Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Message from a PMA cadet re political repression

The following message was posted in NUSP's friendster account.

Comrades,

I am Ronald Gian Carlo Lapitan Cardema of Calamba City Laguna. I am a Cadet in the Philippine Military Academy in Baguio City. I can continue writing this letter by means of harnessing the English Language fluently and proficiently. But I would rather start using our own language now because it is the only language in the world that all of us Filipinos own and we should be proud of it.

Ako po ay di katulad ng karamihan ng kadete dito sa PMA na walang pakialam o pilit na sinasarado ang pananaw sa katotohanan. Ang aking kamalayan sa di pantay na sistema dito sa ating bayan ay bukas at lumalawig pa. Ako po ay nakikiisa sa inyong mga mithiin para sa isang maunlad na Lipunang Pilipino at Tunay na Demokrasya. Ang aking kaalaman sa tunay na Patriotismong Pilipino ay utang ko po sa aking dating paaralang pangkolehiyo, ang Unibersidad ng Pilipinas sa Los Banos, at sa mga pangangaral ng aking tiyuhing si Ka Noel "Noli" Capulong Sr..

Ang akin pong tiyuhin, na deputy regional coordinator ng BAYAN sa ST, ay walang pakundangang pinagbabaril ng mga aso ni GMA sa militar/police. Kahit po walang ebidensya na military/police ang pumatay ay alam ko po at alam po ng aking pinsan na si Noel Capulong Jr (na bestfriend ko rin po at kaklase mula pa high school hanggang college sa UPLB) na ang nagtiktik (surveillance) sa aking/kanyang amain/ama ay dalawang ISAFP/MIG agents mula sa Camp Eldridge sa Los Banos Laguna. Sila sina 2LT Aga Macasaet(Res) PA at si Sgt Tony Flores PA na aking "napag alaman mismo" ay miyembro ng Military Intelligence Group (MIG) ng ISAFP para dito sa 2nd District ng Laguna. Ang "Pilipinong traydor" na si Lt Aga Macasaet ay kaibigan namin ni Noel mula pa high school dahil sya ay aming CAT Commandant.

Siya ay minsan nakakapagtakang nagtanong sa amin ni Noel patungkol kay Tito Noli at kay Kapitan Delfin De Claro ng Brgy Bucal, Calamba Laguna. Sila na parehong Bayan Muna members kung saan si Tito Noli ay patay na ngaun at si Kapitan de Claro ay may tangkana sa buhay ngaun.Si Sgt Tony Flores naman ay ang nagpunta sa bahay at nakausap ni Tito Noli at Noel isang buwan bago siya patayin. Siya ay kunwari nagiinquire sa bahay patungkol sa PMA application ni Noel na dalawang taon nang tapos/lipas. Nakapagtataka. Pag uwi ko sa bahay nung gabing iyon, ako ay masinsin na kinausap ni Tito Noli na siya ay kinakabahan sa mga ganung militar na nag iinquire sa bahay. Tila totoo na pala noon ang premonition ng aking tiyuhin.

Ako po ay pabalik na sa PMA sa makalawa at nabahala sa lumabas na balita patungkol sa gusto ni GMA na "total annihilation" sa mga miyembro ng CPP-NPA-NDF at mga leftist groups. Ang kanyang kagustuhan na iyon ay isang patunay na wala siyang pakialam sa mga Pilipinong dapat pinaglilingkuran niya ng tapat. Buti pa ang mga Amerikano na nang-gahasa ng isang Filipina, di man lamang niya pinagsalitaan ng masama, pinoprotektahan pa nila ng pag-"teteknikal" sa batas natin at tila itinuturing pa ang pang gagahasa na ito bilang isang "friendly fire". Ito ay isa nang Acts of Aggression laban sa ating Lahi at Dignidad. Pero ang mga Kasamang Pilipino, na kababayan nya, na ang nais lamang ay pagbabago sa sistemang bulok ng gobyerno at Lipunan, ay gusto niyang ipapatay at ubusin. Ako ay naniniwala na siya na, ang pinakabaliw at walang hiya sa mga naging pinuno ng baying ito. Walang inintindi kundi pasayahin ang mga dayuhan dito habang naghihirap ang kanyang mga kababayan.

Sa kanyang pagdadagdag ng isang Bilyon sa pondong pampatay ng mga Kasamang Pilipino, siya ay lalong matatalo sa kanyang mga pansariling adhikain sa buhay. Sa kada isang mamamatay na Kasama ay lalong madadagdagan ang samahan. Ang mga aktibistang mag aaral, magsasaka, manggagawa, negosyante, taong simbahan, at propesyunal mula sa kabayanan ay sasama na sa armed struggle at ang mga dating tahimik...#

3 comments:

  1. This article was posted in UP Manila, UP Diliman, and UP Los Banos. We hope our chosen, distinguished representatives, sent with this email, can represent justice to the injustice done to Mr. Cardema.

