Rebels of Mindanao (20 page)

Liu supported Galan's opinion. “They were not thinking at all, and their silly antics just encourage the insurrectionists to push our nation into a civil war.”

“Reggie, I expect soon you will be a general officer.” Galan surprised Liu. If Galan wanted him to be promoted, he could make it happen.

“And I suppose some day you will be President,” Liu said, returning the compliment.

Galan fidgeted, but only slightly, and changed the subject. “We have to change the way we appoint our top generals.”

Liu was glad to have his own personal opinion reinforced by a man he respected. Galan continued, “Now, the Chief of Staff is appointed only for a year or less, more as a reward for loyal service than a recognition of competence. Once appointed, he brings along his cronies and promotes them to general officer rank, then soon after that a whole new flock of fledgling one-stars all retire and get their pensions and staff for life, a huge cost for a poor country. Better we appoint a younger man to be the chief and let him serve long enough to implement an agenda. Someday you could be that man, postpone your retirement for more stars; mentor your successor. In the meantime, you could help elect the next president.”

Liu liked what he heard. And so would many of the younger officers, the ones who served loyally and with little recognition. “You're right, Martin, a lot of the officer corps right now are simply pissed off. Better we act sooner than have to react later to another internal revolt.” Liu wanted to show Galan his support.

Galan paused, refolded his napkin and replaced it neatly on the table. “There's something I want to talk with you about, Reggie, in that regard. I need the right man to command an expanded force in Mindanao and the Visayas to prevent the MNLF from taking over the southern Philippines. The peace talks are stalled, and the Moros have lost their patience. They are not accepting the obvious presence of American troops in the indigenous lands. Do you remember our conversation after the Army-Navy game at the U.S. Embassy, with that Thomas Thornton and the U.S. Embassy staff, especially the reps from their State and Defense Departments?”

“Yes, Thornton is an old acquaintance. We both graduated from West Point, different years, of course.” Liu wanted Galan to get to the issue. The waiters were standing ready to serve dessert.

“Apparently some things have started to roll between Washington and Manila. Both governments believe it is in their long-term best interest to thwart the global presence of Al Qaeda, and we have definite proof of a major initiative underway at this moment in Mindanao. I want you to lead our forces there on the ground. You will report, in
theory, to Lieutenant General Roland Villarreal who heads Southern Command, but you will actually get your orders directly from me. Check in with Roland when you get to Davao City: he'll work with you. I will be, unofficially, working with the U.S. Embassy: they have the intelligence-gathering mechanisms, satellites and tech systems, and some special forces on the ground now, “training” our rangers.”

Galan paused to let this sink in and to wait for questions. There were none, so he continued, “We will need to act
immediately
on the intelligence we get from them, I mean within
minutes
of receipt, so I will either be in the operations room of the JUSMAG personally or in direct contact with the Americans by telephone all the time. Our president has secretly approved all this, but we have to keep it quiet. Go by Army HQ, and coordinate all this with the Chief of Staff, then get to Davao City. Roland is instructed to give you troops and logistical support, but will let you command—for better or for worse, you'll be on your own.” Galan laid out the problematical assignment for Liu, by its nature full of the possibility for disgrace and embarrassment if it got fouled up and little reward if it went perfectly.

“What's new about the threat in Mindanao? Why me? Why now?” Liu wanted to confirm Galan's commitment to him, and test the depth of the congressman's authority. He saw his first star either within his grasp or slipping away—he was not sure which.

“The Abu Sayaf has some new money. Hot money; no way to trace it.”

“I am aware of that, and understand the U.S. interest in having Thornton make it disappear before they can use it.”

