Who are the business traitors who smuggled $2 billion out of RP?

President Macapagal-Arroyo and her generals must not be suckered into agreeing to a "ceasefire" with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front! Even somebody jet-lagged like yours truly (I blew into town the other day on the outskirts of Typhoon Chedeng) knows this.

But, having just arrived, I don’t know whether GMA and her government might have fallen for the desperate ploy already.

When I learned in Los Angeles that the harassed MILF rebels had announced a "unilateral ceasefire" – meaning they were begging for a "ceasefire", get it? – I wanted to get on the telephone to GMA to suggest that the Chief Executive order the armed forces and all the PNP who could be mustered to intensify their attack. But who am I to offer unsolicited military advice? Yet, the MILF bid for a halt in the fighting was a clear sign their forces were being badly battered, and they sorely needed a "breather" from relentless pursuit.

Our usual peaceniks were quick to plump for the stupid idea of a ceasefire and renewed "peace talks" (which have always proved useless in the past). In case they’ve forgotten, what’s taking place in Mindanao is a war, not a basketball game. When you’re fighting a battle, the murderous enemy is not entitled to call for a "time out", as in basketball, so it can rest. It’s when the enemy is exhausted, demoralized, running short of ammunition, and scattered, that the pursuing government forces must seize the advantage and press forward to attack. Even Sun Tzu, the most-quoted military strategist of them all, says this. (Everybody seems to be quoting from Sun Tzu’s Art of War or War of the Flea written in the 4th century B.C. – he was the late Chinese Communist Helmsman Mao Zedong’s idol.)

Here’s what Uncle Sun asserted, loud and clear: "… An Army can be likened to water: For just as flowing water avoids the heights and hastens to the lowlands, so an army avoids strength and strikes weakness." When the MILF show weakness and their forces are at their lowest ebb, that’s when the Philippine Army must strike, and strike hard.

Karl von Clausewitz, the other famous authority (On War), said it too in 1832: The destruction of the enemy’s military force is the leading principle of war."

The MILF’s military force must be destroyed, there’s no if or but about that.

* * *

If we give the MILF terrorists time to rest, regroup, re-supply, and go into hiding, they’ll attack us treacherously once more, or ambush buses and trucks, or lay waste towns, and massacre civilians and soldiers again, at a time and place of their own choosing.

Peace negotiations? To what purpose? As long as we let 12,000 heavily-armed men, Moro insurgents at that, go on roaming around Mindanao, bullying, killing and kidnapping, how can we have peace in Mindanao? I’ve repeated this, admittedly, ad nauseam. For that matter, everybody must be disarmed, not just the MILF, the Abu Sayyaf, the Jemaah Islamiyah, the remaining MNLF, and the New People’s Army – and the Vigilantes, as well.

The MILF deserve no quarter or any mercy, They "bombed" the Davao airport and then the pier, with horrible results. They bombed the public market in Koronadal City, South Cotabato, killing 12 people, and wounding 22. They attacked Camp Siongco in Maguindanao. Last May 4, in the dead of night, two hundred MILF and Abu Sayyaf attackers swooped down on the sleeping town of Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte, and killed 22 civilians, soldiers and PNP outright, torched the town hall, public market, and convent (slaying two Catholic seminarians), assaulted Mayor Cesar Soriano’s home, they took scores of townsfolk hostage (and mayor’s wife was later rescued). In short, they devastated Siocon in an unprovoked raid.

Now a "ceasefire"? If we grant them that, then, sorry to say, we deserve to lose.

* * *

I spent a few days in Los Angeles following the spoor of a $2 BILLION scandal involving very prominent Filipino business magnates and their American co-conspirators. (I also heard whispers of it in Mexico, to where much of those smuggled-out funds were funneled.)

It’s not just a tragedy, but economic treachery. Did you know that while our poor country is trying to attract foreign investment, and La Gloria has been industriously striving to get United States aid and investments, a Filipino business mafia (let’s call them the "Council of Evil Intent", mind you I didn’t say "Council of Trent") has been smuggling billions of dollars earned in the Philippines out of Manila?

Thus far, according to my reliable insider sources, this group of greedy guys have managed to sneak out at least $2 billion, but the count is very quickly headed towards $5 billion at the current rate of outflow through clandestine means. Isn’t this the sort of felonious "money laundering" the international Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has been warning our government against while insisting that our anti-money laundering law be amended to bring our nation up to speed with global standards – and get us off the blacklist?

I can’t prove it yet, but my trackers in the United States are close to breaking the code, and will shortly – we hope – get into the core of this disgusting operation by the economic traitors in our midst. One thing is sure. They are very well-connected upstairs.

The fellow in Los Angeles coordinating the mammoth "fund" is a businessman in Orange County whose family name starts with the letter "V". Since investing these huge funds in the US would attract federal scrutiny and the interests of the Fed, the Treasury department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the money is then quickly invested in Mexico and other nearby countries.

Abangan the coming "explosion".

* * *

Why is Los Angeles the perfect "clearing house" of this group? To begin with, it has the largest Fil-American population, outside of San Francisco and the Bay Area. It is the center of trade, banking and commerce for the super-state of California. A megalopolis of eight million people, L.A. is the virtual "capital" of Southern California where 60 percent of the state’s wealth is concentrated.