    Our Patriotic colleagues from UP Los Banos informed me that recently (last week), the Philippine Military Academy discriminately discharged one of its finest cadets. He was Cadet Ronald Cardema, a former scholar in UP Los Banos. He was said to be at the top ten of his class in PMA and was one of the most idealistic and most promising leader from the ranks of the cadets in PMA according to some of his PMA Civilian Professors (UP Grads also) which were allowed to be discretely interviewed.
    It was said that the main reason why Cadet Cardema was shown injustice by some PMA high officers was only because he had a relative who was killed two months ago. Noel Capulong, Cardema's uncle and also a UPian, was a Bayan Muna Leader in Region 4. When Capulong was killed, Cardema and his relatives made a condemnation letter against the murder incident. The AFP was nervous about Cadet Cardema because he personally knew the ISAFP agents who had their surveillance on Cardema's uncle before his murder. A Military Officer (PMA grad) sympathetic to Cardema said that ISAFP made this emotional condemnation letter look like a subversive document and branded Cardema as leftist since High School even though he was a CAT Corps Commander in High School and a UP ROTC Officer/UP Vanguard in college.

    Some PMA Civilian Professor (UP Grads) said that "Caio Cardema" and the UPians in PMA, always confiding with them, were low morale when a high intelligence officer in PMA investigated them and stressed always to them "Bakit ang mga taga UP, walang utang na loob sa gobyerno". OUR ANSWER TO THAT IS "Dahil po nakikita namin dito sa UP na ang pumopondo samin ay hindi gobyerno kundi Taong Bayan. Taong Bayan na pumopondo rin sa gobyerno ngunit nakukurakot kung minsan. Ang aming utang na loob ay sa Taong Bayan po at hindi sa gobyerno.

    To Cadet Cardema, don't be low morale, we are welcoming you back to the University of the Philippines where true Patriotic, Intelligent, and Idealistic youth like you truly belong.
    Mabuhay ang Pag-asa ng Bayan.........

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  2. IT WAS VERY BRAVE OF YOU, MR.CARDEMA, TO SAY YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THE POLITICAL SYSTEM WE HAVE HERE IN THE PHILIPPINES. EVENTHOUGH, YOU ARE STUDYING IN THE FOREMOST MILITARY SCHOOL IN OUR COUNTRY, STILL, YOU HAD THE COURAGE TO PUBLICLY ANNOUNCE YOUR GRIEVANCES TOWARDS OUR GOVERNMENT.

    I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT STUDYING AT LA SALLE UNIVERSITY HERE IN MINDANAO. THOUGH, I AM VERY FAR FROM THE COUNTRY'S CAPITAL, I CAN SAY, I AM STILL UPDATED WITH THE HOCUS FOCUSES GOING ON IN OUR COUNTRY BECAUSE AS A FILIPINO , I BELIEVE, IT IS OUR DUTY TO BE VIGILANT WITH OUR NATION.

    LIKE YOU, I ALSO WANT TO BE A SOLDIER FOR I THINK I CAN SERVE MY COUNTRY AND THE FILIPINO PEOPLE WELL FOR BEING ONE. BUT WITH WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR ARMED FORCES, SERVING THE SELFISH CAUSES OF SOME PEOPLE IN THE GOVERNMENT LIKE DAMNED DOGS UNABLE TO THINK WELL, IT DISMAYED ME A LOT TO THE POINT OF THINKING THAT SOLDIERS WHOM I THOUGHT AS VERY INTELLIGENT INDIVIDUALS ARE ACTUALLY STUPIDS AND IDIOTS.HAVEN'T THEY REALIZED THAT THE PRIMARY REASON WHY ARMED FORCES ARE CREATED IS TO PROTECT THE PEOPLE FROM FROM ALL INHUMAN FIENDISH ACTS?

    AGAIN,I GREATLY REVERE YOU FOR YOUR COURAGE, MR. GIAN CARLO LAPITAN CARDEMA.WHAT COURAGE YOU HAVE FOR SAYING THOSE THINGS, I CAN'T IMAGINE. I MAY NOT BE A PMAER NOR AN ISKOLAR NG BAYAN BUT YOU HAVE FOUND A FRIEND IN ME, A LA SALLIAN FRIEND THAT WOULD ALWAYS SALUTE YOU AND RESPECT YOU.
    -ALIPING SAGIGILID

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  3. kagaya mo gian carlo cardema, isa rin aku sa maraming pilipinong pilit labanan ang huwad na demokrasya...

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