Catch All OEF Philippines (till 2012)

[CalmSeas]

Just ran acros this site & consequently this thread.

Having been in & around this country for the past 30-years & a resident for the last 10-years, I just to comment on your article (Part 3 would not open by the way).

First, the AFP has no desires whatsoever for the "War" to end in Mindanao,or for the NPA threat, to come to a conclusion. Why, you might ask? Simple... GREED. Dig deeper into the AFP/PNP brass & follow the money (USAID) & I would wager that you would be hard-pressed to find a poor retired officer...quite the contrast to the poverty that AFP/PNP enlisted live in.

Secondly, I would challenge your assumptions that the PMA is compareable with West Point, or that there is a strong AFP NCO Corps...it is just simply false. You were obviously, as with all embedded journalist, shown what they wanted you to see.

As for Mindanao...the majority of Filipinos (yes, they are considered seperate from the Bangsa Moros) could care less what happens to the Muslims in the South, or everywhere else in the PI. You must scratch the surface & discover the REAL Philippine culture in order to break down the psychological make-up of the Filipino psyche. They could care less about their country, as they are only concerned, in the following order, with Self, family, tribe (Ilocano, Bisaya, etc.). They only start shouting "Pinoy Ako" when it is in reference to some foreign perceived insult such as the "Desperate Housewives" slant. Yes, absurdly patriotic.

What is the real underlying factor that keeps this country in terminal poverty? A deeply ingrained culture of CORRUPTION! As one Filipino General (Lim, I think) wrote: "The Filipino cannot help to be corrupt...it is in his blood." When Filipinos see Gloria sitting up in malacanang doing her best to make the Marcos' look like petty thieves, you soon hear them saying "If the the President can steal from the country, then why not me?"

While the U.S.military is trying to regain some sort of foot-hold in the Southern Philippines, the DoS is blindly throwing the money at the problem, thus emboldening Philippine authorities to steal even more. All the while the Chinese must be laughing their ass off. They know how to play the game here in SE Asia. They will continue to "LOAN" the Philippines $Billions$, thus establishing a debt that the Philippines cannot even begin to pay back. This is how they will eventually regain control of the South China Sea (oil drilling rights, etc.) and continue to expand their influence over the area.

On one final note: keep an eye out for a land deal for peace coming from Gloria. She is on record as saying that ARMM (Autonomus Region of Muslim Mindanao) will be given a very huge chunk of land as part of the Malaysian (Muslim) peace brokered deal.

[Sarajevo071]

Just ran acros this site & consequently this thread.

Having been in & around this country for the past 30-years & a resident for the last 10-years, I just to comment on your article (Part 3 would not open by the way).

Try now:

To raise them up. Part 3: Investing in people
http://www.longwarjournal.org/archiv...m_up_par_2.php

[pinoyme]

Calm seas?

The tenor of your postings belies the avatar you have chosen for yourself. Hence, the question mark as you can see.

You appear to be frothing with anger at the Philippines and Filipinos.

Why so?

Yup, you bash us Pinoys as we have been bashing ourselves.

Yes, there was cheating in the elections. In the usual place where they have been done--in that distant area in Mindanao where the birds and the bees have voted as a matter of course since 1949.

Incidentally, such practices were also rampant in US cities in the late 1800s where machine politics dominated. But did the US of A sink into the depths of the ocean never to recover?

So, you have been here 10 years already.

OK.

Yet, you fail to have seen sectors among the middle class in this country who have been advocating for reforms. You have failed also to see the incremental progress taking place over the past two decades.

Or that the Philippine economy is humming once more. Or that the NPA is nothing more now than an extortionist gang stupidly mouthing Maoist slogans.

Or that the Abu Sayaff is a threat only in a very tiny slice of Mindanao. And that the rest of this island has an economy now on the bounce.

So, where have you been in the Philippines all these years?

And once again, what have you got really against my country?

