On the headlines of the Philippine national dailies, there is not much about Zamboanga City. But in the city itself, the people are brimming with passion and vehemence. The President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has already mandated the transfer of regional offices to Pagadian, and now she threatens to take away Southcom from our people.
We Zamboangueños are very concerned for our people and our city. Economy and security would be greatly threatened were the Southern Command transferred to Pagadian. Furthermore, the move would require millions of money. Recently, Time Magazine printed an aticle regarding the Philippines’ sorry state of military affairs, saying that the Philippines has virtually no budget allocated for the military that our soldiers have had to buy their own uniforms, go into battle without proper training and recycle guns, weapons and ammunition. So, why move Southcom to Pagadian when there is no money? Pagadian alone has little resources to support Southcom. Zamboanga, on the other hand, has a port, an airport, even a Navy wharf.
We feel that there is no justice in this endeavor. This was a rash decision made by Malacañang without the consultation of Zamboangueños. We *do not* want Southcom to go.
On June 3, 2005, all offices and businesses closed in the afternoon to encourage all Zamboangueños to participate in the rally against the transfer. A congressional hearing went on inside the WMSU (state university) gymnasium, and thousands attended. The building could not contain everybody, and the entire school was swamped with people. The streets around the school were filled with people listening to the hearing through the loudspeakers.
On June 4, 2005, top government officials led city officials in submitting to the House Committee on Defense and Security a manifesto, bearing the signatures of over 179,000 residents in the city, requesting the permanent retention of the Southern Command in Zamboanga City. The manifesto, which was presented by City Mayor Celso Lobregat and Vice Mayor Beng Climaco, was a result of the series of consultations with the multi-sectoral groups that the city government held last month after Malacanang confirmed the issuance of an order relocating Southcom to Pulacan, Zamboanga del Sur. The manifesto, as of Thursday, June 2, has a total of 179,544 residents’ signature collected from the city’s 98 barangays.
I really, really hope that President Arroyo will change her mind on the transfer of Southcom to Pagadian. And also, I hope that this is not simply her way of punishing the residents of Zamboanga for voting for FPJ during the last elections. (That is the prevailing sentiment among Zamboangueños.)
Anyway, I was searching for articles on this issue and found a measly few. A good article is written by Max V. Soliven. But it seems the Philippine Star doesn’t archive its online news, (I am thankful that Google has a cache) so I am posting excerpts from this article by Soliven.
GMA calls for ‘unity,’ but what is she doing to Zamboanga City?
BY THE WAY By Max V. Soliven
The Philippine Star 06/02/2005Thousands of Zamboangueños, I’m told from “Down Under”, no, not Australia but Mindanao, will turn out to attend the hearings today of the House Committee on National Defense to be held in the gym of the Western Mindanao State University.
In short, when the committee chaired by Parañaque Rep. Roilo “Roy” Golez (coincidentally, GMA’s former National Security Adviser) convenes its hearings at 1 p.m., residents from the city’s different sectors will shoehorn themselves into the gymnasium, and spill over into the surrounding campus and streets to demonstrate that they don’t want the Southern Command Headquarters to be transferred from Zamboanga City to Pulacan in Zamboanga del Sur – virtually to Pagadian City.
Mayor Celso Lobregat, when I checked with him by phone, informed me he was installing loudspeakers outside the building so the demonstrators could listen to what is transpiring inside the gymnasium. All businesses as well as the banking community will close shop this afternoon – without a pay cut to their employees – in order to allow them to take part in this “peaceful protest.”
What are they decrying? The order issued in mid-May by President and Commander-in-Chief Macapagal-Arroyo that the SouthCom headquarters, which has been in Zamboanga City for 29 years, be moved to some unknown and illogical place called Pulacan, in the boonies of Zamboanga del Sur. Was this done on a whim? Or was it meant to be another move in a string of “punishments” by which a resentful La Gloria is showing her displeasure over the fact that Zambo was the only Mindanao city in which she was rendered a stinging defeat – with the majority of voters going for FPJ?
In a speech last Monday, GMA declared that “it’s very important to have one Philippines, one united country.”
How can we believe moving the SouthCom out of Zamboanga City, which has all the facilities, including Andrews Air Force Base, the Navy anchorage, and all the surrounding military support units, to a place in which our Southern Command officers will be unprotected by a strong military presence, can unify our country – much less render it safer?
An important caveat is the one delivered recently by General Delfin Castro (ret.), the longest-serving SouthCom commander who retired in 1986. He asserted that the Communist Party’s New People’s Army (NPA), the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the Abu Sayyaf – and yes, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (even though we’re holding peace talks with the MILF) – would enthusiastically welcome the idea of the SouthCom being plunked down in a vulnerable area like Pulacan near Pagadian City. General Castro pointed out that SouthCom is just a tactical command headquarters, and will be isolated in Pulacan, without enough surrounding military units to defend it.
