GRP-MILF draft pact on Bangsamoro homeland

[Revenant]

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquire...amoro-homeland

I haven't really been following this issue until I tuned in to DZRH and heard Manny Piñol rave about arming themselves to resist this "territorial expansion" which would allegedly be a threat to the non-Muslims in Mindanao who live in places that would be included in the new Bangsamoro territories.

Can anyone shed some info about the validity of the ancestral domain that the MILF is claiming? Is this something that we should be alarmed about?

[Isuzoom]

Stupid Government!!!

[zero]

itinatago ito ng pgma admin sa ating lahat.
magpi-pirmahan na lang nuong nilabas nila sa taong bayan.

magkakaroon na ng sariling bansa ang milf sa mindanao. (mabuti kung yung isang m.i.l.f. na alam natin ang magtatayo dun.) hehehe.... ok na naman yung present autonomous region, huwag naman nila ipamigay na parang lumang damit lang ang ilang bahagi ng mindanao.

malamang may malaking pera na involved din dito.
hintayin natin ang sasabihin ng ating supreme court kung papayagan nila palusutin ito without holding a referendum/congressional churva.

[CVT]

There are a lot of non-Muslims who are living in those areas....

Personally, I feel that this is another treacherous deal by our government, who should be serving our interests....

6505:Bath:

[jonski]

Parang insulto naman ito sa mga sundalo

[claRkEnt]

Parang insulto naman ito sa mga sundalo

and to think na si Esperon is one of the key figures in this!

[CoDer]

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquire...amoro-homeland

I haven't really been following this issue until I tuned in to DZRH and heard Manny Piñol rave about arming themselves to resist this "territorial expansion" which would allegedly be a threat to the non-Muslims in Mindanao who live in places that would be included in the new Bangsamoro territories.

Can anyone shed some info about the validity of the ancestral domain that the MILF is claiming? Is this something that we should be alarmed about?

Sira ulo lang ang naniniwala sa ancestral domain claim na yan. Remember Islam was the dominant religion of the Philippines prior to the Colonization, if the ancestral domain is valid then Republic of the Philippines shall be and must be replaced by Bangsamoro republic.

Mindanao was dominated by Islam religion before the settlers came. Napaka inutil naman ng republikang to.

[Isuzoom]

Wow Mali! other countries are fighting for their territory...tayo ibigay lang? yes they are also filipinos...but...Fun Nye Tah ang bobo nyo!!!

[jonski]

Sana for once ay wag makialam ang mga HRG sa Mindanao para maubos na mga rebels na mga yan. Kaya hindi madevelop kasi takot mga tao. GIVE THEM NOTHING!

MILF rebels attack troops after SC stops land deal
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakin...tops-land-deal

Agence France-Presse
First Posted 11:25:00 08/05/2008

COTABATO -- Muslim separatists traded mortar fire with troops in the southern Philippines just hours after the Supreme Court stopped a land dealExchange between them and the government, the military said Tuesday.

The mortar attack by an unknown number of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels on soldiers stationed near Midsayap town lasted for about half an hour late Monday, the military said.

The rebels had taken positions in the town's outskirts, displacing more than 300 families, in violation of a 2003 ceasefire accord, the military said.

"The MILF fired about a dozen mortars toward army positions," said regional army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Julieto Ando. "We returned mortar fire, but there were no reports of casualties."

Ando said the rebels who attacked apparently ignored commands from the MILF leadership to leave the area as both sides negotiated a deal on territory.The attack came after the Supreme Court in Manila stopped the government from signing a deal that would have given the MILF administrative and economic power over a large semi-autonomous area in southern Mindanao island.

The deal was to have been signed Tuesday in Malaysia, which has been brokering peace talks between the two sides.

The agreement was meant to pave the way for a final political settlement to end the MILF's 30-year fight for an independent Islamic state in the southern third of this largely Roman Catholic nation.

---
Makikipag deal ba sila sa ganyan? Ni hindi sila pinakikinggan ng sarili nilang tauhan.

[Revenant]

This just came in after the Supreme Court TRO:

MILF on pact: It's a done deal

By John Unson
Wednesday, August 6, 2008

COTABATO CITY – The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said yesterday the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain with the government is a “done deal” and ready for implementation despite last Monday’s Supreme Court order stopping its scheduled signing.

“We have initialed the text of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain last July 27, 2008. The pact is a done deal. It is binding on the contracting parties who are obliged to refrain from acts that would defeat the object and purpose of their agreement,” the MILF’s chief negotiator, Muhaquer Iqbal, said in a statement.

