Saliva capitalism & thick-facism

Soldier's Pen

By BGen. Alexander Cabales (Ret.)

It was not surprising that after that heated debate between Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and neophyte Senator Antonio Trillanes IV in the halls of Congress on September 19, a number of fellow graduates of the Philippine Military Academy made noise and reacted negatively on the actuations of this young senator. 

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV
Photo Source:  doubleblade.wordpress.com

The Peemayers were embarrassed; some were enraged while others were disappointed that a son of PMA could be so swell headed and so brazen with his actions.  He was a young cub baring his fangs and trying to intimidate and outwit an old lion, a veteran of many winters. His act many would say was very "unsenatorable", too amateurish and very unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman as most graduates of his prestigious institution are oftentimes called. (Unfortunately, Trillanes was a graduate of PMA class of 1997.)

A former military rebel and Trillanes' co-detainee lately described the senator in a text message as follows: "Trillanes is the most arrogant and abrasive person I've known.  He has the biggest ego.  What he did to General Angie Reyes is taboo among cavaliers; it's unforgivable!"  That was the text of this retired general to fellow Peemayers and to some of his friends which many of us do agree.

To recall, the late General Angelo Reyes (PMA 1966) was greatly humiliated by Senators Trillanes and Estrada in February 2011 in the thick of the senate inquiry on the so called "AFP Pabaon" scandal involving AFP Chiefs of Staff who were about to retire. 

In one of those sessions, Reyes stated that he also needed to protect his reputation but Senator Trillanes rebuffed him by arrogantly exclaiming that REYES HAS NO REPUTATION TO PROTECT!  Many believed that Reyes' suicide was an admission of guilt but most officers and fellow PMA graduates, especially those that had the privilege of working with the guy, strongly believed that it was the public humiliation that he could not take.  It was Senators Trillanes and Estrada that in fact killed Secretary Reyes although it was Trillanes that gave the fatal blow because he was the officer and the gentleman and a fellow Peemayer. 

What Trillanes did was taboo among cavaliers and officers.  It was something that the more experienced and wiser Peemayer-Senators Honasan and Lacson would cringe even on just the thought of humiliating a man in the stature of Reyes, a former Chief of Staff, Secretary of National Defense, a man of countless great achievements and well respected even by his peers.  It was only just unfortunate that he was identified with the unpopular former president Arroyo and thus became the target of the ire of those that have an axe to grind against her. 

Many began to question the capacity and maturity of Trillanes to behave as a responsible member of that august body - the Senate of the Philippines even from the start.  The Filipino people placed him in the Senate because of the noble idea that he has already abandoned violent means in achieving reforms and fight for his principles in the halls of congress instead. 

Yet, in November 2007, Trillanes and company walked out of the court in Makati that tried their rebellion cases and subsequently occupied the nearby Manila Peninsula Hotel.  The resulting stand-off between the rebels and the government forces again gave negative publicity to the peace and order condition of our country and presumably discouraged foreign investments in the process. 

In his detention cell later, then Senate Minority Floor Leader Aquilino Pimentel gave a fatherly advice to Trillanes to "behave". 

Senator Jamby Madrigal, Trillanes' biggest contributor when he ran for senator did not visit him in his Camp Crame detention cell.  Madrigal simply said "Thank you, Sonny (Trillanes nickname) but let us just part ways".  Meanwhile, Senator Merriam Defensor Santiago filed a resolution to expel Trillanes from the Senate.

Senator Trillanes has the habit of making rash actions and sweeping conclusions without so much of a basis as if he was not a former soldier trained to make deliberate judgments. 

Field experience tells us that judgmental errors are expensive in terms of lives and limbs of our soldiers and always spell the difference between victory and defeat.  Of course, experience as a soldier, he has not so much of, having spent half of his career as an officer in the University of the Philippines as an AFP scholar.  He was given that privilege too early in his career courtesy of the influence of his father who was the comptroller of the Philippine Navy at that time and a member of the most senior ruling PMA class in the AFP.

During the 2003 standoff in the so called Oakwood Mutiny in Makati, Trillanes had this preposterous claim that Reyes, then Secretary of National Defense, masterminded the bombing of the Sasa Wharf in Davao City in March 2003.  Not only that he can't prove it, the idea itself was quite ridiculous.  Imagine the secretary of National Defense wanting to cause havoc when it was his job to prevent it!

Lately, during the deliberation of the bill that was meant to divide Camarines Sur into two provinces, Trillanes alleged that the senate president was being influenced by former President Arroyo to ensure the early passage of the bill.  Without any factual basis, Trillanes made that accusation based on the simple fact that a son of Mrs. Arroyo is an incumbent congressman of the province.  Trillanes did not even pause to ponder whether a proven statesman that Enrile was could be so naïve and so dumb to be swayed by or succumb to such kinds of cheap political overtures.

How did he think Enrile would benefit for giving such a favor to former President Arroyo?

 As we learned later, the arguments that followed turned sour and surprisingly shifted to Trillanes' role as the backroom negotiator in our row with China over the Panatag Shoal.

Trillanes must be thinking that he is that good - wiser in foreign policy and relations than our seasoned diplomats, more knowledgeable in national security than the veteran senate president.  He is too big; he does not need to respect procedure nor be subjected to the required courtesies as a public official.  As a senator of the Republic, he claimed in a TV interview, he cannot even be gagged by the president over his disagreements with DFA Secretary del Rosario on the Panatag Shoal issue.

At the February 2011 Alumni Homecoming at PMA in Baguio City, a retired General and a classmate of the late General Reyes was asked by a TV reporter what he thinks of the young senator.  Without hesitation and in a few words he said:  "AH, TRILLANES, KULANG LANG SA BALASA YAN!"

Lately, another general who requests anonymity because he occupies a sensitive position in the AFP and who is fond of inventing new words to express his opinions also had this to say about Trillanes.  He said that the guy is obviously swell-headed who believes that he is too smart and who knows better than anyone else.  He considers himself some sort of a hero even if he has not done anything yet for the good of the country.  In the words of this general, he said that Trillanes is merely up to lip service or "saliva capitalism" associated with "thick facism!"