala ng pondo sa pensyon, pabahay at kalusugan naming mga sundalo at pulis.
Sinusuportahan din namin ang panukala ni Sen. Trillanes na itaas ang sweldo ng mga karaniwang empleyado ng gubyerno, kabilang na kaming mga nasa AFP at PNP.
Makaaasa si Sen. Trilanes sa aming lubos na suporta kung ipaglalaban niya ang interes ng karaniwang masang Pilipino. Lalong lalawak ang kanyang suporta kung ipupursige rin niya sa senado ang pagtataas ng sweldo ng mga trabahador sa pribadong sektor at kung susuportahan niya ang pagpapatupad ng tunay na reporma sa lupa.
Naniniwala rin kaming lalong lalawak ang kanyang suporta kung lalabanan niya ang pakikialam ng militar ng US sa AFP at PNP. Mainam din kung maiimbestigahan niya ang paglalagi ng mga sundalong Amerikano sa loob at labas ng mga kampong militar, lalo na sa Mindanao.
Sa kanyang ipinakitang paninindigan sa Oakwood noong 2003 at pagbigo sa lahat ng pagtatangka ng mga nakatataas sa militar at gubyerno na gipitin, linlangin at suhulan siya, inaasahan naming hindi siya titiklop. Sa halip ay inaasahan namin ang patuloy niyang paglaban sa kabila ng lahat ng pananakot, pagtugis at iba pang ligal at iligal na balakid na ginagawa ng gubyernong Arroyo at matataas na upisyal ng AFP sa kanya at kanyang pamilya.
We shall not be party to this plot to betray the people (May 12, 2007)
Once again, our unworthy generals are plotting to betray the people in the coming elections as they did in 2004. The chief of staff no less is ordering us to be pawns in this despicable plan to rig the May 14 elections to ensure the victory of administration candidates.
Let it be said: the integrity of our service have been sullied enough by these generals using the armed forces to install and prop up what is becoming the most hated regime in the history of the republic. "Mercury Rising," as they have termed the covert plan to steal the upcoming elections, would bury even deeper the honor and integrity of the armed forces.
We are conscientious and honorable officers and men of the military and police forces. We shall resist to the last breath the evil schemes of a few dishonorable generals beholden to the Arroyo administration. We shall not be party to electoral fraud, the ultimate betrayal of the people we are sworn to serve and defend.
We call on all our brothers in arms to defy all illegal and immoral orders from above and to take necessary actions to thwart any attempt to violate the people's will. Only thus can we regain the trust and support of the people who have already suffered so much under the Arroyo regime. We only hope it will not be too late.
Maj. Rad Pasion (Spokesman, Tirad Pass Brigade [A democratic movement of concerned officers and soldiers])
translation follows:
Hindi kami makikisangkot sa planong pagtaksilan ang bayan
Nagpapakana na naman ang aming mga heneral para pagtaksilan ang bayan sa darating na eleksyon tulad ng ginawa nila noong 2004. Mismong ang chief of staff ang nag-uutos sa amin na magpagamit sa kasuklam-suklam na planong lutuin ang eleksyon sa Mayo 14 para matiyak ang panalo ng mga kandidato ng administrasyon.
Ipinapahayag namin: ang dangal ng aming serbisyo ay masyado nang dinungisan ng mga heneral na kumasangkapan sa sandatahang lakas para ipwesto at panatilihin ang nagiging pinakakinamumuhiang rehimen sa kasaysayan ng republika. Ang "Mercury Rising," na siyang ipinangalan nila sa lihim na planong dayain ang darating na eleksyon, ay lalo pang maglilibing sa dangal at integridad ng hukbong sandatahan.
Kami’y mga matuwid at mararangal na upisyal at kawal ng pwersang militar at pulis. Lalabanan namin hanggang sa huling hininga ang maruruming pakana ng iilang kahiya-hiyang heneral na naninilbihan sa administrasyong Arroyo. Hindi kami makikisangkot sa pandaraya sa eleksyon, ang pinakamasahol na pagtataksil sa mamamayang sinumpaan naming paglingkuran at ipagtanggol.
