Disturbing NPA attacks

These last 3 months, we have been reporting the series of NPA attacks on government forces and police stations from Bicol to Cordillera to Panay to Mindanao covering about 15 provinces.

AFP, PNP and Malacañang did not take any serious action to deal with the deteriorating situation. In a state of self denial, they kept claiming the NPA is a spent force with their number of armed rebels down to less than 5,000.

On Sunday NPA rebels mounted a major attack with a battalion size of 300 rebels attacking and capturing the Taganito Mining Corporation in Claver, Surigao del Norte. They burned the smelting plant, buildings, 20 dump trucks, 22 backhoes and bulldozers, 9 barges and other equipment, held 2,000 employees hostage for 10 hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. They took firearms, laptops and cellphones. They also raided Platinum Metals and a 3rd mine, the 4K mining company.

No AFP or PNP force arrived to confront the rebels that length of time. Army soldiers arrived at the mine only after the NPAs left.

Taganito Nickel is a unit of Nickel Asia Philippines, a joint venture with Sumitomo of Japan which just undertook a major initial public offering (IPO) in the international investment market. Its operations had been suspended. The Japanese expat engineers are leaving. You can imagine the horror stories they will tell in Japan.

This is a big blow to the campaign to attract foreign investors and tourists. The bad peace and order problem is a major disincentive. Foreign investors are afraid to come here. The message of the Surigao attack is the Philippines is open for business but, come at your own risk. The government can’t protect you. What is worrisome is the NPA statement that they are anti mining for environmental purposes. So all mines are now targets. At the World Economic Forum at Dalian, China, ABS-CBN journalist Karen Davila invited an American executive to visit and invest here. His spontaneous response to Karen was “ Won’t I be kidnapped?”.

President Aquino must ask AFP Chief of Staff Eduardo Oban and PNP Chief Nicanor Bartolome to explain why they failed to respond to the attack for so many hours despite the frantic appeal of Gov. Sol Matugas and Mayor Rosemarie Gokiangkee of Claver. The Regional Commanders must be held to account. How can 300 rebels mass without being detected? Clearly, a failure of intelligence.

Mr. Commander-in-Chief, Sir, the buck stops at your desk.

It is time to suspend the peace talks with the NDF-NPA.

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NO TROOPS. . . The AFP announced they were sending 600 troops to pursue the 300 NPA rebels who occupied and burned 3 mines in Surigao del Norte.

The reality is that the AFP and the PNP are short of personnel. This is mainly because they did not fill up 20% of their authorized force to generate savings for conversion and pabaon for their Generals.

That finding forced DBM Sec. Butch Abad to hold release of the funds for the unfilled positions.

Most AFP battalions now have a low 60% fill-up rate. The AFP must now be tasked to rush recruitment of additional soldiers to augment troops in the field, especially Mindanao.

The AFP and PNP has also been volunteering contingents for UN Peacekeeping duties in Haiti, East Timor, Golan Heights and Africa. This must now be stopped. We need all our troops at home.

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MYSTERY. . . President Aquino arrived from his 2nd Japan visit on Wednesday night, Sept. 28. He was not seen on Thursday, Friday and Saturday while the floods were raging in Metro Manila and Central Luzon. He was first seen at NDRRMC Council meeting at Camp Aguinaldo Sunday afternoon. What was he doing for 3 full days and nights? Was he sick? Was he just too tired from his successive US and Japan trips, jetlagging and had to rest? Even so, one day rest would have been enough. Recall that during the Luneta hostage crisis, he wasn’t seen for the first 24 hours.

The Presidency is a 24/7 job. With thousands suffering, with many at the rooftops, the least he could have done was to show up at the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Coordinating Center in Malolos and or at the Provincial Capitol at San, Fernando, Pampanga. He finally visited the flooded areas yesterday, one week after the storms hit.

Vice President Jojo Binay, Senators Bong Revilla, Lito Lapid and Jinggoy Estrada, former Senator Dick Gordon and Manny V. Pangilinan were seen at the flooded areas.

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RATIONALIZATION. . . DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario has submitted to President Aquino a plan to close down 12 of the 94 embassies and consulates we are maintaining abroad. The plan will save P100 million. The P100 million could then be reallocated to increase the budget of major diplomatic posts like the US, China, Japan and the Middle East.

The Philippine Embassy in Washington DC gets a small $2,000 quarterly allowance for travel and representation expenses, not even enough to host one dinner. As shown by recent events, the Middle East posts should get at least $25,000 each contingent fund for evacuation of OFWs.

President Aquino should approve Del Rosario’s plan.

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TIDBITS. . . A state of calamity has been declared in Nueva Viscaya, Quirino, Ifugao and Mt. Province. Fourteen fishermen are missing in Pangasinan. Typhoon damage is now estimated at P10 billion.

After 8 years, Sen. Lito Lapid finally gathered enough courage to join a debate in plenary. He interpellated Sen. Pia Cayetano on the RH bill. Each Senator gets a budget of about P15 million a year.

After one month, Lolong, the Agusan crocodile finally decided to eat 7 kilos of pork.

Greetings to our regular readers Sebastian Chua of Star Paper, Atty. Lulu Pagayatan, Raul Viray and Putch Puyat.