Reveille

By Ramon J. Farolan
Philippine Daily Inquirer
03/02/2009

Last year in early June, I visited the detained officers and men of the Magdalo group who are being held at the Camp Crame Custodial Center. Just to refresh the minds of our readers, in July 2003 some 300 junior officers and enlisted men took over the Oakwood Hotel in Makati City, denouncing corruption in government and calling for the resignation of the president. A day after, following 20 hours of negotiations, the mutineers surrendered, giving up their arms and returning to barracks.

As I mentioned in several columns on the subject in the past, the terms of surrender unanimously pledged by the government called for military justice under the Articles of War and not being charged in civilian courts. The late Max Soliven, publisher of the Philippine Star, dwelt lengthily on the negotiations in his column of Monday, Aug. 4, 2003. Soliven wrote: “What bothers me is that the mutineers are being double-crossed...”

To this day, no one in government has publicly repudiated the personal witness account of Soliven. And true to his apprehensions, in an unprecedented act of betrayal, the government charged 20 of the junior officers involved in a civilian court. They all pleaded “not guilty.” But after more than five years in detention, nine of the 20 changed their pleas from “not guilty” to “guilty,” and were pardoned by the Arroyo administration. Eleven junior officers including Sen. Antonio Trillanes continue to languish in jail at Camp Crame and it appears that under this government, the act of betrayal continues to be compounded by the slow pace of justice. As of July this year, the officers will be completing six years in jail for an alleged crime which government has not been able to bring to a close one way or another.

Six years in jail and still no end in sight!

When I visited the officers last June, Brig. Gen. Danny Lim, former commander of the Scout Ranger Regiment, was also with the group. Since Danny participated in the Peninsula hotel actions, he was separated from his former comrades who were involved in the aborted February 2006 movement. By coincidence, it was Danny’s 53rd birthday and jokingly, he mentioned that it was his sixth birthday celebration in captivity. Surrounded by family and friends, he appeared to be in high spirits, ready for the worst that could be thrown at him.

Danny Lim has always had a rebel streak in his bones. As a young captain in 1989, he made a brief TV appearance against the government during the Makati standoff. For this he was detained for almost three years and for a while, it looked like the end of a promising military career which began as a plebe at the Philippine Military Academy in 1973. In 1974, after completing plebe year with class 1977, he was sent to the US Military Academy at West Point, graduating with the class of 1978. By tradition, he could have joined PMA class 1977, his original group, but Lim is listed in the PMA alumni register as a member of PMA class 1978.

Like the legendary phoenix, Lim rose from the ashes of the 1989 coup to become a brigadier general. Just a few years ago, the brightest stars of PMA class 1978 were Brig. Gen. Delfin Bangit, the commander of the Presidential Security Group, and Lim. If anyone dared to predict who in the class would become AFP chief of staff, the choice easily narrowed down to these two gentlemen with each deferring to the other whenever the subject was raised.

Today they find themselves in contrasting situations. One is being groomed for AFP chief of staff; the other enters his fourth year in detention, his military career once more in limbo.

Last Monday, a full-page advertisement appeared in the Inquirer, extolling the virtues of Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim. The signatories declared their unity under his leadership, citing “his leadership qualities, his impeccable character, and his consistent display of uncommon valor and patriotism in the face of extremely difficult situations.”

Was it the first salvo fired for a Senate bid while in detention? Or was it a reminder that all was not well in the armed forces notwithstanding declarations to the contrary by government authorities? By the way, a full-page ad usually costs around P180,000.

Filipinos love rebels. Gen. Fidel Ramos was a co-leader of the first Edsa Revolt. He was elected president. Sen. Gregorio Honasan made it on his first try for the Senate. Sen. Antonio Trillanes with limited funds and minimal media coverage, and under detention, easily won also on his first try. If Danny Lim decides to join the political race, he would be welcomed with open arms by the opposition.

To my mind, Danny Lim is no political animal. I suspect that he would rather be back in the saddle commanding troops, than serving as a senator of the land. But this dream can only be realized under a new and completely different dispensation. And there are a few scores to settle. Shortly after his arrest, army authorities unceremoniously evicted his wife and daughter from their quarters in Fort Bonifacio. In a society that has always respected women, they became collateral victims in an age that has forsaken chivalry.

Danny’s father is pure Chinese from Xiamen; his mother, a Boholana. He grew up in Solano, Nueva Vizcaya, finishing as valedictorian in high school then moving on to UP Diliman before entering the PMA. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Aloysia. They have an only child, 18-year-old Aika, a first-year architecture student at the University of Sto. Tomas.

Last Saturday, Danny was given a 12-hour pass to attend Aika’s debut. It was only the third occasion for limited liberty granted by Judge Elmo M. Almeda of the Makati RTC. With all the criticisms being made against our justice system, Judge Almeda must be commended for his willingness to temper the harshness of a basically political system with understanding and compassion.