‘Red October’ Duterte ouster plot bared, LP Tindig Pilipinas in conspiracy

Nipped in the bud AFP deputy chief of staff for operations on internal security operations (ISO) Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. reveals ouster plot.

LP, Tindig Pilipinas in conspiracy

Tindig Pilipinas is the main group that had also tried to occupy the Senate where Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has been hiding

President Rodrigo Duterte’s timely announcement of a brewing collusion between the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and yellow groups allied with the Liberal Party (LP) for an ouster plot against the President preempted what should have been an attempt for another power grab called plan “Aklasan” (revolt).

A senior official of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) yesterday confirmed information about an alliance between the CPP and Tindig Pilipinas–an umbrella organization of groups identified with the LP and even the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo to oust President Duterte.

Tindig Pilipinas is the main group that had also tried to occupy the Senate where Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV has been hiding due to fears of being arrested as a result of Proclamation 572 that revoked the amnesty that former President Benigno Aquino granted to him.

Some members of the clergy under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) were also part of the connivance.

Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., AFP deputy chief of staff for operations on internal security operations (ISO), said the plot was nipped in the bud by Duterte’s public announcement of the plot.

Parlade revealed, however, that the oust-Duterte movement is hatching another plot – this time on 11 October under the code “Red October.”

Initially, Parlade said the oust-Duterte plot was supposed to be hatched last 21 September – the anniversary of martial law declaration, under the plan “Aklasan.”

Parlade added after hearing the President’s announcement that he was aware of the plot and after learning that CPP founding chair Jose Maria Sison was the “conductor,” the groups broke away from the alliance.

“This is based on documents and laptops we recovered from ranking communist leaders arrested in Mindanao and in Quezon during the past months,” Parlade said.

“They (Tindig Pilipinas) have an alliance with the Movement Against Tyranny for the “Aklasan” – the campaign to oust President Duterte. They are aligned with the opposition Liberal Party and the camp of Vice President Robredo then (Sen. Antonio) Trillanes, actually Magdalo,” Parlade said.

Some members of the clergy under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) were also part of the connivance

Satur part of conspiracy

AFP insiders alleged that instead of CPP chairman Jose Maria Sison, the Tindig Pilipinas-led plotters communicated with former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace panel consultant Rey Casambre.

Parlade said among the groups in the ouster plot aside from Tindig Pilipinas are the Movement Against Tyranny and the rightist Magdalo Group. The plan was for the holding of massive protest rallies on the anniversary of the martial law declaration that apparently failed.

A thin crowd attended the anti-government rallies held on the anniversary of former President Ferdinand Marcos’ martial law declaration. It dispersed early due to heavy rains.

The oust-Duterte plot was supposed to be hatched last 21 September–the anniversary of martial law declaration, under the plan “Aklasan.”

Parlade’s pronouncements also confirmed a Daily Tribune report quoting former Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile as saying there was an “orchestrated” effort to destabilize the Duterte administration riding on the rising inflation rate and unstable supply and prices of rice.

JPE confirmed

Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile

Enrile told the Daily Tribune he was seeing similar groups that forced the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos out of power as behind the anti-Duterte plot.

Parlade said “Tindig” movers, however, supposedly backpedaled after the AFP confronted its officials and informed the group that Sison was the brains behind the oust-Duterte plot.

“The AFP confronted these groups…they lied low and vowed they will not ally with the communist. That was the good result. ‘Tindig’ broke away from the alliance,” Parlade said.

On the “Red October” plot, Parlade added Sison remains as the “conductor” of the oust-Duterte campaign.

“The plan will always be there. It’s Joma (Sison’s nickname) who is orchestrating. They were not successful last 21 September but there will still be a plan this coming October, they call it “Red October” – the international celebration of communism, Marxism,” Parlade said.

SC affirms: Marinduque governor to face trial for P5M fertilizer fund scam

Gov. Carmencita O. Reyes

The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed that there was probable cause to put Marinduque Governor Carmencita Reyes on trial for the alleged misuse of P5 million in fertilizer funds.