He said yesterday’s supposed signing of the MOA at the Marriott Hotel in Putrajaya, Malaysia was only a symbolic ceremony where he and his government counterpart Rudolfo Garcia were supposed to affix their “full signatures” on the document.

Iqbal was apparently referring to the “initialing” of the controversial document by the government and MILF representatives in Kuala Lumpur last July 25.

“The act of initialing the MOA-AD’s agreed text between the parties constitutes a signature of the Philippine government and MILF,” he said, pointing out the procedure was “done with a credible third party witness, the Malaysian government, as facilitator of the talks since 2001.”

Iqbal said it was the Arroyo administration that was embarrassed before the international community by the SC’s issuance of a temporary restraining order because “many ambassadors” were already in Malaysia to witness the signing.

He said the SC order was an internal matter of the Philippine government and not binding to the MILF.

“We do not even recognize the SC,” Iqbal said. “It should be implemented and up to the national government to comply with it.”

The dignitaries included US ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney and Sayed El-Masry, adviser to the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Conference Ekmeleddin Ishanuglo.

[claRkEnt]

others might say this is one again of those conspiracy theories... but this is really worth pondering as there's really logic. Di ko rin talaga gusto ang hilatsa ng pagmumukha nitong si esperon.

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquirer...behind-the-MOA

The sinister motive behind the MOA
By Neal Cruz
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:15:00 08/06/2008 The question is, “Why?” Why is the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo entering into an agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that it knows it cannot implement? Many provisions of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) are unconstitutional. To be implemented, the Constitution will have to be changed and a federal system of government installed. The Constitution cannot be changed before the presidential election of 2010 because of lack of time. Therefore President Arroyo will be out of office before even the first steps of the MOA can begin to be implemented.

If provisions of the MOA are not implemented, the MILF can say the government negotiated in bad faith and declare independence because it already has all the elements of a state: government, people, territory and international recognition. So instead of peace, the MOA will bring instability and most probably violence.

And why are they so much in a hurry to have the MOA signed? It would have been signed Tuesday had not the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order. It really looks like the MOA was railroaded. There were no consultations before it was drafted. Local government officials were not consulted, the people of the areas to be affected were not consulted, Congress was not consulted.

The government said there will be consultations after the signing. What, consultations will be done after the agreement becomes a done deal? This is the first time I have heard of an agreement being concluded and signed before consultations with those to be affected are made. What if the people do not approve of the contents of the MOA? Can the done deal still be undone? Of course not.

The Arroyo administration suddenly came up with the announcement that a MOA would be signed in Malaysia within a few days. Very few even knew what the MOA contained; it was so secret. Hermogenes Esperon, the President’s peace adviser, distributed copies to generals during the weekend but not to the senators and congressmen. The Inquirer got a copy from one of the generals and published its contents last Monday, but many top public officials were in the dark about the provisions of the MOA. Most of them read it for the first time in the Inquirer. Why did the “peace” (?) panel, or the administration, behave that way?

At the Kapihan sa Manila media forum last Monday, past, present and future senators discussed the meaning of the developments surrounding the MOA. Former Senate President Franklin Drilon, Sen. Francis Escudero, and a future senator, Adel Tamano, a Muslim, speculated on the reasons behind the actions of the administration regarding the MOA and their conclusion is that the motive is very sinister.

The reason for the secrecy and the haste, they said, is that they knew it would never pass scrutiny. They also speculated that the government knew that the MOA cannot be implemented and therefore it would bring instability and violence instead of peace. So why are they doing this?
Aha, it is a clever, roundabout way to keep Ms Arroyo in power. If violence spreads in Mindanao (it has already started in Iligan City: A congressman there texted Drilon that armed Muslims invaded some “barangay” [neighborhood district] there and Christians have started arming themselves), the President can have an excuse to declare martial law in Mindanao. Then when some bombs explode in the Visayas, Luzon and Metro Manila (remember when a few bombings in the metropolis and the fake ambush of then-minister of defense Juan Ponce Enrile gave Ferdinand Marcos the excuse to declare martial law in 1972?), martial law can be declared in the whole country.

With martial rule, the President can rule by decree, elections can be suspended, and Ms Arroyo will stay in power—indefinitely, until martial law is lifted and new elections are called, by which time the rules may have been changed, including allowing Ms Arroyo to run for a third term.
Speculation, yes, but it is possible. And if it is possible, you cannot rule it out. And with Ms Arroyo, you never know what is brewing in that little brain of hers.

