I refer to yesterday – and last night – when everybody waited in vain for President Macapagal-Arroyo to announce who’s going to be the next Chief of the Philippine National Police.
The expected announcement didn’t come when la Gloria, the Commander-in-Chief gave a terse, brief speech at yesterday’s graduation of the 149-member Sanlingan Honor class 2005 at the Philippine Military Academy. GMA simply told the PMA cadets to "fight corruption." And to be "honest", "stay tough".
There was no announcement or disclosure the rest of the day either.
Last night the President had dinner with police generals and officers from the Philippine Military Academy Class ’71, surrounded by the last-ditch hopefuls for the PNP top post, Deputy Director Generals Dick de Leon, Virtus Gil, Reynaldo Velasco and Rolando Garcia.
The high-pressure affair was disguised as a class reunion, cum, perhaps farewell for their classmate, exiting PNP Chief, Gen. Edgar "Egay" Batalla Aglipay, also PMA ’71.
Obviously the get-together represented Class ’71’s, like Custer’s, Last Stand.
Who knows, it may have swayed the President – but I doubt it. For I believe that PMA ’71, alas, has run its course.
It had such stalwarts as the late General Oca Florendo (who died in Cagayan, and is rightly honored at the PMA with a Florendo Hall), Senator – and former PNP Chief – Panfilo "Ping" Lacson, then former Putschist, RAM-rod, and former Senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan.
And don’t forget the present class president of that group of Cavaliers, their mistah, the notorious General Carlos Garcia, now undergoing trial for runaway, unexplained wealth.
Indeed, PMA ’71 is a many-splendored, but also many-splintered group. With their classmate Aglipay riding off into the sunset, I think it should be goodbye.
The frontrunner, of course, remains Police Director and Chief of the PNP Directorial Staff (TCDS), Lt. General Arturo C. Lomibao, PMA ’72. The President awarded Lomibao his third star, making him a Lt. General, on a par with his senior rivals, only last March 4 – and personally told him, in a phone call from Cebu, to put on his third star at once and wear it proudly, "so everybody will know…"
Did she tell him, too, that he is – to paraphrase the mayonnaise brand – her Lady’s Choice? Abangan, today – the denouement.
Gee whiz, he was even all over the pages of my own newspaper, The STAR last Saturday. First on page 7 in thinly-camouflaged pro-Razon and anti-Lomibao article – which was bylined by our reporter Cecille Suerte Felipe, but taglined by another of our reporters, Non Alquitran.
Again, on page 19, our newspaper ran a full top of the page story headlined "Metro Crime Rate Down 18.7%", which carried Non Alquitran’s tagline, but it had been an official press release issued by PDirector Razon’s NCRPO (National Capital Region) headquarters on March 11, through his Action Officer, Police Supt. Agrimero A. Cruz, Jr., Regional Police Community Relations Division.
I know because I received a copy myself.
Why all this torrent of propaganda? One guess.
Beside the story was a huge four-column, colored photo of Gen. "Sonny" Razon beside outgoing PNP Chief Aglipay – looking like a photo of succession – with Muslim women leaders sitting beside, or standing behind them.
William Shakespeare, England’s bard, in one play warned against "vaulting ambition." But that was in England. In the Philippines, I guess, it sometimes succeeds. However, Razon in my estimate is over-reaching. Too much, too soon.
At the "President’s Day Testimonial Parade & Review" and high school CAT-1 Graduation, in honor, of course, of President Preciosa S. Soliven, founder & President of the schools, Art was our Guest Speaker.
The parade and review by 700 cadets, a full brigade of students, and the graduation of the Class Maghari (leaders) class 2005 was held yesterday afternoon on the PNP Parade Grounds of Camp Crame, courtesy of General Aglipay who had granted permission for the use of the PNP grounds.
There was a rifle drill exhibition by the crack platoon, a drill team which has topped all competitions for the past three years running. The Marching Band which won all interschool championships for five years running did the musical honors. The two-battalion cadet corps gave a drill demonstration and march-past.
Ambassador "Precious" gave her report, speaking in Pilipino.
Then Art Lomibao, as keynote speaker, underscored that "there is no substitute for discipline" whether on the drill field, or in the battle of life. As he reiterated, time and again in his address, "in the classroom, in the fields of battle and the streets, in business and in any profession, discipline is the key."