Nananawagan kami sa lahat ng aming mga kapatid na kawal na suwayin ang lahat ng iligal at imoral na utos mula sa itaas at gawin ang nararapat na mga hakbang upang biguin ang anumang pagtatangkang lapastanganin ang pasya ng taumbayan. Sa gayon lamang natin mababawi ang tiwala at suporta ng bayang labis na nagdurusa sa ilalim ng rehimeng Arroyo. Sana’y hindi pa huli ang lahat.
Maj. Rad Pasion (Tagapagsalita, Tirad Pass Brigade [Democratic Movement of Concerned Officers and Soldiers])
Let it be said: the integrity of our service have been sullied enough by these generals using the armed forces to install and prop up what is becoming the most hated regime in the history of the republic. "Mercury Rising," as they have termed the covert plan to steal the upcoming elections, would bury even deeper the honor and integrity of the armed forces.
We are conscientious and honorable officers and men of the military and police forces. We shall resist to the last breath the evil schemes of a few dishonorable generals beholden to the Arroyo administration. We shall not be party to electoral fraud, the ultimate betrayal of the people we are sworn to serve and defend.
We call on all our brothers in arms to defy all illegal and immoral orders from above and to take necessary actions to thwart any attempt to violate the people's will. Only thus can we regain the trust and support of the people who have already suffered so much under the Arroyo regime. We only hope it will not be too late.
Maj. Rad Pasion (Spokesman, Tirad Pass Brigade [A democratic movement of concerned officers and soldiers])
translation follows:
Hindi kami makikisangkot sa planong pagtaksilan ang bayan
Nagpapakana na naman ang aming mga heneral para pagtaksilan ang bayan sa darating na eleksyon tulad ng ginawa nila noong 2004. Mismong ang chief of staff ang nag-uutos sa amin na magpagamit sa kasuklam-suklam na planong lutuin ang eleksyon sa Mayo 14 para matiyak ang panalo ng mga kandidato ng administrasyon.
Ipinapahayag namin: ang dangal ng aming serbisyo ay masyado nang dinungisan ng mga heneral na kumasangkapan sa sandatahang lakas para ipwesto at panatilihin ang nagiging pinakakinamumuhiang rehimen sa kasaysayan ng republika. Ang "Mercury Rising," na siyang ipinangalan nila sa lihim na planong dayain ang darating na eleksyon, ay lalo pang maglilibing sa dangal at integridad ng hukbong sandatahan.
Kami’y mga matuwid at mararangal na upisyal at kawal ng pwersang militar at pulis. Lalabanan namin hanggang sa huling hininga ang maruruming pakana ng iilang kahiya-hiyang heneral na naninilbihan sa administrasyong Arroyo. Hindi kami makikisangkot sa pandaraya sa eleksyon, ang pinakamasahol na pagtataksil sa mamamayang sinumpaan naming paglingkuran at ipagtanggol.
Nananawagan kami sa lahat ng aming mga kapatid na kawal na suwayin ang lahat ng iligal at imoral na utos mula sa itaas at gawin ang nararapat na mga hakbang upang biguin ang anumang pagtatangkang lapastanganin ang pasya ng taumbayan. Sa gayon lamang natin mababawi ang tiwala at suporta ng bayang labis na nagdurusa sa ilalim ng rehimeng Arroyo. Sana’y hindi pa huli ang lahat.
Maj. Rad Pasion (Tagapagsalita, Tirad Pass Brigade [Democratic Movement of Concerned Officers and Soldiers])
An Open Letter (July 19, 2006)
To Our Fellow Countrymen and Brothers in the AFP, PNP and CAFGU
Our nation at present reflects the kind of soldiers we have become. Like the majority of the Filipino people, we, the officers and men of the AFP, PNP and CAFGU are being subjected to an oppressive and degrading life. Our meager salary cannot meet our family's basic necessities of everyday living. We cannot afford to give our children quality education. We cannot even own a decent shelter. And worse, along with the small salary that we earn, the benefits that we justly deserve for our honest service to the state are being stolen from us. Our deteriorating living condition is but a reflection of the oppression and the deplorable state the Filipino people living under the Arroyo government and the current political and economic system.
We, who should be the defenders and protectors of this beloved nation and its people are being used by the corrupt and power-hungry leaders of this government for their own interest. We are being diverted away from our principal duty of enforcing the law and maintaining peace. Many people now perceive us as defenders of corruption and deception by the highest officials who make a mockery of the very democratic process we have been sworn to defend. No wonder many consider us as enemies of our own countrymen. The Arroyo regime and its high ranking officials even ordered some of us into committing heinous crimes against the people we ought to protect.
