by John Muir
CHAPTER 5
ORGANISING THE HELP & RESOURCES
ILIGAN, WEST MINDANAO
The attache greeted Suraido as a long lost friend and offered him a seat immediately in front of his desk. The attache ignored the presence of Warvic in the room. Suraido pulled a spare chair alongside his and gestured for Warvic to sit. The Libyan frowned disapprovingly as Warvic sat almost immediately to his front. Warvic began to give a verbal précìs of the plan but the attache looked everywhere else in the room except at Warvic. When she finished, she placed the bound plan in front of him.
The Libyan seemed disinterested, merely looking fleetingly at the booklet she had so painstakingly prepared. He could not disguise his surprise at the sophistication of the presentation. Warvic did not want to part with such a detailed outline of the plan, but she knew she had to. If it fell into the wrong hands, weeks of work would be wasted.
Suraido, realising her concerns, tried to reassure her that her plan would receive the highest degree of security and confidentiality. Warvic's confidence in Suraido's reassurance dropped when the Libyan casually pushed the precious document to the side of his desk as if brushing away some dust.
When Warvic endeavoured to press for a decision date, the Libyan official ignored her. He carried on a conversation with Suraido as though she was not even in the room.
Warvic immediately knew that she would have no conscience about the hidden agenda in her plan.
After the meeting was concluded, the Libyan stood and shook hands with Suraido then sat down. Warvic offered her hand but the Libyan merely picked up his pen and began to write on a notepad on the desk. Suraido, gently, but firmly guided Warvic toward the door. It was not difficult to sense that Warvic was inwardly fuming at the chauvinistic attitude of the official. Although Suraido tried to placate Warvic, he also knew that if this embassy official was ever known by Warvic to be travelling through an NPA area, he would never leave the area alive. Even in Manila, outside the embassy he would be a target, if and when Warvic decided it so. Some insults could never be forgiven. As a Filipino first and a Muslim second, Suraido could understand that.
He decided that after he had escorted Warvic back to her Iligan safe house he would return to the embassy official for further discussions.
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Warvic was not good company for her personal aides over the next few days. Even when Suraido called on her she remained surly and quiet.
Three weeks after the meeting with the Libyan it seemed to Warvic that Suraido was at last going to tackle the problem and confront her about it. When he entered that day he made Warvic sit down in her own comfortable chair that she brought with her from Cagayan de Oro.
"He is not Filipino," said Suraido.
"I will kill him," she replied.
He grinned at her. "Then let it wait until after the meeting."
"What meeting?"
"The meeting he wants to have with us tomorrow," replied Suraido.
"News already?" she asked.
"Well, I don't know what it's about, but I did get the message for us to meet with him tomorrow. I know he went straight back to Manila after our meeting. Now he is flying in to Lanao tomorrow on a charter flight. So they must have given it some serious thought to arrange a special flight and be back already."
"Well then, perhaps he might have a temporary remission of sentence," replied Warvic.
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It was the good news, confirming Libyan backing that snapped Warvic out of her murderous mood. She knew, just as Suraido knew, the chauvinistic insult she had received had merely postponed the Libyan attache's death. Even with the delivery of the news, the Libyan made the announcement to Suraido that his plan had been approved. The documents were returned to him, together with a folder detailing the support the Libyans would give. He again ignored Warvic. She barely managed to control her anger. Only the consoling thought that continued to run through her mind was, 'You can wait!'
Returning to Warvic's apartment her helpers could see from the happy expression on her face that she had good news.
"It's gonna happen everyone," she said to her little group. The applause and embracing was as if a new baby had just been born. After a nod from Warvic all the staff except Raul left the room.
Suraido and Warvic cleared the table and opened the folder given them by the attache. As Warvic had requested and hoped, training was offered for up to 3,200 men in three separate groups. Because of the timetable she had set, Libya would provide transport arrangements. She would be contacted later how this was going to be done.
The major items she had requested were going to be supplied in full, with complete training in their use being given. Stinger missiles, .50 calibre machine guns and ammunition, night vision glasses, rocket propelled grenades, walkie-talkie and long range transmitters were listed in the supplies.
In exchange, the Libyans wanted full independence for the Muslims in Western Mindanao. On establishment of the Philippine Communist Cental Government, it required recognition of Western Mindanao as a separate country. Then the new Philippines Administration would give support for the application of Western Mindanao for entry to the United Nations. The world would have to accept the legitimacy of the new independent Muslim country if its former rulers recognised it.