In a recent 11-page decision, the SC 2nd Division denied Reyes’s petition questioning the Sandiganbayan’s February 29, 2012 resolution that upheld the validity of the graft and technical malversation charges filed against her.

The case arose from the province’s purchase of a hammermill, a shredding machine, a pelletizer, and a brush chipper in 2004 without the benefit of public bidding and contrary to the purpose of the fund to buy fertilizer.

The SC said Reyes’s request letter and purchase request for the heavy equipment were “enough to engender a well-founded belief that the crime charged may have been committed by Reyes.”

This meant Reyes would have to defend herself after the case finally reaches the trial stage.

The SC also rejected Reyes’s claim that the Ombudsman’s fertilizer fund scam investigations were based on the Senate Blue Ribbon committee report that would have been considered hearsay.

The decision was penned by Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr. - Abogado.com.ph

Tagumpay ng Medical at Dental Mission ni Cong. Lord Allan Velasco

Si Cong. Velasco sa gitna ng mga pasyente.

Matagumpay na naisagawa noong mga nakaraang araw at patuloy pa rin ang Medical and Dental Mission ni Cong. Lord Allan Velasco sa anim na bayan ng Marinduque. Libo-libong mga mamamayan ang tumugon kasama ang mga miyembro ng kanilang pamilya para sa libreng konsultasyon, pagpapagamot sa kanilang mga karamdaman at para tumanggap ng libreng mga gamot. Marami rin ang kumonsulta sa mga dentista at nagpabunot ng ngipin.

Sa Buenavista

Sa lahat ng bayang binisita ng Mission kung saan kaagapay ang isang Mobile Clinic na padala ng San Miguel Corporation ay naging abala ang buong team ng Misyon - mga doktor, mga dentista, mga lisensiyadong pharmacists, registered nurses at X-ray technicians.

Sa Sta. Cruz

Ginanap ang Misyon sa Buenavista Central School para sa mga taga-Buenavista, sa Brgy. Masiga para sa mga taga Gasan, Brgy. Landi para sa Sta. Cruz, Brgy. Poblacion para sa mga taga-Torrijos at ngayong araw ay sa Boac Covered Court para sa bayan ng Boac at Mogpog Covered Court sa Gitnang-Bayan para sa Mogpog.

Sa Gasan

Sa Boac ngayong araw ay wala pang tatlong oras mula ika-8:00 n.u. higit na sa 700 pasyente ang nakapagpa-registro ayon sa namamahala sa pagpaparehistro. Nagmula sila sa ibat-ibang barangay ng anim na distrito ng Boac - Seaside, Riverside, Poblacion, Ilaya I, II at III at ng bayan ng Mogpog. Naging kaagapay din ang mga lokal na volunteers para sa kaayusan.

Sa Torrijos, umagapay din si Justice Presby Velasco, Jr.

Kasama sa Misyon si Cong. Lord Allan Velasco na nagpasalamat sa mga taong tumulong at mga organisasyon na pangunahing sumuporta tulad ng kanyang mahal na kabiyak, Madam Wen Velasco, San Miguel Foundation at Petron Foundation.

Tinatayang higit sa 5,000 pasyente and napagsilbihan sa Medical Mission na nabanggit.
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Kasama sa lahat ng Misyon ang Mobile Clinic ng SMC

Makailang-ulit at taon-taong isinasagawa ang ganitong Medical Misyon bilang tugon sa isa lamang sa pangangailangang pangkalusugan ng mga pinagsisilbihan, at ayon sa Tanggapan ng Kinatawan ay nakatakdang isagawang muli bago matapos ang taon.

Ang mga pinakamaagang dumating sa Boac mula sa dalawang bayan.

Nagkaroon din ngayong araw Sept. 23 ng hiwalay na Medical Mission sa Mogpog kasabay ng sa Boac. Mga larawan sa ibaba kuha ni Ian San Juan.

Sa Bayan ng Mogpog

Habang inaalalayan ni Cong. Velasco sa pagbaba ang isang elderly.