Just driving around L.A. you are impressed by the plethora of business giants who have headquarters in that metropolis. Why, in Century City alone, not far from the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), you can see tall buildings belonging to MGM, Herbalife – and AIG (hello, isn’t that the insurance group owned by Maurice R. Greenberg, the boss of "Triple R", i.e. Businessman and Ambassador, and feckless Desert Sheik of Sikatuna, Robert R. Romulo and Philamlife’s Joey Cuisia?). Greenberg has been promoted in GMA’s mind by Romulo and company as such a big shot that the President’s trip, following her State Visit to Washington DC, and her White House meetings with US President George W. Bush, from arrival ceremonies to State Dinner, centered around lunching with Greenberg in New York City and getting a Doctorate from Fordham University (no, I wasn’t at that Triple R-sponsored affair, even though Fordham U is my alma mater, where I acquired a Master’s). By then I was off to Los Angeles and Disneyland’s "California Adventure" – and a bit of sleuthing.

Getting back to the importance of California itself, that Golden State with a population of 34 million, is so rich that if it were a separate country, it would be the 5th biggest trading nation in the world. (In the pecking order, Number One in the US itself; Number Two is Japan; Number Three is the United Kingdom; Number Four, Germany – then Number Five might have been California.)

For that matter, if Los Angeles County had been an independent state, it would have been the 10th biggest trading country in the world!

Mind-boggling, isn’t it?

* * *

Having been privileged to be at the White House dinner (gee whiz, it busted my Ilocano budget to have had to buy an Ermenegildo Zegna tuxedo, ugh, since my old YSL tuxedo was out-of-date), I noticed that California – including three old friends of mine from that Golden State – was very well represented.

I was in the official Philippine delegation, but the Stateside Pinoys present had all been invited directly by the White House. Among them was Mayor Jose "Joe" Esteves and his wife, Susan. He is Mayor of Milpitas, California – which is in the Bay Area, not far from San Jose. Then there was Eric Lachica, executive director of the American Coalition for Filipino Veterans, who had been my host some six years ago when I addressed a Filipino convention in L.A.

I was even happier to see Daly City Council Member Michael "Mike" Guingona (he was also former Mayor) and his lovely wife, Teresa – he’s the son of Meralco Vice President Joe Guingona (Vice President Tito Guingona’s younger brother). Indeed, Joe had dragged me along to Mike’s and Teresa’s wedding in San Francisco – and the wedding reception in the Marriott.

Present, big as life in his tux, was our Trans-Pacific pal, George M. Drysdale, who belongs to both Manila and San Francisco (he’s a co-owner of the San Francisco baseball "Giants"), chairman and CEO of Marsman Drysdale Group, along with his dear wife, Diane. George is also an exporter of "Guimaras" mangos – yep, from Visayas! In his honor, probably, the crowning dessert in the State Dinner’s menu was Mango Coconut Lei, Baked Pineapple with Sesame Crumb, with Schrambsberg Cremant, 1999.

"Max," George whispered into my ear, "tell your readers it was Guimaras mangos they used!" The pineapples, alas, the chef later confessed, came from Costa Rica.

In the dinner group, too, was Patrick Ganio, national president of the American coalition of Filipino veterans. (I’ve already mentioned that President Bush had personally and urgently invited Lt. General Edward Soriano and his wife, Vivian. Soriano, who immigrated from Alcala, Pangasinan as a little boy with hiops parents, is the highest-ranking general of Filipino descent in the US Army – he commands the First Corps or "America’s Corps" in Fort Lewis, a strike-ready unit.)

* * *

Why, even though they are Democrats, Bush had invited those two staunch California solons, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Rep. Bob Filner (D-Calif.).

Also at the dinner, before I forget, was Ms. Catalina Camia, of the Gannet News Service (among their newspapers, by the way, is the Guam Tribune). She is also of Filipino origin.

Come to think of it, that clever Mr. Bush had made the gala affair, with GMA as guest of honor, a sort of campaign "push" for his own re-election. As you know, most of the two million Fil-Am Pinoys and Pinays in the West usually vote Democrat – but, as an offshoot of the happy State Visit of our Presidenta and her warm welcome by Dubya Bush, quite a number of them might switch, at least this once, to voting for Bush and the Republican ticket next year.

Shucks, Mr. Bush didn’t forget to invite the very well-known Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Indiana) and his lady, Char Lugar. Wasn’t it Lugar who gained fame in Manila by being one of those who told El Diktador Ferdinand Marcos to leave office – to cut out, and cut "clean"?

All I can say is that it was a glittering affair, all told – at which our President and, indeed, the Filipino people were touchingly honored, and in which Dubya Bush (Texas boots under his tuxedo) and his very attractive First Lady Laura, in an Oscar de la Renta gown made of gold matelasse (in a floral pattern featuring a V-neck), exhibited true warmth and charm.

Nope, I didn’t suddenly blossom into a fashion expert. I cribbed the gown’s description from the gushy Washington Post description.

The Washington Post editorial page editor, Fred Hiatt, and the well-known Post Staff writer Margaret Shapiro, were both present.

The following day, in a piece entitled "Dinner with two Tough Cookies" (one of the cookies was GMA, the other Dubya, the Post called GMA The Iron Lady of Asia).

Wow!

Never rust, GMA. That’s what I’d like to add.

Oops. Our President will soon be off to South Korea (Seoul) – on June 2, and then on to Tokyo (on June 5). I wish I were her travel agent. What a commission I’d make!

No, Ma’am. I’m not going. The Korean government invited me two months ago – but I’ve run out of tuxedos.