Test of wills

For those of us who watched from our television sets the siege, minus its politics, was a confrontation between the rebel-soldiers on one side and the police-military forces on the other. Alerted by text from my son, by the time I opened my set, the screen showed pictures of soldiers and media milling in clusters from an aerial view. The rebels were not visible. The news anchors were themselves in the dark about what was happening until they could make contact with their reporters on the spot. I could hear some shouting in the background, “kuwarto, kuwarto kumuha daw ng kuwarto” (room, room, get a room). Why in heavens name they should want a room at the Peninsula Hotel escaped me. Only later did it become clear what the room at the Peninsula would be for — a command post until the “people power” crowds came. It was another EDSA attempt.

And who would put this ‘people power’ together? Reviewing the news, I think the rebels, as with most oppositionists, were sucked in by surveys. If there was so much hatred against the Arroyo government, then it should be simple to just call the people out into the streets. Add to that noises from anti-Arroyo forces which reached a high pitch with full-page ads with hundreds of signatures from some church groups military and ‘civil’ society sectors, demanding the President to resign and call for snap elections. They, too, should heed the call of this military rebel who has become senator of the land.

No wonder, Senator Trillanes, having been elected by 11 million Filipinos and guided by the surveys said, “all of you who say you want President GMA to resign, come out now, this is it, join us.” They should have come in droves and supported the Trillanes rebellion. Unfortunately, the bystanders on the streets were unmoved as Trillanes and Co. waved at them to join as they walked from the court to the Peninsula Hotel. One “civil society organizer who was interviewed said they expected some 10,000 sympathizers to join them. I saw glimpses of professional agitators like Linggoy Alcuaz and Linda Montayre (who was said to be the spokesperson for civil society). Everytime the screen flashed and showed former vice-president Teofisto Guingona, I felt sorry for his fragile, aging figure. The inevitable church personalities were there to put the church’s stamp on the attempted coup — Bishops Labayen and Antonio Tobias and running priest Robert Reyes. So were the leftists who were adequately represented by former University of the Philippines president Francisco “Dodong” Nemenzo, and JV Bautista and Argee Guevarra of the leftist group Sanlakas. Soon they had a room and held a press conference where they said in so many words why they were acting in such a rash manner. Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim  said it in a memorable nutshell — “dissent without action is consent.” The trouble is they did not reckon with democratic dissent. Many might have grievances against the Arroyo government but they were also for peaceful and orderly processes for change.

From my vantage point as television watcher, the police forces moved swiftly. First, all guests, hotel staff, anyone still in the building were asked to vacate the building. The screen showed the police moving in measured steps as they surrounded the hotel. There were periods when they sat with their guns waiting for orders. An ultimatum was given for 3 o’clock for the rebels to surrender. But 3 o’clock came and still there was no surrender. It was extended for another hour and a half. Earlier the media was not being told to leave and indeed they continued to interview and take pictures with handkerchiefs to their noses. Trillanes then said he had enough willpower and was determined to see this through. Soon exits,  whether doors or windows, were closed.

With the ultimatum ticking away, smoke billowed in a corner of the lobby. Then it was all over including the passageway leading to the command post room. Then like a beached whale, a tank entered the lobby. The ultimatum was continually announced. Persons still in the hotel including media persons were continuing to stream out. Some were already covering the event from the streets. Unfortunately up to a few minutes before Trillanes and Co. gave their notice of surrender, there were still media persons in the rebel operations room. I can only surmised there was a crucial moment, kept to the very last, of a test of wills — whether the rebels would surrender or the military police would force their way into the room to make them surrender. Caught in the middle were these intrepid journalists who continued to stay despite the warnings. It reached a point when the journalists stood in the way of the military getting to do their job. Inadvertently, the media persons became a shield for the rebels. Not being there I would not know at one point the rebels’ will was broken. It was the ultimate test of wills. In that moment of brinkmanship, it could have gone either way. Who would blink first? The rebels did and promptly used the media persons standing in the way of confrontation as a propaganda prop — it was because of them that they gave up because they did not want them harmed.

Thursday’s stand-off is a good occasion to bring to the public’s attention one of the key issues that we at the Constitutional Commission tried to change — to delete the sentence which said that “the armed forces is the protector of the people and the state.”

We agreed at the Concom it was sufficient to say simply that civilian authority is at all times supreme over the military. It should always be in fulfillment of that civilian supremacy that the police protect the state and the people and not as a distinct exercise of a constitutional mandate for the AFP and the PNP. Curiously it was Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim who said “We see no other means remaining for the AFP and PNP but to exercise our constitutional mandate.” Since constitutional reforms were turned down it will continue to be used to justify military adventurism.