"For discipline extends the limits of endurance and sacrifice in observance of oaths and standards of performance. For discipline provides the impetus and the inner strength to achieve, to succeed, to excel… as students and cadets. As officers of the law. As leaders of men and captains of industry."
Further on, he stated: "Against poverty, against insurgency, against crime, against corruption, the first step is discipline."
He spoke of the "ideal of excellence… an actual code such as the Honor Code in the PMA. A set of rules such as the Rules of Conduct of the OB Montessori."
Lomibao, of course, comes from a class of disciplined achievers in the Academy.
In 1972, they had styled themselves the Masigasig (Persevering, Determined Class).
PMA ’72’s perseverance has paid off. Lomibao’s mistahs are Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Gen. Efren Abu, Vice-Admiral Ernesto de Leon (FOIC), Flag Officer in Command of the Philippine Navy, Philippine Army Commanding General Generoso F. Senga, and – does now come Lomibao?
Nothing happens until, or unless it happens.
Not being the appointing power, I can only say that if Lomibao can only bring into our PNP the "discipline" of which he so devotedly speaks, we’ll be halfway to reforming that bunch.
After all, Art does the most difficult things. As a Philippine Constabulary officer, he commanded the PC group that finally captured the most dreaded, toughest New People’s Army Commander, Dante Buscayno.
After his release from prison, Dante became a peaceful farmer, and an organizer of farmers’ cooperatives. He remains a farmer, but very low profile, to this day.
It was heartwarming to see all those young men and women, so erect and earnest, giving the salute to our President – and the nation. Soon, some of them may be on the battlefield, giving their all.
I was particularly impressed with the speech of the valedictorian, Cadet Brian C. Rayton – from Lipa City, Batangas. (He received the Presidential Sabre from the hands of GMA). Rayton didn’t speak with any oratorical flourish, but his words rang true. He naturally thanked his beaming parents, Raul and Alisha. Rayton – how proud they must be of their son.
He thanked God like all graduates in our country do almost pro forma. But most of all he stressed that while cadet life had posed the usual hardships and disappointments, he had resolved to give everything he undertook his "best output," and striven to do his best, run the extra mile," and, repeatedly, to try to "be the best."
Rayton emphasized the importance of education. He noted that he had during his cadetship struggled to live by his own "personal vision" and invoked, repeatedly, "honor" and "duty."
Yet, I sadly recall that similar terms were used during the graduation of PMA Class 2004, the Maliyab, a year ago. The valedictorian had been Rolly Angeles Joaquin, 21, who had bested his 138 classmates – then went on, with a JUSMAG award, to study as a scholar in Fort Bragg, Georgia, in the United States – a military course of studies from which so many of our best officers, including AFP Chief of Staff, Efren Abu, had also graduated.
You know what happened when youthful topnotcher, Lt. Joaquin was drummed out of Bragg on a weird "shoplifting" charge. He had reportedly been caught by surveillance cameras in the commissary switching tags for a dismally small gain of less than ten dollars. Life has such strange surprises that sometimes defy comprehension.
However, I firmly believe that this year’s valedictorian, Brian C. Rayton, and his Sanlingan classmates will carry out his pledge of "pride and honor" to the full.
The PMA’s motto of "Courage, Integrity, Loyalty" has always been admired, even by those of us who came into the officer corps of the armed forces as integrees from the ROTC. Just as we’ve admired the motto of the West Pointers in our midst, of "Honor, Duty, Country."
For our men and women at arms are, and will always be, in the forefront of the leadership of our people. They fought our Revolution to win freedom from Spain, and to fight off American invasion (we lost, but only temporarily), then fought once more to eject the occupying Japanese, as the different "Liberation" commemorations of the past two weeks remind us.
It is our duty to fight and win the peaceful Revolution for change we all are waging today.
This writer has been invited to address the Philippine Constitutional Association (Philconsa) on Charter Change and other issues this Tuesday.
Can a change in Constitution save our nation? As I’ve always said, long before we won the People Power revolution at the first EDSA barricades in February 1986, the revolution we really need is a Revolution of the Heart.