All other weapons she would have to obtain herself. That would not be a problem, merely a matter of organisation.
Warvic had been thinking about the need for gathering weapons for quite some time. There were already large caches of most weapons either being carried or hidden. The ages of the weapons varied. Other than that, little had changed in the design, so most parts were interchangeable. It would be good for morale and efficiency if they had a surplus of the latest personal weapons. Her worries about supply of the heavier weapons, communication equipment and missiles had been solved by the Libyans.
The greatest bonus was that her soldiers would be properly trained in tactics and the use of all the equipment. The Libyans also accepted her request to provide trained foreign nationals as Group Leaders for each task force. Like her, the Libyans knew that the chances of success were increased if foreign mercenaries were directly involved. Masks would be used to prevent any obvious sign of outside assistance. The action had to be seen as totally Filipino.
She could now concentrate on ideas for re-arming her soldiers with newer personal weapons from local sources.
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AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
T.A. decided he would fly to the Philippines in March, just before Easter. Though still months away, he would book early. He was aware tens of thousands of overseas Filipinos, 'balak bayans', returned ‘home' to celebrate Easter with their families. Booking early would secure his seat and payment would not be required until February.
Flying into Manila allowed a few enjoyable days checking out some of the girlie bars in the red light district of Ermita. That might be an enjoyable sideshow. Flying into Cebu would have meant meeting with Malou sooner, but only Philippine Airlines flew into Cebu and he chose Qantas.
It had been a long time since he had the opportunity to feel like a child in a sweet shop. Though it was not lollies he would be paying for. He cursed the thought that he would have to take precautions. Sex was now a matter of life and death with Aids. A high percentage of the bar girls were probably infected. That was not his only concern. If he did not take precautions and did catch some infection in the few days immediately prior to meeting up with Malou, he could never be certain of the source of the infection. It would be difficult trying to explain an infection to Malou if he did pass it on. Some infections would take as little as seven days to reveal themselves, others up to a month or more. He could never be 100% certain he had not got it from her. If he believed her letters it was unlikely, but she had never struck him as being the celibate type. If he did wear condoms before he saw her and then caught something after he was with her, he would know for sure not to believe her letters.
He always had a medi
cal check-up before and after returning from his Asian trips. It was always good to know that he was healthy. It was not quite like having a car service, but it made him feel less concerned about passing something along when he had a new sex partner.
A past embarrassment confirmed that. A few weeks after a one night stand with a married woman, he received a very abusive phone call from her. She accused him of infecting her. He had not noticed any symptoms before being with her. Although he had felt some minor discomfort when passing urine, he dismissed the thought that he might have contracted something. He thought it was too soon for any symptoms from that encounter to show. Possibly it was only passing small gall stones. The married woman accused him of intentionally trying to ruin her marriage.
Because of her abusive non-conciliatory outburst he was not feeling remorseful, quite the reverse. He turned the argument around by suggesting that she question her husband closely about his fidelity. T.A. feigned disgust that her husband had infected her and now she had passed the infection on to him.
T.A. knew he had twisted the truth but he did not like being abused. The day after the abusive phone call he received a phone call from another woman that he had been active with two weeks before the married woman. She was most apologetic. She had just discovered that she had an infection and felt she should warn T.A. He thanked her for letting him know and he would attend to it.
A further two days later the married woman phoned again. This time she was most apologetic. She had just left her husband because he had been cheating on her. She had obviously accused her husband with the same vitriol that she had attacked T.A. Her husband, unaware of the wife's indiscretion, caved in and confessed that he had been having affairs for two years and begged her forgiveness. Perhaps there was some justice in the world after all. She was a lousy lover anyway; no wonder the husband wanted to get decently laid. Why should the married woman be upset with her husband? He was only doing the same thing she was doing.
The other time he was infected it had destroyed a long term relationship. One night, while his live in girlfriend was away helping her sister with a new born baby, he had gone out for drinks with some work friends. They met a group of women on a 'girlie night out'. After a lot of encouragement from his friends and even more drinks from the bar, he had gone to bed with one of the women. His feeling of remorse was compounded when he had to explain his indiscretion and even worse, his infection, to his live-in girlfriend two weeks later. She had packed and left within hours despite his pleas for forgiveness.
