At the moment of victory, let’s not sound the retreat

Out here, we’re mainly worried about the threat of war on Iraq because of the gut issues involved – clearly, issues which affect the gut. Sounds selfish, when not embroidered with pronouncements on high moral issues like the tyranny of Saddam Insane, the suffering of the Iraqi people, and the problem of "global terrorism". But that, in the end, is what motivates nations; we may euphemistically term it "enlightened self-interest", but it’s self-interest nonetheless.

Already, we’ve been hit once more at the corner gas pump, with Shell raising its prices and the other charter members of the oil cartel (whose existence is perennially being denied by its members) certain to follow suit. All over the world, air travel has begun to further collapse, and the airlines, tourism industries, and economies in general are suffering.

The suspense literally is killing everybody. We’re tempted to tell US President George W. Bush: "Either go, or back off now."

As the old American expression goes: "Fish, or cut bait."

With the peso under siege, and faltering even against a weak dollar, I suspect the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has begun drawing heavily on our international reserves to shore up the national currency – a defense which cannot, by definition, be limitless, since, if we’re forced to drain our reserves in such an endeavor, we’ll soon be left with not even enough to purchase three months’ supply of oil and fuel. (For all the chest-thumping by the Department of Finance and the BSP, our foreign exchange reserves are the smallest in the region, even lower per capita than those of Indonesia.)

The present crisis should be a signal for our leaders, national and local, our legislators, and politicians to stop squabbling, playing political games (the panicky search for a presidential candidate is like the childish pastime of "belling the cat"), conducting endless "investigations" name-calling, exchanging insults and accusations, engaging in endless gossip and recrimination. We, in media, must surely acknowledge that we, too, are among the worst offenders. What I fear is that despite all the warning signals – we’ll go partying on blithely as before, our epicurean banners flying and the "crab mentality" discoloring our every action.

For instance, why is there such a gadawful urong-sulong over amending the Anti-Money Laundering Law, AMLA in acronym, so we won’t be blacklisted by the Paris-based international Financial Action Task Force (FATF)? The eleven senators who raised such a fuss against reducing the amount to be placed under scrutiny to P500,000 should yield to reality and stop invoking the right to privacy and national honor kuno. Let’s just do it – and have done with it.

That debate was a waste of time and saliva, and, with the FATF, even if some might bridle at its arrogant manner, giving us an extension of deadline to March 15, we must straighten out the matter. The President must immediately meet, as Speaker Jose de Venecia has proposed, with the leaders of both Houses, so we can get a proper version of the new law approved, signed, sealed and delivered.

Let’s not be NATO – no action, talk only.

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It’s disgusting how so many, safe in their air-conditioned bunkers here in Metro Manila, have been attacking our army and marines for fighting the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), going after that rebel outfit’s cruel auxiliaries – the Pentagon Kidnap Gang, and the terrorist bombers – and smashing into the Buliok complex, which is the headquarters of the Moro insurgents near Pikit, North Cotabato, between Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat.

What our military has done is capture a large portion of the swamps into which guerrillas, kidnappers and their hostages used to "disappear" without fear of pursuit or retaliation. The insolent Pentagon gangsters and their MILF protectors at least now know that the military can get them anytime, even in their once-sacrosanct lairs – from which they would frequently launch their hit-and-run attacks. It’s true enough that an army cannot "occupy" such a wide area indefinitely, and will have to depart eventually. But the truth is that our side – or did we forget that? – has won a victory. It’s not a final victory, and the Republic’s gains may even prove fleeting, but let’s not knock it. We’ve won this round.

Sanamagan: When our soldiers beat the rebels who’ve been harassing our peaceful folk, why do we scold them for it? Our fighting men bleed for us, yet so many of us repay them with scorn and even condemnation.

Why are some people saying the military "offensive" was wrong? Because there are 53,000 refugees and evacuees whose lives have been uprooted and are now huddled in misery? That’s what happens in war. Why is it the rebels who declared war on our people and our government who’re getting sympathy from some quarters? If the rebels’ own families are now suffering for it, along with the innocents and other non-combatants, it’s an unfortunate but inevitable byproduct of that conflict.

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The military have delivered a strong message: They’ve seized even the home of MILF Supremo, Ustadz Hashim Salamat.

Proof of the military offensive’s success is the fact that the usually insolent Ghazali Jaafar, MILF vice chairman for political affairs, has told journalists in Sultan Kudarat (from a hideout, of course) that the MILF cadres are willing to lay down their arms after the government resumes peace talks and grants the Bangsamoro people what they want. Naturally, Jaafar repeats the MILF ultimatum: What they want is an "independent" Islamic state in Mindanao. That’s, ab initio, a No-No. But he adds this time, that the MILF are open to other solutions "as long as it would be acceptable to the majority of the Bangsamoro people". (What does this mean? It means, to my thinking, that the MILF, for the moment, are rattled.)