But why would she want to stay on when she has had nothing but problems since she became president by forcibly pushing President Joseph Estrada out with the connivance of the Supreme Court, and for which she became the most hated president the Philippines ever had? Because when she is no longer president, she would no longer be immune from suit, so she would be inundated with cases, especially for graft the penalty for which is capital punishment. So if you are in her place, what will you do? Will you not try to hold on to power for as long as you can?

With her latest caper, however, she may not be able to even finish her term. Drilon said ceding a part of Philippine territory to the MILF—as the MOA will do—is an impeachable offense. Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., ironically the champion of federalism, has a stronger word for it: treason.

By the way, what will it do to our claim to Sabah? Will it be part of the ancestral domain of the Bangsamoro Juridical Entity? (Remember, it belongs to the Sultanate of Sulu, whose latest sultan complains that he was not consulted on the MOA.) Maybe not. Maybe we will finally lose Sabah. The MOA will be signed in Malaysia. Do you think Malaysia will allow the signing inside its territory of a document that will take away Sabah from its federation?

first it was the spratly's with China, now it's Sabah with malaysia. tsk tsk

[mark_t]

Sira ulo lang ang naniniwala sa ancestral domain claim na yan. Remember Islam was the dominant religion of the Philippines prior to the Colonization, if the ancestral domain is valid then Republic of the Philippines shall be and must be replaced by Bangsamoro republic.

Mindanao was dominated by Islam religion before the settlers came. Napaka inutil naman ng republikang to.

Islam is not the dominant religion prior to colonization. That is why if you will visit our museums, land deeds and last will and testaments are written in our old baybayin alphabet well into the 18th century. Grammar books in Spanish and Tagalog are also written in both the spanish and native baybayin alphabet up to the 18th century.

The natives ie Ygorots, Itneg, Abra, Ilonggot, Ybanag, Gadang, Tagalogs,
Manobo, Tiruray, Mangyan and many more tribes have continued with their
pre islamic and pre catholic conquest culture well after the spaniards have
left in 1899.

Though there are muslim communities in these islands their political domination does not extend beyond their canon range. Just like today.
They cannot impose their will on the neigboring communities. If you will
notice in our history, only the muslims and the Catholics built palisades and forts. The Ygorots, Gadangs, Ilongot, Kalinga and many other warlike tribes
has no use for them for they have remained masters of their realms.

Even the jolo muslims are looked down by the guimbahanon (sulu highlanders) for converting to islam so easily. The guimbahanon are the present day Tausugs. These are 15th century chronicles.

By the way did you know that the fort that Miguel Lopez de Legaspi
attacked in Tundo is a Kapangpangan Fort. The pasig river being the boundary between the Pampangos and the Tagalogs.

Just some trivia. Anyway I have always considered the NPA/NDF, MNLF
MILF,Ullama and the even Catholic Church as foreign threat to the
development of a secular society in these islands of ours. They are
foreign trained, funded and most likely directed as well.

I dont think that just because they are armed minorities is good reason
for everyone to be on their beck and call.

[Revenant]

If this is true... damn

'Fend for yourselves
if attacked by MILF'
C'bato exec bares threat by Esperon

BY VICTOR REYES
http://www.malaya.com.ph/aug07/news1.htm

NORTH Cotabato Vice Gov. Emmanuel Piñol has accused Hermogenes Esperon, presidential adviser on the peace process, of threatening to leave the people of his province to fend for themselves in case of an attack by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Piñol made the statements Tuesday night in an interview over ANC's Strictly Politics program.

Esperon, in a radio interview, denied telling Piñol that the military will not respond if the MILF attacks North Cotabato.

"Unang-una, yung Armed Forces ay tumatalima sa primacy of the peace process. Pino-protektahan ang mga communities diyan. Pa'no mo masasabi na hindi kayo pino-protektahan?" he asked.

Esperon, however, implied that the military will not respond against the MILF in the same way as it did in 2000 during the all-out war waged by the President Joseph Estrada , saying the situation is different now. "Ang ginagawa ng gobyerno ngayon ay isulong ang lasting peace sa Mindanao," he said.

Piñol, in the interview, said Esperon made the threat before the Supreme Court issued Monday a temporary restraining order on the signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain between the government and the MILF.

