I am not shocked when GMA’s in the headline news had ordered to allocate and purchase arms worth one billion to her coercive machinery -- the military. Her statement was made during her visit in Isabela. I now understand where she’s coming from. She must have been so exasperated and upset by the news coming from biglandlords in Isabela that peasants were successful in warding off the landgrabbing operations of Danding Cojuangco. As a note, GMA long before the elections was done and was successful to put herself in power (through dirty means) had been in cahoots with local warlords like the Dy’s in Isabela expanding Danding's business. Danding a close supporter of hers is her favorite patron who had given her enormous amounts of funds for her political ambitions. GMA, the Dy's and Danding's frustration may come from the fact that the peasants has militantly resisted their deceptive landgrabbing schemes by enticing peasants to go monocropping. Peasants know that mono-cropping, or planting only cassavas in their farms does not and will not solve their hunger or a way get themselves out of the deep poverty they are in. As a matter of fact, they know that Danding's landgrabbing scheme only hastens repossession of their lands, peasants unable to repay the money for start up capital they borrowed from the land bank requiring their land as pieces of collaterals. The Dy’s must have insinuated to her that the reason why they lost political clout in the province is due to active peasants involvement in the last elections had hindered their illegal logging activities in the province. I am quite sure by this time, Danding have asked GMA the promises she committed to him to smoothen his business after receiving those money for elections. Danding definitely is disgusted to see that there is no good line of supply of cassava flour for his multi-million feeds industry.

In 2004 when I visited those cassava plantation in Isabela, Danding had been successful in putting military camps along entry points of his plantations. Those camps where used as training ground for their private armies mostly comprised of ragtag armed bandits from Balwegs group and Arturo Tabara’s RPA-ABB in Negros Occidental. These groups created havoc among peasant communities in the area but have been exposed in media.

GMA’s call to wipe out the NPA is actually shout of madness. She does not realize that this revolution she is confronting now is just a continuation of the struggles of Andres Bonifacio, a revolution that has been started way ahead she was born. As decades have past, the material basis for this revolution had just become more clearer in the minds of the people in the rural areas and had come to recognized the importance of upholding the advance leadership of the working class which makes the revolution more sophisticated and objective. Her bunch of bobo advisers are totally ignorant about the political situation. The NPA at its core strives because it advances peasants aspirations and interests. It is a peasant army! Killing them would serve the opposite purpose that is igniting more fire and anger against biglandlords in the halls of power. Killing them even mean killing our economy because peasants are the providers and suppliers food crops for the people.

GMA has a callous face and the temerity to use people’s money at her own behest. Instead of funding health services for the poor, funding literacy and numeracy programs for peasant children , funding housing for urban slum dweller who live in shanties, ramshackled homes or under the city bridges, GMA is throwing money to feed her attack dogs who find happiness in tearing the flesh of poor people.

I have no doubt that those funds will likely end up pocketed by her Generals since most of them are also engaged in arms dealership. I would even have no doubt that in short a time those arms will end up in the hands of revolutionaries in the countrysides waging successful tactical offensives against them. For sure the repressive campaign of biglandlords and compradors which GMA represents will bound to fail. How can they win when all they have done is kill peasants whose demands are so legitimate, demands such as asking the government to democratize land ownership in the country, asking government to insure their rights to land tenure, their rights to till and own a land. How can they wipe out the NPA when peasant organizations in the country sides which the NPA protects are so so successful in implementing the minimum program of genuine land reform, that is getting rid of usury in the rural areas, reducing land rent in favor of the poor peasants, increasing productivity in their farms and helping them in support services such as irrigation, health and literacy and numeracy ? GMA must be poking a hammer on her head after all.

But I honestly understand her. All she is communicating is this: Her call to put one billion to wipe out the NPA is a simple assurance for her comprador and landlord friends that she still represent their economic and political interests amid her growing political isolation, that she will protect them whatever it takes, that there is no need for them to ally with other ruling cliques again her, that everthing is alright. Her call is a reiteration that she is upholding their interest against the well organized peasants in the rural areas who had driven them crazy including US big business interests. However her call has no effect at all to neutralize or deter the fractiousness within the ruling classes. The truth of the matter is she is digging her grave fast enough and her allies are jumping fast outside of her boat.

This coming Friday I will be grilled by a panel of 15 people as part of my incareship in my conference. For those unfamiliar with church lingo, this means I’ll be under an organization and not a collorum as a student eyeing for ordination.