If they want to talk, why then did they snub the "ceasefire" meeting in Cotabato City just before the government resumed its interrupted offensive? Now that they’re on the ropes, President GMA – who always, alas, listens to the siren song of the Surrender Gang (Dureza, Gonzales, and let’s not forget Ermita) – must not hesitate to crush them if our armed forces can. We’ve always suffered setback because, at the moment of overwhelming triumph, we’ve withdrawn to talk again. Jaw-jaw, that’s all we’ve done.

It’s no surprise that neither the MILF, MNLF, the New People’s Army nor, ultra vires, the Abu Sayyaf respect or fear the government.

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A few days ago, I watched Maria Ressa of Cable News Network (CNN), one of our journalists who really made a name for herself in international reporting, herself being interviewed on ANC/ABS-CBN. Patiently and factually, Ressa spelled out how the MILF was closely linked to Al-Qaeda and had been networking with the Jemaah Islamiya, the mad bombers of the region.

It has always been my argument, and that of those who’ve covered guerrilla wars in other countries, that rebels don’t talk peace unless they’re losing. What is ridiculous is that it has always been our government – GRP as our own "peace negotiators" so stupidly call our side, as if the government were a fortune cookie – which has been begging for peace.

Now that the MILF are suing for peace, it’s a clear sign that the insurgents realize they’re losing. But here’s my fearless forecast: GMA and Malacañang will quickly lose the initiative by giving in to the demands of MILF. It’s enough to drive a man to drink – which isn’t the same, of course, as back to Erap.

In the fight against insurgency, I must add, I wish some of our wiseguys would not resort to ad hominem attacks to promote their arguments. A couple of nights ago, I listened to ABS-CBN’s Gene Orejana interviewing Mike Mastura. At the conclusion of the talk show, commentator Orejana looked straight at the camera and condemned the military offensive against the MILF in Cotabato and Maguindanao. Orejana declared that the army had attacked just when peace negotiators "were on the edge of a peace agreement" with the MILF. Where did Orejana get that B.S. about an imminent "peace agreement"? The MILF have been jerking us around for years, while their Pentagon and other "gangs" and lost commands, attacked and rampaged. But perhaps Orejana knew something none of us knew – that’s quite possible.

On the other hand, the next thing he said was weird. He implied the offensive was the doing of a man who was the "armed forces chief of staff" of the deposed President Estrada, who "unfortunately" is now the Secretary of Defense of the GMA administration – namely, of course, Angelo T. Reyes.

What was he trying to say? That Reyes, who had served Estrada, then deserted him for GMA, was still up to treacherous tricks? Susmariosep. C’mon, Gene. I’ve been one of Angie Reyes’ worst critics, assailing him mercilessly. But why impute malicious motives to him for the launching of the current, and I’ll have to add, very successful push against the rebel strongholds? I might even say that this would be giving Reyes too much credit. But he stayed the course, as did our fighting men. They deserve honors, not sneers.

Incidentally, the TV audience didn’t seen to agree with Orejana. ABC-CBN took a snap poll of viewers simultaneously with the talk show and the results appeared at the right of the screen, just as Orejana was delivering his diatribe.

The query asked had been: Should the military stand down to pursue peace talks with the MILF? 80 percent answered, "NO." Only 20 percent, said, "Yes."

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The ROVING EYE . . . Millions of protesters around the world have come out to assail a US-led attack on Iraq. The one-million-(the police say 750,000) strong demonstration last Saturday in London was matched by one in New York, and over 200 US cities – in the homeland itself. A poll by The New York Times and CBS says that while 66 percent there support a US attack on Iraq, 59 percent want to give the UN weapons inspectors more time. In Berlin, anti-war demonstrators were led by three Cabinet ministers. In Paris, of course, and in the cities of Bordeaux, Lyons, Marseilles and Nantes, the turnouts were massive. So the drum roll of dissent thundered on. Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair is thoroughly embattled. An ICM/BBC poll asserts that while nine percent would support Britain’s participation without a fresh United Nations mandate, 49 would back war with one, with 45 percent against. What dismays the British public is that the "war" will cost them 3.8 billion pounds, and they’re not sure it’s that necessary. In sum, if Mr. Bush doesn’t go now, he may lose momentum. Will America’s allies lose heart? That’s the next question. This is a time when the leadership qualities of both Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair are being tested, in different ways. It was Tony Blair who propelled the Labor Party back into power in 1997, in a stunning electoral victory, after 18 years in the dumps. It was Blair who achieved impressive re-election in 2001. Today is make-or-break for him, both in the nation and in his own party. One thing must be said: Blair is standing up, and giving blow for blow, with eloquence and cou-rage, and a grace not seen since Winston Churchill. What is it they called Churchill when he warned against Hitler? A buffoon and a warmonger.