In that exposed area, it would be tempting the CPP-NPA, MNLF or rogue MILF units, to attack and overrun the SouthCom HQ. How would we enjoy their taking Lt. General Alberto “Boysie” Braganza hostage – and threatening to behead him? Or other officers of the SouthCom high command?
Remember what happened to Ipil some years ago? Of course the rebel forces have the capability of doing that again.
What I noticed is that General Braganza is not raising too much of a howl. Perhaps this is because he’s too close to the President, having served once as her Senior Military Aide, and doesn’t wish to embarrass her. Perhaps he’s still hoping for be named the next Armed Forces Chief of Staff when the incumbent Chief, General Efren L. Abu retires on his next birthday, June 24 – only a bit more than three weeks from now.
But Braganza – who did a crackerjack job directing those military offensives in Sulu against renegade forces – is himself retirable next September 10 this year. Besides, not coming from the elite Philippine Military Academy, but from the ranks of the ROTC, like this writer, Boysie, although very deserving, never had a chance. Oh well. If he’s asked by the defense committee to speak, I trust in his warrior spirit. Speak out, Boysie, and bravely tell them the President’s idea is cock-eyed. (In more polite language, of course).
* * *
With due respect to the people in Pagadian, who’re just as deserving of the government’s attention and support as Zambo, it still doesn’t make sense to transfer SouthCom over there. There are no daily commercial flights to Pagadian, while Zamboanga City has four daily flights between that city and Manila. The Pagadian wharf is small and the seas is shallow there, making it difficult for our Navy vessels to dock there, while the Navy has a well-used official wharf in Zambo. Pagadian City has limited access by air or by sea to any of the major ports in Mindanao, as General Castro has already noted, making it difficult for the major commanders of our Navy, Air Force, Marines and the 1st Army Division, to report for conferences in Manila and other Mindanao capitals. Indeed, the 1st Division is based in Zamboanga City. What unit will “protect” SouthCom in Pagadian?
And what about ranking officials, including our own Cabinet members (the President, of course, has her own aircraft), foreign Ambassadors, or visiting foreign dignitaries, who would wish to meet with or coordinate with the SouthCom. How would they get to Pagadian?
And, finally, how much would it cost the government, specifically the already meager armed forces budget, to underwrite the transfer? We would have to construct a new Philippine Air Force base there, a new Naval station, building, infrastructure, etc. By gosh, what a waste of money which might be spent, instead, for what we really need for defense and our war on terrorism.
* * *
Let’s face it. In the past 29 years, the SouthCom has operated very well in Zamboanga City. Under Commodore Gil Fernandez, it used to be known as the Southwestern Command (SOWESCOM), until Rear Admiral Romulo M. Espaldon became its first commander when the name was amended to SouthCom. I remember the good old days in Indonesia when Romy Espaldon was our military attaché in Jakarta (he spoke fluent Bahasa Indonesia). I used to borrow his car from time to time. You couldn’t miss it. The car was a dazzling white.
Why transfer it now?
The question is” What’s GMA trying to do to Zamboanga? She has already directed that, with a few exceptions, all government “regional center” offices be transferred to Pagadian City. This will naturally displace thousands of government employees and entail millions of pesos to effect the transfer, possibly scores of millions. A transfer of Southcom to Pagadian would already cost P4 billion.
Earlier, she promised the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that it could re-occupy the 84-hectare Cabatangan property right in the heart of the city. From this Cabatangan complex, if you’ll recall Nur Misuari’s “breakaway” MNLF group staged a surprising, violent rebellion, on November 27, 2002, in which they took hostage the residents of surrounding barangays, and paraded them, tied up and terrified, through the city. The rascals finally gave up after being surrounded by troops and PNP units, on condition they would be trucked by our military under safe-conduct to the sea where they could “get away” on a boat. Having to face the prospect of armed Muslims having their headquarters once more right inside their city is alarming to the Zamboangueños, who’ve had to endure a two-day reign of terror before.
Why should the ARMM have a headquarters in Zamboanga City when that city is not even part of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao?
Better for GMA to concentrate on fighting jueteng than open up a “second front” in Mindanao, with a sort of Christian “rebellion” on her hands.
By the way, is it true about a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey about her approval rating? Is it -29 or -30 percent? Let’s wait for confirmation of that today.
Links:
Zamboanga City Shuts Down to Protest Zamboanga Transfer
House Panel to Investigate Transfer of Southcom HQ
179T Signatures Push for Zambo Military Base Retention
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