As for PMA not the equal of West Point. Maybe.

But it does have alumni whose tactical and operational skills are first rate.
Now if only hazing there were to be minimized, many of them would perhaps not be that brutal as they conduct COIN operations.

And the US could play a key role in influencing this badly-needed reform.

Meanwhile, pray tell me: what happened to you here that you are so angry at the Philippines, Filipinos, and US policies in this country?

[acostaraybies]

I pretty much agree with "Calm Seas", much to the chagrin of "pinoyisme". I too, lived in the Philippines for more than 10 years, speak the language and have always viewed the AFP and their exploits with a healthy dose of skepticism. Jeez, with all of the coups that were initiated by members/former members of the military, you start to wonder whose side they were fighting on. Gringo Honasan never received so much as a slap on the wrist for his role in the coups and eventually became a senator of the land. In another instance, the AFP surrounded a whole group Abu Sayaaf members in a hospital somewhere in Basilan (probably around 1998 time frame) only to let them slip through their "cordon sanitaire" once money exchanged hands. I got to see the AFP in action up close and personal on March 29, 2003 when the NPA decided to try and celebrate their 34th anniversary with a bang near my house on the boundary of Angat and Pandi in Bulacan. I don't question the loyalty and bravery of the enlisted soldiers, who went into battle without many of the advantages and the gear that American soldiers have. That battle raged almost constantly for more than 13 hours, but somebody in the chain of command had the audacity to schedule a lunch break promptly at 1200 and then call off the attack at 1815 local even though they had military superiority, several armored vehicles and had the bad guys boxed in. Barking dogs let everyone know the egress route of the NPA, but the AFP had called it quits because it was getting dark. I could list other specific examples, but why bother. Just please explain to me how someone with an AFP military salary obtains the money to buy houses in exclusive neighborhoods and properties in the provinces if their are no shenanigans going on? I'm sure things have improved incrementally as they always do in the Philippines, but let's deal with reality and not view things as the spinmeisters wish they would be.

[pinoyme]

acostaraybies:

I do not know what nationality you are. But your bluntness indicates you might be American. Or at least in the Western Hemisphere of the world.

The AFP has many problems. Including its having been heavily politicized by Marcos. It also tasted political power, because of him.

Solving this problem is like putting back toothpaste into its canister. That is a tough job. And that is why many of the problems regarding the AFP have persisted.

But haven't you noticed? Several parts of the Philippines are enjoying an economic boom, fueled by the country's natural competitiveness in services. And also by the money being sent in by Filipino contract workers.

And that is why the Philippines is not about to go under. And it never will.
Inspite of the AFP's faults which you have cited.

Yup, incremental progress is being made. The reality of the Philippines dictates this is the way to go.

As for Gringo? Well, what about Oliver North?

Does North's behavior and appeal speak for the entire US Army?

Like it or not, the insurgency in the Philippines is a symptom of the painful process the country is going through as it moves towards a mature economy and democracy.

Due to its history, this will be a long,uphill, and plodding slog.

But the Philippines does have its strengths and talking points. Better to work with these than to knock it down for its faults.

And so, you have been in my country for 10 years. So that means since 1998.

It still has not sunk, hasn't it?In fact, most parts of it are floating very well, thank you.

So please don't punch more holes into it. Plugging those found on Good Ship Republic of the Philippines is a difficult task. But inspite everything, the job is mostly being done.

I ask you to be patient. Please do not try to do to the Philippines what the US did to Vietnam. Abandon it in its most desperate hour when progress was already being made under General Abrams.

Cheers.

[selil]

As for Gringo? Well, what about Oliver North?
Does North's behavior and appeal speak for the entire US Army?

Oliver North was in the Army? That explains a lot

[pinoyme]

Selil:

I apologize for the booboo.

But in the Philippine context, my statement would have meant, " Does he speak for the US Armed Forces?"

I stand by the rest of my post.