“Since the execution of that Muslim terrorist in Indonesia, Al Qaeda is now targeting bars and night clubs, churches, any place the cowards might be able to kill either a lot of people or, even better, a lot of tourists. The Kadayawan bombing in Davao City is just the start of their plan; there will be more incidents. They're after softer targets to make a louder statement. It's not just about going after our military, which might be too difficult for them,” Galan continued. “Their cells are functioning independently world-wide. No central control from Al Qaeda in Iran or Afghanistan is necessary. We need to pursue a second front against their clandestine cells. In Mindanao, for example, that Octagon gang, one of the cells, goes after rich Chinese, kidnapping unsuspecting
wealthy citizens for ransom. Can you imagine, according to our intelligence, the MNLF has 12,000 men under arms in the North, the NPA has terrorist influence in the East, and the Abu Sayaf has training camps in the West? Only Davao City proper had been quiet, until the bombs and then the major catastrophe at Kadayawan last week. We lost the only powerful and charismatic leader we had in Mindanao when they killed Mayor Fuentes. I will give you the power and the authority, exclusively; you report directly only to me. So try to avoid snoopy seniors. You know the routine.”

Now Liu had the entire concept of the operation laid out clearly for him. It was a request, but it was also an order, given to him in friendly language and demeanor by Galan. Liu probed. “I suppose if anything goes wrong you blame me; if it goes right, you get the credit?”

“Reggie, you're beginning to understand politics.” Galan smiled in a mock conspiratorial tone. Then he shocked the straitlaced Colonel.

“The Americans just want to make the money go away so the Abu Sayaf is not funded. They don't care where it goes. Instead of this Thornton guy winding up with it, think about how much good we could do for our country if it wound up in some small bank in the middle of Mindanao, say, in somebody's name, not yours or mine of course, but in someone's name who would support the right choice for the next president. Wouldn't that make a lot of sense? Think how much good we could do for our country. We could resolve all the problems we've just talked about.” Galan had his arm around Liu's shoulder as they stood up and walked out of the Aristocrat, the last luncheon guests to return to the heat of an early afternoon in Manila.

What Galan told him sounded wrong to Liu, yet Galan's hopes for their country were the same as his. Wasn't this why he had sacrificed his best years?

As a last stop before he left Manila, after he had gone home and picked up his already packed combat kit and said goodbye yet again to Trisha, Liu went as ordered to Malacanang, the seat of the Philippine government, to meet personally with the Chief of Staff of the Army, General Ramil Ortiz. Although only a Colonel in rank, Liu was well known and respected throughout the army, partly because he had taught “thermo” to many of the younger army officers in their academy days
in Baguio. General Ortiz was aware of the official mission assigned to Liu by Galan, and now he confirmed its importance. Reiterating the need to act discreetly during any military operation, Ortiz told Liu that he would get the necessary support on the ground from General Villarreal in Davao City, but he also wanted to brief Liu personally before he departed on his assignment.

Ortiz came right to the point. “We have got to sort out the Davao blast, find out who did it and eliminate them. Some of the overseas press, and even some regional rags published out there in the provinces, are conjecturing that the Kadayawan disaster was carried out not only by our own citizens, but also by members of our armed forces. Some suspect a coup is coming. We have empowered a Truth Commission to buy some time while they investigate the root reasons for the Davao City bombings. We don't have much time. Meanwhile, the world views us as a banana republic. We must change this image, and we must change the facts, very soon.”

“All this I know, sir. And I will do my job.” Liu was honored, but needed to be tactful with Ortiz. What he was doing was not exactly according to protocol. “What reliable intelligence do we have? Exactly who do we think were the prime movers in the Davao incidents?” he asked.

“Not good intelligence, locally. Maybe Abu Sayaf, maybe NPA, but we have information from the U.S. that Al Qaeda is funding the local terrorists. But we can't publish our version of the story without some hard proof, preferably some dead bodies, with documents. It must be made clear that no one in our government is sponsoring revolution in Mindanao. If that were the case, civil war throughout the Philippines could happen, even here in the north, at great cost in lives and to our progress as a nation.”

Liu took their discussion in another direction, “I understand the church is also raising questions. The Christians do not want to become Muslims.”

“And vice–versa, I am sure. We can't comment about such matters even in jest. But we certainly need to take into account commercial business interests also,” Ortiz continued. “Merely the threat of civil war shuts off foreign investment, and then the peso crashes, our country can't
afford to pay the interest on our foreign debt and the whole house of cards collapses.”