. A friend of mine who is a co- member of our student council here in the seminary and had graduated last March told me he will be attending the meeting. I asked him what wilhe ask me? He said about Calvin. Well, honestly I have a lot of things to say about this man and his theology but I will expound more on my theology instead. So what is my theology? Well it’s a combination a theology of struggle and liberation that is seeing the face of Jesus in the heart of people, the poor. For me the incarnation is living out Christ in one’s life and as a consequence death is a common occurrence according according to Mao Tze Tung.. But death will vary, either you can live up with your principles that you willing to be crucified bacause of your conviction. Living a life serving only one's self and not others is also an option as a matter of fact is mostly taken by middle classes be it here in the US or in the Philippines. Mao had said once to die for the oppressed is weightier than mount Tai and the other way around, that is, to die for the oppressor is lighter than a feather! Let me think, we just live in this earth for 80 years the most. How in the world can one be so selfish not seeing this? It would be so superficial to live for nothing. But I cannot blame people. They are so entrapped with the undercurrent conditions that makes them impossible to see things. They see only their own butts. Good for some when they reach the age of 40 they slowly realize things in this world are just so disarranged, some wouldn’t care at all as they bel.ieve this are all "Gods will"and indeed they die a common death. Others would opt to go on flight rather than fight and confront the situation. Other’s would rationalize their bourgeois stupidity and hate the empowerment of the working classes. Other would spit all the poisons of pacification and resignation and that its better to keep quite. But Jesus did otherwise! He died with his conviction after he turned those tables upside down in that temple ruled by pretentious priests. Centuries later he would be made into a mysterious person than an ordinary man with extra-ordinary conviction. He was revolutionary and a son of a peasant who comes from Galilee, a very desolate place for many. Now tell that to your bishops, your pastors, your priests, your nun friend that Jesus was a revolutionary. You will have a good discussion. It's either for them to waterdown Jesus as an ambivalent person or a determined revolutionary who wants thorough going change. Spark the light!

Ahh, what a small world indeed. Reading the website of Sec. Eduardo Ermita sent flashes to my memory how Rex Ramos our boarder in the 80's who happens to come from one of the prominent families from Dipolog would brag that he has a uncle General. I remember Secretary’s wife comes from Dipolog just few hours away where the latest killing of a UCCP pastor Rev. Jemias Tinambacan happened. I am familiar of this place because Western Mindanao is where my family's roots comes from. This is the place that I spent my childhood from grade three to six until we transferred to Dumaguete City, in Silliman. Most prominent families in Western Mindanao would always send their children to a Presbyterian founded school, Silliman University known to have offer good education. Most of them would opt to stay in faculty houses, people they know who comes from Western Mindanao. The Ramoses hails from Dipolog who owns a nice restaurant, the Roadside Cafe & Restaurant. It is where we used to eat when we visit the place. Rex who is now here in the US was my room mate for a while when I was in college in the 80's in Dumaguete. He used to stay in our house. His dad, Rene, installed even a long distance radio inside our room for him to call which was annoying at many times. Rex face was that kid we always saw on TV, a pictureof a caucasian looking kid in the carnation evaporated milk cover. At any rate, his uncle is General Ermita, the one who has been talked about, seating in the oversight committee of GMA’s cabinet, the one who now holds authority even over GMA, the one who is accused responsible of the series of killings? I have a strong hunch that given his background, that is his military career and his experience in government he had now taken captive GMA. As the days unfolds he had sucessfully pinned government’s political direction to his political benefit. This is the most familiar route political players do as in the case of General Fidel Ramos or even the national lunatic security adviser of GMA, Mr. Norberto Gonzales to gain more power and position themselves in the highest echelons of government.

I remembered before during Marcos time that top operators like roving hit men or death squads mostly came fromWestern Mindanao. How do I know this? I know this because one of my cousin was a notorious policeman mercenary assasin. Though, late in the 80’s he was killed by partisans of the NPA in Calamba Misamis Occidental, where my grandparents live, we know he was doing secret assassination tasks doing “projects” as far as Cebu and the whole Visayas. Passing Dumaguete, he would drop by our residence to take some refuge for quite some time without telling us hough I know exactly what his into. All I know he has lots of money. Indeed politics in the Philippines is too small; you know whose doing it and what they are doing. It can even be your family relative. As the killing spree goes on killing people leaders, church workers, ordinary and not so ordinary people who has commitment their lives to help the poor, proclaim justice, hold on to what is truthful and right, I fervently pray that these top officials orchestrating this operation should be punished and bring to justice. As national peasant leaders one of them such as Ka Daning who is my close friend now being tailed and even their lawyers, by these bloodthristy killers, there is the immediate need to intensify people’s campaign to expose these people. These killers have no balls when their faces are exposed in public. These people are blinded by greed and money. As GMA commits more crime victimizing people, there is the immediately need to oust her. Her generals like Ermita with bunch lapdog followers, rabid anti-communist lunatics who are in Malacanang should be cut off and immediate from power and should be exposed.