Piñol said he called Esperon over the phone after they were interviewed by the same television station over the MOA signing, which Piñol had questioned before the Supreme Court.

"I sensed actually that there was anger in his voice so after the program I decided to call him up and I said, `You know, I heard that you are kind of peeved at me because you heard reports I insulted you in public,'" he said.

Piñol said he told Esperon that the next time he is offended, Esperon should verify it first with him "because we are friends."

Piñol stood as a godfather to one of Esperon's children, when Esperon was still a brigade commander in North Cotabato from 1999 to 2001.

Piñol said that after making the clarification, he informed Esperon that the tribunal might grant North Cotabato's petition for a TRO. He said he also asked for Esperon's understanding on the province's refusal to be part of the expanded Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which is contained in the MOA.

"I hope you will understand that I'm just representing the interest of my people. I want to protect their rights, gusto naming mabasa yung MOA and we would like to question the provisions of the MOA," Piñol recalled telling Esperon.

"Pero ang sabi niya sa akin, `Pare, kapag na-TRO kami diyan bahala na kayo sa sarili niyo. We are not going to sacrifice the lives of our soldiers to defend you. Hindi isa-sakripisyo ang buhay ng aming mga sundalo para sa inyo," Piñol said.

Taken aback, Piñol said he told Esperon, "If that is the government policy, then we will be forced to defend ourselves."

He said he then composed a text message and spread it.

The text message read: "My beloved people. Tonight I was told by a top government official that if our opposition to be included in the ARMM will result in MILF attacks, the Armed Forces will not be able to help us all out because that's the policy of this government. Let us be brave and stand firm. God is with us."

PLEASING THE MILF

Piñol said he told his people to send the message to "our leaders so that they will understand that we should not expect a lot from the Armed Forces because right now, their (government) attitude is they are willing to sacrifice us just to please the MILF."

Piñol said he had admired Esperon when he played a role in the government's all-out war against the MILF in 2000.

"To us in the province of Cotabato at the time of the conflict in 1999 up to 2001, he was our hero... We were surprised by the dramatic transformation of Jun Esperon from the warrior that we knew him from the defender of the people of the province of North Cotabato to his new role of being a peacemaker," he said.

He said Esperon appeared to have taken his new job to the point that "he forgot that what he is saying would already affect the trust level of the people in the province of North Cotabato to government."

Esperon became a peace adviser in June, a month after retiring as AFP chief.

OPTIONS

Piñol stressed the need for the people of North Cotabato to prepare to defend themselves if they are attacked by the MILF. "What are our options if the Armed Forces will not defend us according to Secretary Esperon? We will be forced to defend ourselves. What else do we do?" he said.

Esperon appealed for a stop in the spread of text messages that he said tend to undermine the peace process. "Huwag ng magkalat ng mga text upang maghanda at lumaban. Di ito nakakatulong sa sitwasyon. Mabuti ng mag-usap tayo bago tayo maglabanan," he said.

AFP chief Gen. Alexander Yano said there is no policy restraining the soldiers from protecting the people of North Cotabato and those in the other areas.

"We are duty-bound to protect the communities from rebel atrocities and we do not renege on our mandate... We would like to assure that any violation of law regardless of whatever group is perpetrating these violations, your Armed Forces of the Philippines will deal with it," said Yano.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza said: "It's very irresponsible for a government official to even say that the government will desert us and we have to take up arms to defend ourselves. There could be some drama there."

Dureza said Piñol continues to agitate his people despite knowing that his force is no match to the MILF.

"I think it's stretching a little bit too far," he said.

'SACK ESPERON'

Sen. Manuel Roxas, former Senate President Franklin Drilon, and the United Opposition (UNO) called for Esperon's removal.

Roxas said he talked with Piñol Tuesday night and the local executive told him of Esperon's threat.

Makati Mayor and UNO president Jejomar Binay said Esperon's statement "was irresponsible and very unprofessional, and betrays a mindset that ignores civilian rule."

"A person who threatens to withhold military support to a civilian population out of spite has no business being the country's leading peace advocate," he said.

EXPLOITATING TENSION

Christian and Muslim lawmakers called on all Mindanao leaders to pacify the region as they warned that tension and misunderstanding arising from the suspended MOA signing could be exploited by extremists to start a conflict.

Speaker Prospero Nograles Jr. and Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Simeon Datumanong said the situation on the ground is not very tense although groups who are outside the ambit of the peace agreement, like the remnants of the Abu Sayyaf, might be tempted to make mischief.