Senate Committee on Justice approves Judges-at-Large bill

The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights, through its Chairman Sen. Richard Gordon, has recently passed the legislative proposals to create new positions for Judges-At-Large.

In a public hearing by the said Senate Committee, Senate Bill Nos. 1681, 1691 and 2002, proposing the creation of Judges-At-Large, were given the approval to undergo their second reading in the Senate Plenary. With this latest development, the Judges-At-Large bill advances to becoming a new law that will definitely benefit every Filipino who seeks legal remedies from the courts. Senate Bill No. 1681 was sponsored by Sen. Sonny Angara while Senate Bill Nos. 1691 and 2002 were filed by Senators Win Gatchalian and Gordon, respectively.

Cong. Lord Allan Velasco, the original proponent of the measure, was elated to hear about the passage of the measure.  For their support and effort, Cong. Velasco expressed his gratitude to his counterpart legislators in the Senate, Senators Gordon, Gatchalian and Angara. 

Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco

“We have to improve the image of the Judiciary in this country. With the creation of additional items for Judges-At-Large, heavily-burdened court dockets will be declogged and we can expect an increase in disposition rates of pending cases." said Velasco. "With this measure, we go beyond the textbooks and bring into reality the constitutional principle of speedy administration of justice. Once implemented, Filipinos will grow in faith and confidence in our judicial bodies once again,” he added.

NASA analyzes powerful super TYPHOON MANGKHUT (TY OmpongPH)

PUBLIC RELEASE: 13-SEP-2018

NASA satellite analyzes powerful super Typhoon Mangkhut

NASA/GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER

    

IMAGE: AT 9:35 A.M. EDT (1335 UTC) ON SEPT. 13, THE MODIS INSTRUMENT ABOARD NASA'S AQUA SATELLITE LOOKED AT SUPER TYPHOON MANGKHUT IN INFRARED LIGHT AS IT WAS APPROACHING THE PHILIPPINES.... view more 

CREDIT: CREDIT: NASA/NRL

NASA's Aqua satellite provided an infrared look at powerful Super Typhoon Mangkhut early on Sept. 13 that revealed a large eye surrounded by a large area of powerful storms. Mangkhut is a Category 5 storm.

The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that "animated enhanced infrared satellite imagery shows deepening or strengthening convection (rising air that forms the thunderstorms that make up a tropical cyclone) with colder cloud tops." Colder cloud tops mean that the uplift of air has strengthened and pushed cloud tops higher in the troposphere. The higher and colder the cloud top, the stronger the storm and the greater potential for heavier rainfall.

At 9:35 a.m. EDT (1335 UTC) on Sept. 13, the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite looked at Typhoon Mangkhut in infrared light as it was approaching the Philippines. MODIS saw that Mangkhut has a 27 nautical-mile-wide eye.

MODIS also found coldest cloud top temperatures around the eye, as cold as or colder than minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (F)/minus 112 degrees Celsius (C). Surrounding the eye were thick rings of powerful storms with cloud tops as cold as or colder than minus 70F (minus 56.6C).

NASA research has found that cloud top temperatures as cold as or colder than the 70F/56.6C threshold have the capability to generate heavy rainfall.

At 11 a.m. EDT (1500 UTC), the center of Super Typhoon Mangkhut was located near latitude 15.2 degrees north and longitude 128.4 degrees west. That's about 465 miles east of Manila, Philippines. Super Typhoon Mangkhut was moving toward the west-northwest. Mangkhut's maximum sustained winds were near 167 mph (145 knots/268 kph) with higher gusts. Mangkhut is a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

Mangkhut is forecast to make landfall along the northeast coast of Luzon, Philippines around 5 p.m. EDT (2100 UTC) on Sept. 14. Warnings are already in effect.

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Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Super Typhoon Mangkhut to plow towards Philippines

Mangkhut will bring flooding rainfall and damaging winds from the Philippines and Taiwan to China into early next week.