For allowing themselves to be used by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in deceiving the people and tampering with the results of the 2004 elections under our very noses, some of our highest ranking officers now feed greedily from the hands of those in Malacañang. PGMA and her cohorts have been dishing out billions of pesos worth of bulk deals and contracts as rewards for their loyalty cutting down the funds for our operations, supplies and benefits.
We are tired of the promises of increase in salary and pension, fed up with the scandals involving the military in the 2004 election fraud, and sick with the looting of funds, contracts and the soldier's savings in the AFP and PNP by our own generals. We are outraged by the immoral and unjust promotions and designations of the "favorite" officers and relatives of those high ranking officials. What is even more loathsome is the involvement and the protection given by Malacañang and their favorite generals to the criminal syndicates of illegal gambling, illegal drugs, bank robbery, kidnapping, illegal logging, smuggling, carnapping and other crimes.
We attest to the direct responsibility of the President and the leading agencies of Malacañang and their minions in the AFP and the PNP in ordering the extrajudicial killings to decimate the ranks of progressive mass leaders, activists, media critics, opposition leaders and professionals who are actively calling for her ouster. They are also responsible for the surveillance and harassment of those in the opposition, violent dispersal of peaceful rallies and demonstrations and the imprisonment of their leaders. We have come to know all these because the officers and men who were ordered to commit these crimes are from our own ranks.
The leaders and activists that our officers are ordering us to kidnap, torture and murder are legitimately airing their grievances. The victims of these heinous crimes are well-meaning unarmed civilians: workers, farmers, priests, teachers, lawyers, journalists and others who are fighting and defending their rights and even our own interests. They are not armed rebels. But why are we ordered by our officers to aim and fire our guns at them?
We, the men of the AFP and the PNP are being ordered to guard the gates of power where corrupt officials reside. We are the last line of defense of Malacañang. We are being used as shield against the legitimate actions and demands of our people. We are the power sustaining the Arroyo government so she could continue her fake, rotten, deceitful and oppressive rule.
Many of us have already started their active stand against the Arroyo regime. Since 2003, many groups have surfaced and courageously fought and protested against this corrupt government. They have sided with us and our people. They have spoken and took actions against the unjust orders. Yet, for taking into their hearts their oath of service and the interest of the people, they are being persecuted, imprisoned, deprived of their rights, and are treated like animals.
Let us resist the orders of our superiors to use us in their war against our people. Let us support the call for genuine peace and justice and open our doors for talks and negotiations with the groups taking up arms against this oppressive government. Let us work for a genuine and lasting peace..
We call upon all the patriotic men and women from the AFP and the PNP from all over the country to stand up and be counted. It is about time that we end our silence. Let us help in exposing the corruption and crimes committed in the highest levels of our organizations. Let us join ranks with the different patriotic movement within the AFP and PNP, organize clandestine networks, and unite with the people. Together, let us fight alongside the different patriotic and progressive organizations and individuals for a truly sovereign, democratic, peaceful, and prosperous nation. It is our only way of regaining our dignity.
It is the only way that the AFP and PNP could be truly reformed. It is the only way that the AFP and PNP could really perform its mandated task to serve the nation and its people.
The solution to our problems and that of the whole nation is, and will remain unattainable under the Arroyo government and the rotten system it represents. Let us unite with the majority of the Filipino people in ousting the Arroyo government in order to attain liberty, democracy and prosperity! Let us fight for our rights and those of our fellow officers and soldiers! Let us unite and fight for the interest of our people! mStand against the anti-people orders! Oust the illegitimate, corrupt, oppressive and rotten Arroyo government!
Tirad Pass Brigade
(A democratic movement of concerned officers and soldiers)
Our nation at present reflects the kind of soldiers we have become. Like the majority of the Filipino people, we, the officers and men of the AFP, PNP and CAFGU are being subjected to an oppressive and degrading life. Our meager salary cannot meet our family's basic necessities of everyday living. We cannot afford to give our children quality education. We cannot even own a decent shelter. And worse, along with the small salary that we earn, the benefits that we justly deserve for our honest service to the state are being stolen from us. Our deteriorating living condition is but a reflection of the oppression and the deplorable state the Filipino people living under the Arroyo government and the current political and economic system.