Lanao del Norte Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo said the GRP and the MILF "have gone too far in the peace process" to turn their backs on this path.

Anak Mindanao Rep. Mujiv Hataman said all sectors must be vigilant saying, "It will take only one man out of 20 million Mindanaoans to create mayhem."

Reps. Maria Isabelle Climaco (Zamboanga City), Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza (North Cotabato) and Darlene Antonino-Custodio (South Cotabato) urged transparency on the intents and provisions of the MOA.

They pointed out that much of the tension and misgivings are borne out of suspicions about how the agreement might affect the lives of the people and the political situation of the region.

[Jun aka Pekto]

Cooler heads should prevail and not let the situation degenerate into vigilante justice.

There's nothing wrong with civilians arming themselves for defense. But, when they cross the line and start looking for revenge, that's when it starts to look bad. When you have a gun, it's easy to fall into that mindset. I don't have to look too far to know that.

Add: Browsing some Philippine online newspapers, things look calm for now. Hopefully it stays that way.

[claRkEnt]

Estrada's policy with the MILF is something that he can really be proud of and i salute him on that.

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/112609/E...h-rebel-groups

Estrada says govt must stand firm in dealing with rebel groups

MANILA, Philippines — Former President Joseph Estrada warned the government on Saturday that the country could break apart if it continues with its policy of appeasement with the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Estrada said the prevailing tension in Mindanao only proves that his “all out war" policy against the MILF.is more effective that President Gloria Macapagal’s appeasement policy.

He said the Arroyo government has no one to blame except itself for returning the 43 camps of the MILF that government troops seized when he declared an full-scale offensive against the separatist group in 2000.

“We had successfully overrun 43 camps of the MILF, including Camp Abubakar, but they (Arroyo administration) returned it to them. That is the main cause of our problem right now," he said, adding that the continuing secessionist movement and insurgency problem makes investors hesitant to business in the country.

“None of this would have happened if Malacaňang had followed through on my lead in rebuilding any and all attempts to cut up the Republic of the Philippines, and in restoring Philippine sovereignty in areas and camps previously claimed to be the exclusive domain of the MILF," he said in an interview.

Estrada said his declaration of an “all-out war" against fellow Filipinos had been one of the most difficult decisions he made in his short-lived presidency.

“But it was a necessary step in preventing further chaos in Mindanao and in pushing through with a genuine peace and development initiative in the region," Estrada said.

He said the Arroyo administration must be firm in its resolve to address the peace and order problem in Mindanao and must also be at all times transparent in dealing with MILF or any other rebel group.

“We all want peace, but at what price? There was no transparency, no respect for the people’s right to be informed about an agreement that would affect their future," he said.

He was referring to the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain between government and the MILF that was stopped by the Supreme Court.

[safeorigin]

masarap kasi ang pinya

[Isuzoom]

they get mindanao...next...visayas.......Putong Inamoy Nyo!!! saksakin ko kayo ng pinya!!!

[grecoski]

Ang all-out-war kasi saten tumatagal lang ng ilang linggo wala ng operation, dapat gawin nila year-round operation saka lagyan nila ng "nickname" para astig kahit pano example Operation Anaconda,Operation Desert Scorpion etc. para matakot sila sa tawag palang kasama yun sa military tactics. Hindi yung all-out-war lagi sinasabi dapat my nickname. Tapos lahat ng asset ng Army,Navy,Air force kung meron man dalhin nila lahat sa Mindanao hindi lang ung 8 APC ng Army nakastandby.Kung ilan man sundalo ng Army imobilise agad sa hostile area via land and air,tapos papakawala ng mga missile mga warship ng Navy pag confirmed na location nila, sabay sa paglalaglag ng bomba mga F-15,F-16,F-18 ng Air force at ground assault ng mga elite Marines, SAF, Commandos, mga tangke at rocket launchers ng Army,iiistrafe pa ng "little bird" MD-Defender..... sigurado mapapagod din katatago at katatakbo yang mga yan sa gubat. Sige laban mga sundalong Pilipino kahit panuorin man lang sana kayo ng mga pelikula ni Rambo at Chuck Norris bago sumabak at ginagarantiya kong mawawarshock kayo, dodoble pa casualties ng kalaban.