Mangkhut, also known as Ompong in the Philippines, continues to approach the country after it reached super typhoon status Tuesday evening, local time.

Peak intensity was reached briefly on Wednesday evening when Super Typhoon Mangkhut became the equivalent of a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific. - ACCUWEATHER

Should Mangkhut remain on its current track, the worst of the impacts will be felt across northern Luzon and the Batanes and Babuyan Islands in the Philippines.
Residents in northern coastal and island villages in the Cagayan province of the Philippines will be evacuated on Thursday, the Associated Press reported.
There is the potential for the powerful typhoon to make landfall on the northern tip of Luzon.
Widespread wind damage and flooding is expected across these areas. Rainfall amounts of 150-250 mm (6-10 inches) are possible across northern Luzon, which would lead to life-threatening flooding and mudslides.
If Mangkhut makes landfall, a significant storm surge will push onshore to the north and east of the center of the storm. 

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte's Message on Battle of Pulang Lupa Commemoration

The most significant Presidential Message ever for today's commemoration of the Battle of Pulang Lupa:

RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, President of the Philippines:

I am one with the Filipino people in commemorating the 118th Anniversary of the Battle of Pulang Lupa.

The Battle of Pulang Lupa was a momentous event that marked our forefathers' dramatic victory against foreign invaders. Invigorated by their love for liberty and country, the Marinduquenos inflicted one of America's worst defeats during the Philippine-American War. Their triumph was a testament to the remarkable valor of the Filipino people and the great potential of our young nation.

Indeed the acts of courage, heroism and selfless sacrifice during that day deserve to be remembered and emulated. May their deeds inspire us as we pursue our endeavors and fight our everyday battles. Let their passionate aspirations for a truly free and sovereign Philippines serve as our guide as we embark on the work of ensuring lasting peace and prosperity for the present and future generations.

May we have a meaningul celebration.

RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE

MANILA, 13 September 2018

Pulang Lupa Trivia: Cong Lord Allan Quinto Velasco is fourth-gen descendant of Lucio Quinto, presidente municipal of Torrijos during Fil-Am War

"Two days later on September 13, 1900, Abad (who had very good intelligence on the movement of Shields) positioned his men along a steep ridge overlooking the trail which Shields would soon cross. Both Shields and his men had little combat experience and easily fell into the trap. Abad and his 250 soldiers opened fire on the column, which led to a fire-fight that lasted for several hours. Meanwhile, as the Americans and Philippine riflemen exchanged fire, the large force of Filipino bolomen began maneuvering to surround the Americans."

Who provided good intelligence? The Presidente Municipal of Torrijos, Lucio Quinto.

 Congressman Lord Allan Quinto Velasco is a fourth-generation scion of the (Lucio) Quinto-Marquez family.

Key to the Filipino victory at the Battle of Pulang Pula was the participation of local revolutionists in Torrijos, led by Lucio Quinto. He was the Presidente Municipal of Torrijos at that time, providing Abad with vital information on the movement of the Americans and in helping Abad execute his plans by supplying rifle and bolo-carrying men from Torrijos. 

The association between Abad and Quinto remained even after Abad’s surrender to the American forces in April 1901.

The American Army believed that the guerillas might have had up to 300 weapons, including the arms taken from Shield’s party by the guerillas, yet by mid-1901 the Army had recovered only 186 rifles and 12 revolvers.

We will also find the following entry (above) from the Report of Philippine Commission on the Constabulary Force in Marinduque and its arrest in 1902 of Lucio Quinto, Maximo Abad, Pedro Lardizabal and others:

“In the month of January 1902, 25 rifles were found hidden away in the hills and guarded by two ex-insurgency soldiers. These rifles were found by Inspector Schuetz. Inspector Smith made a thorough investigation which resulted in the arrest of the clerk of court of first instance, an ex-colonel of insurgents named Maximo Abad, he being implicated the deepest, and Pedro Lardizabal, an ex-major of insurgents, Ramon Revilla, Victor Revilla, and Estanislao Pernia, ex-insurgent soldiers, and the president of Torrijos, Lucio Quinto.