Liu was sitting in the old, burnished rattan chair opposite the general's desk, a chair he had occupied several times before when the situation was happier. He waited for the Chief of Staff to continue.

“Colonel Liu, Reggie, there will be some American involvement, I have been informed, but we must keep it low-key. Whatever you do must look like a Philippine Army operation, undertaken by our loyal citizen soldiers against a foreign threat to our country. You know there are American troops in the area now. The Americans are in the field—but in Zamboanga, not in Davao.”

“The Vice Mayor, replacing Mayor Fuentes, is waiting for you with General Villarreal in Davao City. We know from the Americans where the Abu Sayaf patrol is stopped at the moment, so try to get there immediately, take charge of the field operation, and eliminate that renegade outfit before all Mindanao blows up!”

Colonel Liu left for Davao City in a C130 with a small cadre of rangers and support teams, and extra equipment to help out the existing Task Force Davao. He was intensely aware of the immensity of his assignment all the way south.

Davao City had been a small, dirty town lying on the two banks of the Davao River for the centuries of occupation, first by the Spanish and then the Americans. But during the last twenty years it had experienced rapid growth as territory was annexed and population multiplied. Tribespeople moved in from the jungles to taste city comforts and foreigners came from everywhere to seek their fortunes. Now it was a big dirty city lying on the two banks of the Davao River. There was not as much trash lining the streets or as many open sewers running into gutters on every block as before. Progress. Hovels built long ago on stilts above garbage dumps, where the freshly arrived natives from the country could literally live on the garbage, had been bulldozed and concrete shops with apartments above them put in their place. More progress.

Liu landed at the new and modern Davao City airport and was met by Vice Mayor Miguel Mandosong, accompanied by the bodyguards of the recently assassinated Mayor Fuentes. The arrival protocol was
under the nervous control of Mandosong, who was actually now the mayor in fact, if not yet accepted by the people or even by his own subconscious.

“Colonel Liu, I am at your service, and hope to bring you quickly to the headquarters of Task Force Davao. They are ready to move against the enemy.”

Liu nodded to Mandosong politely.

They drove with sirens and blinking lights through the choke points where police officers controlled the traffic entering the city along any of the corridors of approach, closely inspecting vehicles with tinted windows or questionable license plates. A heavy-duty 2 1/2 ton dump truck loaded above its wooden stakes with hard, green, fat bananas being moved into Davao City for export to world markets, was forced to move off the road so the official vehicles could whiz by. The rushing convoy scared and scattered the weavers seated at the edge of the highway who were piecing together rugs of romblon, the fibers of a plant that grew profusely along the Davao seacoast. Tricycles hauling pedestrians bumped up onto the curb.

The officials arrived at the headquarters of Task Force Davao less than half an hour after Liu had touched down. Three-star General Villarreal, commanding all army forces in the south, was a man who had been contending with the insurgents in Mindanao, especially the inland areas of the west and north, for the last three years. The Task Force reported to him, and he used it as his personal tool for special actions.

“Colonel Liu,” he welcomed a man he had known for years although they had not often met, while he hardly looked at the nervous Vice Mayor, “Task Force Davao has two full infantry companies already mustered and sitting in trucks with their engines running. You don't need any written orders.”

“I understand, sir.” Liu knew when to say as little as possible.

Villarreal took Liu by the arm and led him over to the window, while Vice Mayor Mandosong sat and drank a Nescafé, thankful that the officers were taking charge of the insurgent question. He would have his hands full in handling the city administration itself.

“The Chief of Staff called and briefed me,” said the general. “You will have all I can get for you, but I still have to defend Davao City from
God knows what will happen next. This small force of two companies is all I can let you have now. But they are both commanded by capable officers and are well equipped. Good luck. Don't waste time. Don't delay anything by contacting me to approve your plans, just stay within your operational area; Galan will tell me whatever I need to know.”