U.S. Hand Seen in Defense Chief’s Resignation

The U.S. Bush government may have had a hand in the unexpected resignation of Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes Aug. 29. Reyes, who had stood his ground against increasing calls to leave his post, may have come under pressure to pack up, according to militant groups.

By Alexander Martin Remollino
(With other Reports)
Bulatlat.com

Was the U.S. government behind the recent resignation of Angelo Reyes as defense secretary?

This question has arisen following reactions particularly from government critics that the embattled defense chief may have lost the trust of the U.S. government forcing the former to leave his post unceremoniously Aug. 29.

Teddy Casiño, secretary-general of Bayan (New Patriotic Alliance), said over the weekend that Reyes’s resignation is a sign that he has fallen out of the graces of the U.S. given that the intense public pressure against him has rendered him ineffective “for its (America’s) purposes.”

“It was a choice between Reyes and the AFP,” Casiño said. “Reyes had become too much of a divisive factor, he had become too isolated from the AFP, so if he didn’t leave the restiveness within the AFP would continue.”

He explained that Reyes had aroused the anger of soldiers in the field. Issues of corruption and his all-out military campaigns in Mindanao, as well as his hard-line position on the peace talks, the soldiers into unnecessary battles, leading to loss of lives.

In a forum last Aug. 16, former AFP inspector-general Dan Vizmanos, who is now with the Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at para sa Amnestiya (Selda, an association of former political prisoners) said that for so long as Reyes had the support of the U.S., the chances of him getting out of the defense department were slim.

U.S. officials have been known to have interfered in the country’s internal affairs particularly in times of political crisis. In 1984, Reagan officials pressured then President Ferdinand Marcos, whose dictatorship the U.S. government had backed, to institute “political, economic and military” reforms in order to pave the way for his eventual replacement by a “third force.”

The series of coups d’etat that tried to topple the Aquino government were a lost cause mainly because the plots failed to get the support of the U.S. embassy, it has been revealed. The recent July 27 military mutiny failed to gain the support of senior AFP officers following a stern declaration from the U.S. embassy in Manila that it was backing the Macapagal-Arroyo government.

U.S. military stake

Of late, the U.S. government under President Bush has renewed its political and military stake in the Philippines amid its global “war on terror” campaign. Thousands of U.S. special forces have been in and out of the Philippines and suspicions have surfaced that the Pentagon was out to re-establish its military facilities in the country.

Bush himself is scheduled for a Manila visit in October where he is expected to discuss terms of continuing U.S. military aid for the Macapagal-Arroyo government. Sources said U.S. military aid and support for the current government would be contingent on stability in the AFP, among others.

The resignation of Reyes had been sought by Bayan and other progressive political forces for his all-out war against both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the New People’s Army (NPA) despite calls for peace talks and a stop to military atrocities particularly against civilians.

In his resignation statement, Reyes denied accusations of corruption and of masterminding mock explosions. He warned that certain dissenters within the AFP were linking up with the “communists” thus, he said, threatening the country’s democracy.

Reacting to this, Casiño said: “It’s true, democracy is under threat. But the threat comes from militarists like Reyes who push for all-out war and make money from it.”

“Reyes and company have plunged our country into a full-blown war in Mindanao and increased military offensives in suspected NPA areas,” Casiño added. “In other words, they are the ones destabilizing and bringing the country to war.”

Aside from the president herself, the defense secretary had been trusted by the U.S. government for leading the AFP’s “war on terror” that has also threatened the people’s civil liberties.

But his resignation had also been sought by mostly junior officers in the AFP who staged a mutiny on July 27. They accused Reyes and other AFP officials of being behind recent bombings in Mindanao and, along with Macapagal-Arroyo, of planning to impose martial law this September.

A number of generals have also reportedly sought Reyes’s resignation as a step toward the growing fractiousness in the military.

Casiño said that finally, Reyes and Macapagal-Arroyo have realized that the restiveness within the AFP will never stop so long as Reyes remains defense secretary.

Macapagal-Arroyo has taken over the defense post temporarily. 

Lauded

However, a number of government officials and Macapagal-Arroyo’s political allies have lauded Reyes for his move.

Sen. Loren Legarda-Leviste called his resignation “a lofty sacrifice...for the sake of national peace and
reconciliation.”

House Reps. Prospero Nograles and Prospero Pichay called it “a gallant move” and “a statesman-like act.”

Casiño said Reyes’ resignation should not be used to exonerate him. “With Reyes out, we hope that a truly independent and sincere investigation can be done on his involvement in the various irregularities at the defense department, including the grievances aired by the so-called Magdalo group,” he said.

According to Casiño, Bayan had long suspected that the military and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) had something to do with the Davao bombings. This was reiterated by the Magdalo group, who said in a statement read by Capt. Gerardo Gambala in a videotape sent to the media shortly before the Oakwood uprising that the Davao bombings were part of a plan to have the MILF tagged as a terrorist group and justify the infusion of more anti-“terrorist” funds from the United States.

“In a case like this, the important thing is to ask who benefited from the bombings,” Casiño pointed out.

Bayan’s basis for suspecting that the military and the CIA had something to do with the Davao bombings is historical, he said. “In the past, the military thought nothing of staging actions like that
to justify whatever it was it wanted to justify, like martial law.”

He cited as examples the Plaza Miranda bombing in 1971 and the fake ambush of former defense minister Juan Ponce Enrile shortly before martial law in 1972. Then President Marcos blamed both incidents on leftist groups.

Corruption

With regards allegations that Reyes was involved in arms and ammunition sales to rebel groups, Casiño said it is common knowledge that the military sells ammunition and arms to anyone who wishes to buy these, not only rebel groups but also criminal syndicates. Two officers of the Philippine Marines, Captains Danilo Luna and Ury Pesigan, have alleged that Reyes was involved in arms and ammunition sales to Mindanao rebel groups in 1998.

Casiño said that the government should investigate the irregularities Reyes was allegedly involved in. For instance, he said, Reyes figured in irregularities in the purchase of C-130 planes from the US in 2001 through kickbacks and commissions.

Bayan is demanding that Reyes be replaced by a civilian “with no loyalties to the military and the vested interests that have infiltrated the defense establishment through the years.”

Casiño said that the next defense chief should be given broad powers to initiate reforms in the military  establishment. He also said that Macapagal-Arroyo, who now holds the top defense post in a concurrent capacity, would not be a credible defense secretary since she is one of those whose names are tainted, aside from the fact that there are allegations she is planning to declare martial law. Bulatlat.com

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