“Inspector Smith had a very difficult time in getting evidence against these men, as all the natives seemed to be impeding every effort of his, and the justice of the peace preferred counter charges against him. However, all of those arrested were convicted by the court of first instance and received sentences of from one to ten years for sedition.”

Lucio Quinto married Viviana Marquez and they had nine children, the oldest surviving daughter, Estefania Q. del Mundo passed away a few years ago.

What the Battle of Pulang Lupa is all about

Video: Philippine-American War in Marinduque 1900.-1901. Historical photos and footages on the commemoration of the Battle of Pulang Lupa in Marinduque. Featuring "Awit sa Pulang Lupa" written and composed by Eli J. Obligacion, with Teatro Balangaw and Marinduque Provincial Capitol Choir..

Battle of Pulang Lupa, September 13, 1900

From 1899-1901 during the Philippine American War there were numerous encounters between Philippine and American Forces. In seven of the engagements where Filipinos had the upper hand that spelled victory, two of them occurred in the island of Marinduque. (These were the Battle of Paye, and the Battle of Pulang Lupa).

The other Filipino victories took place in the Battle of San Mateo (Morong), Siege of Catubig (Samar), Battle of Makahambos Hill, Battle of Mabitac, Battle of Balangiga (Samar).

The Battle of Pulang Lupa, however, is considered a milestone in Philippine History. This was the engagement that sent shock waves through the American high command and was considered the worst defeat suffered by the Americans during that war.

This battle however, led to the first application in the Philippines of concentration camps in the island’s town centers, a highly coercive measure that finally led to the surrender of the Filipino soldiers led by Lt. Col. Maximo Abad with his remaining men on April 15, 1901.

The success of this population concentration first experimented in Marinduque was then applied to other provinces in the country including Batangas, Laguna and Samar.

Of the harshness and hardships suffered by the people of Marinduque, Gov. Gen. William H. Taft, future U.S. president said: “The severity with which the inhabitants have been dealt with would not look well if a complete history were written out”.

Some details of that history appears in The U.S. Army's Pacification of Marinduque, Philippine Islands, April 1900-April 1901 by Andrew J. Birtle.

On the Battle of Pulang Lupa that took place on September 13, 1900, Birtle wrote in part:

“While the Boac garrison cowered, Shields endeavored to maintain some semblance of pressure on the guerrillas, making thirteen expeditions during July and August. None of these operations went more than ten miles from Santa Cruz, which, like Boac, was down to about twenty-five percent of its pre-occupation population. Protected by the people and the island's difficult topography, Abad easily avoided Shields. In August, however, Shields made some headway on the civil front, organizing the election of a pro-American mayor and arresting twenty-five civilians on charges of aiding the guerrillas.

"On 11 September, Shields decided to take advantage of a visit by the gunboat U.S.S. Villalobos. Leaving Lieutenant Wilson and forty-one men to hold Santa Cruz, he loaded fifty-one enlisted men, a hospital corps-man, and his black servant onto the gunboat and sailed to Torrijos, disembarking that evening. The next day he had his first contact with insurgent forces since his company had been on the island, dispersing a band of twenty guerrillas and destroying their cuartel.

"On the thirteenth, Shields led his detachment into the mountains with the intention of returning to Santa Cruz. Well informed about Shields's movements, Abad had concentrated nearly his entire force of approximately 250 riflemen and 2,000 bolomen along a steep ridge overlooking the trail. Shields walked right into the ambush. A fire fight ensued for several hours before Shields ordered a retreat into a covered ravine. What began as a slow withdrawal quickly turned into a race down a rocky stream bed, as the Americans scrambled to escape the pincers that were moving to surround them. After retreating for about three and a half miles, the beleaguered detachment entered a rice field near the barrio of Massiquisie (Masagisi). Here renewed enemy fire forced the Americans to take cover behind some paddy dikes. Shields fell seriously wounded.

