Military

Philippines: Pullout of troops a tactical victory over AFP — Bayan

MANILA, Philippines — The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan hailed as a ?tactical victory? the order of AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon to pull out troops deployed in Metro Manila.

?We have gained a short term victory. This is the result of pressure from various groups which include militant organizations as well as church and human rights institutions. The pull out should be permanent,? said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
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Philippines: Retired colonel challenges Esperon, AFP top brass — ‘All right, sir?’

Below is a letter addressed to AFP chief of staff Hermogenes Esperon and the military top brass:

The recent absentee voters? exercise in the Armed Forces of the Philippines is an added unhappy revelation to me, a retired officer and graduate of the Philippine Military Academy.

Information reportedly given by soldiers from different areas in the country claim that they were supervised by their commanders and ordered to vote straight Team Unity and for party list Bantay of retired general Palparan. The soldiers come from Tarlac, from Samar, and from Davao. Personally, I also have my own informant confirming the same. Although out of the service, I still have a few soldiers in the active service who maintain contact with me.
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Philippines unable to stop killings due to Arroyo’s loose control of military

MANILA — Senate Minority Leader Aquilino ?Nene? Q. Pimentel,
Jr. (PDP-Laban) today said President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo has failed to stop extra-judicial
killings of leftist activists in the country because
she is unable to control some officers running the
Armed Forces who are suspected to be responsible for
these heinous crimes that are linked to the
counter-insurgency campaign.
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