Cruz’s resignation bears watching

The irrevocable resignation of Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz seems to have caught a lot of people by surprise, although many had expected it. But the question now is what prompted him to submit his irrevocable resignation.

This is something that bears serious watching. The reason is that Cruz had always been a silent worker. He was not known to be on a political course and he has earned the respect of most of the average tao.

Therein a lies the danger of possible repercussion of Cruz’s departure from the Cabinet. He, in his own words, had been the subject of intrigues by some members of the President’s family, all because he was one of the founders of the law office that include among its members Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

In short, the question boils down to whether Cruz, who was opposed to the people’s initiative spearheading the move to change the charter, was expected to lobby for Carpio to change his mind.

The defeat of the people’s initiative in the Supreme Court was considered a major blow to the administration’s persistent effort to amend the Charter. This could still blow up into something very serious.

The grand bluff commemorated

Very few Filipinos are aware that Negros Occidental succeeded in dislodging the Spaniards from the province in what is now considered a historic bluff that convinced the Spaniards they were confronting a formidable armed insurrection.

Even Negrenses themselves tended to take the incident for granted. Thus, over the years, Cinco de Noviembre had always been commemorated locally by separate local celebrations — one in Bago City, the two others in Silay City and Talisay City.

Bacolod, which was the place where Col. Isidro de Castro surrendered, was often bypassed by the celebrations.

The Negros Occidental Historical Council, meanwhile, managed yesterday to convince provincial officials, led by Gov. Joseph Maranon to spearhead the commemoration of the event at the Fountain of Justice in front of the Bacolod City Hall.

For once, Bago, Silay and Talisay officials, along with Bacolod officialdom, headed by Mayor Evelio Leonardia, joined hands in commemorating the affair together, which was jointly sponsored by the Bacolod City government, the provincial government and the Negros Occidental Historical Council.

Bago City Mayor Janet Garcia, Talisay City Mayor Eric Saratan, Rep. Jose Carlos Lacson joined the wreathlaying ceremonies to honor the deed of the Negrense heroes.

In her book. Maria Fe Romero called it as the bloodless revolution.

The affair was preceded by the invocation and the national anthem by the provincial government choir.

Perhaps, national historians had not given it much thought because it happened way down in the southern Philippines. And the revolution was launched without the go-signal from the revolutionary leaders under Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo. Even Roque Lopez of Iloilo seemed not to have been consulted about it.

Anyway, the Negros revolutionary leaders launched their revolt against the Spaniards on their own. Actually, Don Gil Lopez in Cadiz City fired the opening salvo.

But on Cinco de Noviembre, the northern Army under Gen. Aniceto Lacson invaded the Spanish garrison of Silay City. Their commander agreed to a swordplay with Gen. Lacson and surrendered later to the Filipino officer.

The Northern forces then marched toward Bacolod, pausing for a while at the Malago, which divides Talisay City and Bacolod City.

Later, they gradually advanced against the Spanish garrison. They were espied from the watchtower of the Bacolod cathedral.

During the same day, the Southern forces under Don Juan Araneta, advanced to Bacolod from Bago City.

Prior to that, rumors had circulated in Bacolod about the landing of brand-new Murata (Japanese) rifles shipment in the South.

The Spanish telescope revealed that the Southern forces were armed with glistening rifles and brand-new cannons.

Actually, the cannons were amakaan or bamboo mats rolled and painted black! And the Murata rifles of the revolutionaries later turned out to be coconut palms cut to look like rifles and also painted black.

Confronted by the "formidable armies," Col. De Castro capitulated the following day after negotiations for the surrender of the Spanish forces.

Thus, was won the revolution in Negros Occidental in a grand bluff.

We hope next year, that the event will be commemorated more grandly and with the appropriate fanfare as befits the historic event that won Negros its independence from Spain, with only a Spanish soldier as the lone casualty.

Three more rebel camps discovered

The military discovered three more rebel camps in Northern and Central Negros. They also stumbled on a cave used as a recuperating area for wounded insurgents, according to 11th Infantry Battalion chief Lt. Col. Jess Mananquil.

Earlier, the troops also stumbled on a hastily abandoned New People’s Army camp in Barangay Marcelo, Calatrava in Northern Negros Occidental.

The cave reportedly served as a recuperating area for insurgents wounded in sporadic armed clashes with soldiers.

Military intelligence showed that among the insurgents encountered by soldiers in Barangays Telim and Cruz in Calatrava included newly recruited amazons from Davao, Cebu, and Zamboanga. They were reportedly undergoing on-the-job training in the province.

The NPA guerrillas reportedly belong to the Larangan Gerillya 3 behind the recent Silay airport bombing.

Mananquil stressed that "there will be no letup in military operations."

Negrenses are bracing for progress reports from the military as they pursued relentlessly their manhunt for the NPA band.

Deadly city

Death, the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse, claimed another Dumaguete City resident at a shop along San Juan street.

The latest victim, Francis John "Chino" Perez, 30, single, is the proprietor of the Kinaiyana Outdoor Shop. He is from Mantuyong, Mandaue City.

Perez was reportedly eating at the KSTAR Food House along Cervantes Street, in front of the West Elementary School, when shot by two men on motorcycles.

According to Juancho Gallarde, of the Visayan Daily STAR (Dumaguete bureau), police investigations showed that Perez may have been the victim of a fraternity vendetta. Police recovered eight spent shells from a caliber .45 pistol.

SPO3 Rodrigo Tubog reported that a certain Manuel Jarabe rented the motorcycle from Winston Villanueva. The driver was Diego Beejay Bustanillo.

Witnesses identified the gunmen, who were later arrested by the police. They were reportedly members of the AKRHO fraternity. Perez reportedly belonged to the rival fraternity, Tau Gamma.

Perez, according to police investigators, had reportedly been involved in a shooting incident in Cebu City sometime ago and was being pursued in Dumaguete by AKRHO fraternity members.

That’s one killing that has not been attributed to local vigilantes, who have been blamed for a string of gun slayings in the city.