"After ordering that a message be passed to the senior NCO, Sergeant James A. Gwynne, to lead the command out of the closing trap, Shields raised a white flag to surrender himself and the other wounded. The insurgents thought the flag meant that the command was surrendering. So too did Gwynne, who later claimed never to have received the escape order, and thus the entire force lay down its arms. All told, the Insurgents killed four Americans and captured fifty, six of whom, including Shields, were wounded. Shields later claimed that the Filipinos lost thirty dead, though this number was never confirmed.

"After months of hiding, Abad in a few short hours had destroyed nearly a third of the entire American garrison on Marinduque.”

Recognizing the Battle of Pulang Lupa:

While the Battle of Pulang Lupa is not mentioned in Philippine History textbooks, it has been commemorated annually in Marinduque since 1965.

The Battle of Pulang Lupa was first celebrated in Marinduque on September 13, 1965, during the incumbency of President Diosdado Macapagal, with Miguel Manguera as governor of Marinduque. 

The event was then known at that time in press releases as “Marinduque Day” by virtue of Macapagal’s Proclamation 435. The following year, under President Ferdinand Marcos (under Proclamation No. 104), September 13 was likewise declared as a special public holiday in Marinduque the more to inspire the people "to greater deeds for their country".

A similar Proclamation No. 2306 s. 1983 was issued by Marcos declaring a special public holiday in Marinduque to commemorate the heroism of our forefathers in the 'Battle of Pulang Lupa'. 

During the Second Regular Session of Congress (1988), however, Republic Act No. 6702 was passed, an Act declaring September Thirteen as “Battle of Pulang Lupa Day” and a Special Non-Working Holiday in the Province of Marinduque. This was sponsored by then Cong. Carmencita O. Reyes and was finally passed on September 22, 1988 (by Congress) and December 2, 1988 (by Senate) respectively. The Act lapsed after the prescribed period and came into force without the signature of President Corazon C. Aquino.

MATA pushes eye, mobile hospital

Rep. Tricia Nicole Velasco-Catera

The MATA Party-list is pushing for the establishment of a Philippine Eye Center (PEC), a national special needs screening program (NSNSP) and a Philippine Mobile Hospital (PMH) to make eye health care services as frontlines in its fight against eye diseases and disorders.

House Bill (HB) No. 3336 creating the PEC is pending with the House Committee on Government Reorganization, while HB 7929 establishing the NSNSP and HB 3726 creating the PMH are with the House Committee on Health.

“I am asking the chairpersons of those committees to get these bills passed out of committee soon. I am hopeful these three bills could become law before the end of this Third Regular Session of the 17th Congress,” said Rep. Tricia Nicole Q. Velasco-Catera.

The sooner the mobile hospitals are sent out into the field, the better, according to Velasco-Catera.

“The public schools are among the logical priority deployment sites of the mobile hospitals because the public schools are hubs of community activity. Usually, barangay health centers are too small to accommodate lots of people for medical outreach activities. The schools are really where the medical outreach missions usually go,” she said.

“Teachers themselves need excellent eye care as having a clear vision enhances the standard of instruction they provide. Many of them wear corrective eyeglasses and some even have cataracts,” she added.

Under HB 336, the PEC is envisioned to have eye care wards in all the regional government hospitals and stand-alone specialty hospitals plus eye clinics in localities where eye diseases and disorders are particularly prevalent.

Correspondingly, the NSNSP is designed to identify children with eye conditions, along with those others with special needs. There is a wealth of literature on the importance of early identification in improving prevention and early treatment of eye diseases.

In 2012, there were 560,000 Filipinos blind in both eyes. In 2014, the number fell to 300,000. The reason: there was a 20 percent increase in the number of cataract surgeries from 1,087 in 2012 to 1,300 in 2014. The above figures highlight the impact of eye health programs in saving a large number of people from blindness.

“With increases in the number of cataract surgeries in recent years, the number of visually impaired Filipinos has gone down dramatically,” said Velasco-Catera.

“While these bills are underway, we will exert efforts to improve the Department of Health (DoH) budget for eye health services delivery and perform congressional oversight functions vis-a-vis the PhilHealth,” she said.