We, who should be the defenders and protectors of this beloved nation and its people are being used by the corrupt and power-hungry leaders of this government for their own interest. We are being diverted away from our principal duty of enforcing the law and maintaining peace. Many people now perceive us as defenders of corruption and deception by the highest officials who make a mockery of the very democratic process we have been sworn to defend. No wonder many consider us as enemies of our own countrymen. The Arroyo regime and its high ranking officials even ordered some of us into committing heinous crimes against the people we ought to protect.
For allowing themselves to be used by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in deceiving the people and tampering with the results of the 2004 elections under our very noses, some of our highest ranking officers now feed greedily from the hands of those in Malacañang. PGMA and her cohorts have been dishing out billions of pesos worth of bulk deals and contracts as rewards for their loyalty cutting down the funds for our operations, supplies and benefits.
We are tired of the promises of increase in salary and pension, fed up with the scandals involving the military in the 2004 election fraud, and sick with the looting of funds, contracts and the soldier's savings in the AFP and PNP by our own generals. We are outraged by the immoral and unjust promotions and designations of the "favorite" officers and relatives of those high ranking officials. What is even more loathsome is the involvement and the protection given by Malacañang and their favorite generals to the criminal syndicates of illegal gambling, illegal drugs, bank robbery, kidnapping, illegal logging, smuggling, carnapping and other crimes.
We attest to the direct responsibility of the President and the leading agencies of Malacañang and their minions in the AFP and the PNP in ordering the extrajudicial killings to decimate the ranks of progressive mass leaders, activists, media critics, opposition leaders and professionals who are actively calling for her ouster. They are also responsible for the surveillance and harassment of those in the opposition, violent dispersal of peaceful rallies and demonstrations and the imprisonment of their leaders. We have come to know all these because the officers and men who were ordered to commit these crimes are from our own ranks.
The leaders and activists that our officers are ordering us to kidnap, torture and murder are legitimately airing their grievances. The victims of these heinous crimes are well-meaning unarmed civilians: workers, farmers, priests, teachers, lawyers, journalists and others who are fighting and defending their rights and even our own interests. They are not armed rebels. But why are we ordered by our officers to aim and fire our guns at them?
We, the men of the AFP and the PNP are being ordered to guard the gates of power where corrupt officials reside. We are the last line of defense of Malacañang. We are being used as shield against the legitimate actions and demands of our people. We are the power sustaining the Arroyo government so she could continue her fake, rotten, deceitful and oppressive rule.
Many of us have already started their active stand against the Arroyo regime. Since 2003, many groups have surfaced and courageously fought and protested against this corrupt government. They have sided with us and our people. They have spoken and took actions against the unjust orders. Yet, for taking into their hearts their oath of service and the interest of the people, they are being persecuted, imprisoned, deprived of their rights, and are treated like animals.
Let us resist the orders of our superiors to use us in their war against our people. Let us support the call for genuine peace and justice and open our doors for talks and negotiations with the groups taking up arms against this oppressive government. Let us work for a genuine and lasting peace..
We call upon all the patriotic men and women from the AFP and the PNP from all over the country to stand up and be counted. It is about time that we end our silence. Let us help in exposing the corruption and crimes committed in the highest levels of our organizations. Let us join ranks with the different patriotic movement within the AFP and PNP, organize clandestine networks, and unite with the people. Together, let us fight alongside the different patriotic and progressive organizations and individuals for a truly sovereign, democratic, peaceful, and prosperous nation. It is our only way of regaining our dignity.
It is the only way that the AFP and PNP could be truly reformed. It is the only way that the AFP and PNP could really perform its mandated task to serve the nation and its people.
The solution to our problems and that of the whole nation is, and will remain unattainable under the Arroyo government and the rotten system it represents. Let us unite with the majority of the Filipino people in ousting the Arroyo government in order to attain liberty, democracy and prosperity! Let us fight for our rights and those of our fellow officers and soldiers! Let us unite and fight for the interest of our people! mStand against the anti-people orders! Oust the illegitimate, corrupt, oppressive and rotten Arroyo government!
Tirad Pass Brigade
(A democratic movement of concerned officers and soldiers)
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