Sorry, But Your Buddies Are Already Dead

It seems like there is never a dull moment here in Manila. While you would think that the reaction to the killing of fourteen Marines by Islamic separatists (ten of the Marines were apparently beheaded in addition to having their bodies mutilated) would be dominating the news, the tragic ferry sinking (a little travel tip: avoid the roll on roll off ferries-they are veritable death traps) and continuing debate about the imminent implementation of a Filipino version of the Patriot Act--awkwardly titled the Human Security Act--have actually been getting more coverage.

Not that there hasn't been fallout from the ambush of the Marines. The qualifications in President Arroyo's measured response:

President Arroyo vowed yesterday to hunt down the gunmen who killed 14 Marines amid concerns a full military offensive may damage efforts to rescue kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi and scuttle peace talks with a Muslim separatist group.

Short of implicating the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Mrs. Arroyo ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to launch a full offensive against those who beheaded 10 of the Marines on the trail of Bossi.

"The government will account for the perpetrators of this heinous attack in line with the rule of law, through the mechanisms of the peace process. The Armed Forces are duty-bound to hunt down and arrest those who treacherously killed and beheaded the soldiers," Mrs. Arroyo said.

Set off no less than three angry opinion pieces in this morning's Philippine Star calling for more aggressive action.

Moderate members of the local Muslim community stepped forward to distance themselves from the atrocity:

Muslim clerics also condemned the beheading of the 10 Marines, branding it as a "high form of Satanism."

Ustadz Esmael Ebrahim, senior associate of the Philippine Assembly of Darul Iftah, explained Islam prohibits the slaughter of any dead animal, more so of their enemies.

Gee thanks. I can sleep much easier now knowing that what goes for animals goes for humans as well.

There was also this very Filipino aspect of the story that was revealed as more details of the ambush emerged:

One of the soldiers, who asked not to be named, claimed four of their comrades died on the spot after the initial heavy volley of gunfire.

He said the 10 Marines who were earlier reported missing had been trapped by heavy gunfire coming from the rebel forces.

"Some of them were killed and the rest were wounded and could have been alive but were finished off and beheaded," the Marine said.

He said they tried to locate their comrades through text messages.

A response came and it said: "Sorry wala na yong mga buddy nínyo (Sorry, but your buddies are already dead)," the Marine recounted.

That's the first time that I've read of the use of text messaging on the battlefield. But if anyone was going to do it, it's not surprising that it was Filipinos.

There's also been charges that the military is fighting the wrong war in the wrong place at the wrong time:

Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, a former Armed Forces chief who helped crush several bloody coup attempts against the Aquino administration, voiced Wednesday his objection to the redeployment of troops in Metro Manila, saying soldiers are more needed in combat areas and "not in the asphalt jungle" of the metropolis.

"The AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) forces were trained, equipped, and organized to do combat. Send them to combat areas and not to the urban areas," Biazon said at a press conference. He said a bigger troop deployment might be needed more in the rural areas where the New People's Army has stronger presence.

Biazon said the killings of several soldiers who were on a mission to search for kidnapped Italian priest Giancarlo Bossi should convince the military that a deployment of troops is needed more in far-flung areas than in Metro Manila. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front has claimed responsibility for the killings, but said they thought the soldiers were about to attack them.

On Tuesday Maj. Gen. Ben Dolorfino, chief of the National Capital Region Command, announced the redeployment of soldiers in Metro Manila particularly in the slums of Quezon City and Taguig for counter-insurgency "information campaign" and for civic projects.

Just what will these troops being doing in Manila?

Lt. Garysunde Mamaludin, acting NCRC spokesman, said the troop redeployment would initially involve at least 100 soldiers. The troops will even be authorized to visit day care centers to "educate" children on the "evils" of communism.

Scare quotes courtesy of the Philippine Star. Senator Biazon is not the only one expressing concern with the troop surge in Manila:

Meanwhile, barangay officials in Makati City said they are against the redeployment of troops in Metro Manila.

"The barangay leaders of Makati believe that the official purpose for which the AFP troops are being deployed, which is to maintain peace and order in the communities, is a function of the police and the local authorities," said Rodolfo Sese, chairman of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo and president of the Liga ng mga Barangay.

"Their presence in the barangays of Makati could cause undue alarm among residents and foreign visitors to the city," Sese said.

I'm not so sure about that. When you already have bomb sniffing dogs at the hotel entrances and mandatory pat downs and bag searches to enter the shopping malls, a few troops patrolling the city streets probably wouldn't merit a second glance. As I said, never a dull moment.