“The proposed Universal Health Coverage Act (HB 5784), which we have supported with our vote and inputs at committee and at plenary, levels up the PhilHealth from provision of health insurance to health security because it is health security which every Filipino aspires to have,” she said.

HB 5784 is a major revision of the National Health Insurance Program or charter of PhilHealth. A key chapter of the measure is the National Health Security Fund, which Congress put there to improve the sustainability of the PhilHealth to make sure it is financially-able to provide the health security services Filipinos need. Consequently, the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation will be renamed Philippine Health Security Corporation because of its expanded powers and responsibilities. - ConceptNewsCentral

Two largest veterans’ groups support return of Philippine-American War bells

Posted in Stripes.com a week ago but has not been picked up by PH media

Two Balangiga bells are displayed at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo. U.S. ARMY

             

By J.P. LAWRENCE | STARS AND STRIPES

Published: August 31, 2018

The nation’s largest veterans organization passed a resolution during a weeklong national conference in favor of returning church bells that were seized by U.S. troops after a battle with Philippine rebels in 1901.

The resolution adopted by the American Legion on Thursday reversed the group’s prior position, which in 2016 argued against returning the bells, saying that they honor U.S. war dead.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis announced his intent in mid-August to return the bells to the Catholic church in the Philippines from which they were taken. Two of the bells are now in Wyoming, where legislators and some veterans objected to returning them.

A third, smaller bell, which was also taken to the United States, is now at the 2nd Infantry Division Museum at Camp Red Cloud in South Korea.

U.S. military veterans residing in the Philippines, near the old Clark Air Force Base, were behind the American Legion resolution. They were backed earlier this year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Navy veteran Dennis Wright expressed hope the resolutions would give Mattis political cover to return the bells.

“How can the Wyoming legislators even think of opposing return of the bells based on the misinformed opinion of a handful of misguided veterans in Cheyenne in contrast to the desires of the 1.7 million VFW members and 2.2 million American Legion Members?” Wright said by email.

The bells, from a church in the village of Balangiga, are said to have been rung by Filipino rebels to signal an ambush. In the subsequent battle, 48 Americans were killed. - Stripes.com

Flag of Marinduque Revolutionary Forces under the command of Col. Maximo Abad

Talking about Philippine revolutionary flags such as that of Andres Bonifacio, did you know that our Battle of Pulang Lupa Hero, Col. Maximo Abad led the Marinduque Revolutionary Forces with his own flag?

Col. Maximo Abad (left) with
Capt. Teofilo Roque beside him.

The present whereabouts of the Abad flag is still being investigated, unlike the 'personal flag' of Andres Bonifacio that is currently up for auction. The planned auction is however being stopped as a local legislator has stressed that under Section 7 of RA No. 10086 creating the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP), "to acquire important historical documents, collections, memorabilia and other objects that have significant value" is a mandate of the said Commission.

“Heritage memorabilia and other historical articles must be acquired by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) on behalf of the government for posterity rather than allowing them to be auctioned to private collectors, with the possibility that these historical articles will go to foreigners or foreign places beyond the access and appreciation of generations of Filipinos,” the legislator, Rep. Edcel Lagman said.

Flag of the Marinduque Revolutionary Forces under the command of Col. Maximo Abad.

Abad’s flag was the flag of the Marinduque Revolutionary Forces under his command. It was captured by the American forces in Marinduque in 1901 and is described as “a field flag measuring 18x30 inches. Its colors are red, white and blue with but two bars and a triangle white. In the triangle are handpainted characters representing the sun, surrounded by three large stars, which are black. The material of the flag is ordinary bunting”.

The above drawing is one version only of the flag posted by watawat.net based on a written description. 

Information about the flag came to the knowledge of local historical researcher, Curtis Shepard, and was shared with this blogger a couple of years ago. Shepard maintains a blog, ulongbeach.com devoted to publication of research materials on Marinduque's past. His investigations continue.