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Monday, August 13, 2007

I beg your pardon, Sir?

Anyone please, explain this to me like I were a three-year old.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), since that infamous ambush of Marines that despicably ended with beheadings and other mutilations, has been grossly out-maneuvered, out-skilled and yes, believe or not, out-numbered.

On August 9, another ambush left 26 soldiers dead and 17 others wounded - the biggest single day casualty in the history of the AFP.

But then came AFP Chief Gen. Germogenes Esperon Jr. saying: “we may have more fatality but we are still winning the war” (or words to that effect).

Excuse me?

I may not be a military strategist (even if I have been wanting to finish Sun Tzu’s The Art of War for years now), but I guess it doesn’t need genius to figure out this equation: more dead and wounded equals loss.

I see no other way to look at it.

Unless we take our soldiers to be no better than chess pawns which we can deploy as “sacrifices” so that we may gain headway towards a checkmate. Tell me this is not how our military minds operate.

16 comments:

carlotta1924 said...

tsk, tsk, tsk. i'll believe it when they do win.

Tami said...

parang sour-graping naman yung comment niya na yun.. i agree with your last statement. i don't think there should be 'winners' in a war. Ano yun, basketball game? And so what if one side 'wins'? it will only serve to boost one side's ego, o pati morale, fine. But it won't change the mindset of the opposite camp. it shouldn't be treated as such kasi there are lives on the line. (ayan, nahihigh-blood tuloy ako. =D)

Anonymous said...

I have a friend who pilots one of the military choppers deployed in Basilan and Sulu.

He said he pitied the soldiers. He brings them to the battlefront alive, but picks them up in body bags.

And given the number of casualties, it's obvious that our military lack the strategy.

atto aryo said...

Carlotta: Thanks for the visit. Sana nga manalo na sila. Meaning, napatahimik na nila ang Mindanao.

Tami: Ang puso mo! :-)

Lazarus: Wars become personal when we realize there are people we know who are risking life and limb to pursue military goals. From the way this war is being handled, it seems that these men don't seem to matter much as people but merely as part of the weaponry to counter the opponents.

nelo said...

sana lang kasi sumusugod rin yung esperon ng makita nya hinahanap nya...

pampalubag loob lang yung words nya sa mga namatayan..pero hindi naman yun makakatulong.

MANDAYA MOORE: Ang bayot sa bukid said...

the afp will not win the war in sulu and basilan, or in any part of mindanao.

war is not the answer to this problem.

kung walang gutom, walang mag-aalsa.

kung may lupa, may saka.

palma tayona said...

“we may have more fatality but we are still winning the war...”

minsan, sa mga ganitong uri ng komentaryo mula sa militar eh, mapapakamot ka na lang ng ulo, susubo ng lollipop at sisigaw ng "mommy, takot ako sa mamaw..."

sigh...

ek manalaysay said...

at kailan pa nagkaroon ng nanalo sa isang digmaan? sa bawat digmaan na nangayari... walang panalo walang talo! sounds elementary pero totoo! ang lahat ay talo! bakit kasi kailan pang makipag-digma?

Anonymous said...

Aren't all these staged? No one ever wins in war anyway. All there is are mere gratifications of those in power that they achieved something.

Marcus: Bading Down Under said...

Sometimes, these army people confuse me... No, really... they do.

hxero said...

nakakatakot talaga pag me war... sa province, our city is surrounded ng mga lugar na lagi me war (like Kabacan, Magpet, Tacurong, etc.)... kahit sanay na kami na me dumaan na mga tanks and choppers sa amin from time-to-time... nandun pa rin un takot kase alam namin na me casualties lagi... buti na nga lang wala na ngayon war dun...

atto aryo said...

Intsik: I'm not sure, but is the AFP spokesperson just a recent invention. There's no such thing before, because then, the soldiers were busy fighting the war. Now, talking and posturing for the media takes more of their time.

Nelo: Di ba nga nakakainis na ang ganda tingnan ng full military honors sa mga namatay? Dapat samahan yun ng gawa.

Mandaya: I hope I could agree that war is not a solution. But how do we give justice to those who died. We all feel the shortcomings of government but we never felt the urge to kill and behead people. Fellow Filipinos to be exact.

atto aryo said...

Daniel: I could forgive them actually if they act better than they talk. That's the norm for soldiers. Kaya lang, hindi e.

Yatot: Malaking tanong talaga ang bakit kailangan pang me giyera. Pero bahagi na yata ito ng kasaysayan ng tao. Ayoko na ring magpilit sagutin.

atto aryo said...

Marcus: Anlabo nga nila no? :-)

Hxero and Rey: War is beautiful only in the movies, where bad guys are evidently different from the good ones. But in real life, it's difficult to make a distinction. And we couldn't care less. All we need is peace.

aajao said...

i think the soldiers know (even before they enter the battlefield) that they are living to die. for a cause, of course.

Nk. said...

san ka ba nakakita ng mga militar na painterview ng painterview sa TV? shouldn't these guys not talk about their strategies on tv?

i have three friends who are in the military and every time there are news about soldiers getting killed i always have to brace myself a little (how much more yung family nila di ba).

of course, the risk is part of their job.

but having stupid higher ups doesn't make it easier, does it.