[grecoski]

MILF is a terrorist group not far from ASG or NPA, for me the rule is no peace talk, no deal with them, just give 'em a hell they deserve like the way they kill and burn the houses in Lanao and bomb Iligan City.We should be asking ourselves "is this the group we should talk to?" hell no!. Just equip our soldiers with the best equipment in the world and the above mentioned groups will be hiding, AFP give 'em a big knock out punch in their face

[jonski]

Military officer texted ‘sorry’ to wife before dying
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakin...e-before-dying

By Nestor P. Burgos Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:03:00 08/19/2008

ILOILO CITY, Philippines— In a final act of love, Lieutenant Colonel Angel Benitez sent a text message to his wife on Sunday, just hours before he was killed by Moro rebels in Lanao del Norte.

"Ma, I'm sorry for all the pains I brought you," he said to Maria Elena or "Cookie."

She did not understand the message then because her husband did not elaborate. But on Monday, she received a phone call with the news that her husband was among those killed in the attacks launched by Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels.

The family, already used to the long absences of Benitez because of his various assignments, is still coming to terms with the fact that he will never come home again.

Cookie, 37, said she found it difficult to answer the questions of their four children, aged 9 to 15, especially on how their father died.

Her husband's death was among the things that she prepared herself since they got married 16 years ago. But she was still in denial that her worst fear had come true.

"It is so untimely. He was with us just last week," a weeping Cookie told the Philippine Daily Inquirer at the family residence in the village of Tabuc Suba in Jaro District here.

Benitez, 40, visited his family for around two weeks and left last week for his new assignment in Lanao.

Reserved and silent, the respected combat and intelligence officer was unusually talkative during a party at their house last August 8.

"He was so lively and he kept on talking," Cookie said.

Just before he left, he made sure that the fence of their house and a concrete protection from flooding were completed. Their house was among those damaged by the flooding brought by typhoon "Frank" last June 21.

"Pag nawala ako, safe kayo (You will be safe, even if I'm gone)," he told his family when the repairs were done.

With her husband's death, Cookie is holding on to the encouraging words her husband gave her in raising their family while he was mostly away in the field.

"He always told me I was a ‘superwoman’ because I can do anything. Perhaps it was his way of making me strong and making up for his absence," said Cookie.

Cookie said her husband was a "perfect soldier" who was devoted to his career even at the cost of his time with his family.

But he also tried hard to become a good father and husband in the limited time he was with them.

He would visit them every two or four months and stay from 10 days to two weeks.

But when he was with them, Benitez would devote his time bringing their kids to school.

Cookie said her husband had to miss important events like their children's first communion and some school affairs. He could not even be at her side when she was going on labor because of his work.

But he was happiest when he could be part of these events.

"He was so happy when he was able to attend the oath-taking ceremony of our three children who won in the student council elections," she said.

Ever the military man, Benitez could be strict with their children, which prompted his wife to remind him at times that he was at home and not in a military camp.

But for the past three years, he was more demonstrative of his affections for his children and took more time to be closer with them.

Cookie said he had been preparing for the debut party of their 15-year-old eldest child and only daughter three years in advance of her 18th birthday.

Cookie described her husband as a "perfectionist" who wanted to be at top, just like his military colleagues. He constantly urged their children to excel, to be at the top of their classes, and not to settle for second.

A native of Naguilian town in La Union and a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1990, Benitez topped various courses and trainings that he underwent. He also had a master's degree in public administration at the University of Iloilo.

"I was attracted to him when he was still a PMA cadet because he was so smart," said Cookie.

The seasoned and bemedaled combat officer also loved to cook and was good in preparing Ilocano dishes.

"He was the one who encouraged me to eat vegetables," Cookie said.

With his death, the care and upbringing of their children has fallen on Cookie's shoulders.

"I still think that he would just show up at our gate and tell us that he survived," she said.

The remains of the slain officer arrived at the Iloilo airport on Tuesday, met by Cookie, relatives and her husband's fellow soldiers.

Cookie said she would always be proud of her husband's heroism though she wished that it was not at the cost of his life.

But his heroism is not lost on three of their sons who have said that they also want to enroll in the PMA and follow in their father's footsteps despite the disapproval of their mother.

Cookie said that when her husband was alive, she always prepared the best parties for him.

"I will give him the best burial. My only regret is that I wasn't able to say my last 'I love you.'"
-----

Sana ipabasa ito sa mga Sen. Madrigal and Escudero, Gabriela, KMU etc....Ang hilig nila magreklamo sa budget ng AFP, ilang SAR helo sana nabili ng PhAF.