The anger with himself for his stupidity was tainted with his own marital experience. During his ten years of marriage he had conscientiously not strayed, though a very large number of opportunities had presented themselves over the years. He discovered his wife had not been as conscientious, and had taken numerous opportunities, even including his brother-in- law.
For the present he had no real commitment. The relationship with Malou was not a genuine one. The tyranny of distance and the irregularity of his visits to the Philippines meant that a real feeling of togetherness could not develop. If it did on the next visit, then he would get her into New Zealand on a fiancée visa and then they could marry.
Until that decision was made he would keep aside a few extra dollars for the 'lolly scramble' time in Manila.
$US were preferred for conversion by most dealers and traders, so he began to put away a good mixture of US travellers cheques, $US, Australian dollars, and UK pounds. From the experience of saving for previous trips he converted a small amount of money regularly. He did not significantly miss the amount and should be able to put aside a tidy little sum in the lead up time and he still had a reserve of notes and travellers cheques unused from previous trips.
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ILIGAN, WEST MINDANAO.
Small groups of active NPA members from various factions around the country began arriving into the jungles of the Cotabato area of Mindanao. Ostensibly, Warvic had organised them to gather for two months of local jungle training. After the first 900 had gathered together, they were taken to the port of Zamboanga in West Mindanao. There they were told their true destination. In Zamboanga they would link up with about 150 Muslims. Then, if Suraido Arompak and the Libyan attache had kept their promises, a large freighter arranged by the Libyans would take the trainees to camps in the deserts of Libya.
Warvic thought of her little army as flip-flop soldiers after the flip flop sound the rubber thongs made on the soles of their feet as they walked. They were being drafted from the jungles where they were sheltered and easily hidden, to be thrown into a wide open treeless desert. They would even have to abandon their flip-flop thongs for boots. Many would have never worn shoes of any description.
While they were still converging on the jungles of Cotabato she began planning how to obtain a large supply of newer personal weapons.
If weapons were gathered from off-base soldiers or police in a piecemeal way, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) or the police might change their system of operational readiness and secure all weapons on the base or station.
She needed a nation-wide action to take place on the same day. If it was kept within a very small time frame it would mean that the AFP's reaction and change in methods would be too late.
Thoughts of direct attacks on armouries were quickly dismissed as too risky. A high likelihood of casualties, and even worse, the probable capture and subsequent torture of some of her soldiers might reveal secrets.
A soldier in the AFP, or a policeman, was effectively on duty 24 hours a day. Their personal weapon was taken with them whenever they left their base. As most soldiers lived off base they were just like many businessmen taking a briefcase home. Instead of a briefcase full of work, they took home their personal weapons and loaded magazines.
Soldiering was not a highly respected profession among many sections of the community. Past atrocities by some sections within the AFP, the use of standover tactics employed by some officers against small business operators or farmers, had alienated the uniform. Individual assassinations of soldiers in public streets or on public transport were commonplace. Many were the result of a personal grudge; the family of the soldier's jilted lover, a revenge killing, or a disgruntled shop-owner tired of 'unofficial' taxes. The NPA were always blamed unless it happened in Western Mindanao. Then the Muslim groups were blamed.
Most assassinations were just a single shot through the head or chest of an unsuspecting soldier using the normal public transport travelling on a bus or public jeepney. Other passengers and witnesses always fled quickly from the bus, out of windows or doors, and evaporated from the scene. A fear of retaliation against them by the shooters kept people's mouths shut. Government interrogation could be even worse. The assassin's escape was therefore easy. Witnesses to identify the shooters were non-existent.
Outwardly it seemed that the soldiers were simply individual targets of opportunity. Perhaps shot by another passenger or by the pillion passenger on a passing motor cycle while the jeepney was stopped. Theft of the weapons from the scene, even by innocent bystanders, was normal. Weapons could be sold on the black market and that meant money to anyone with the presence of mind to pick up and flee with the dead or wounded soldier’s weapon.
For the soldiers, taking the weapons home with them was supposed to give some personal protection as well as enabling them to be in a state of continual readiness against enemies of the state should a national emergency arise.
When small army convoys were attacked in the jungle areas, those attacks were organised by local NPA area commanders, not part of an organised national effort. A co-ordinated and simultaneous nation-wide attack on hundreds of individual soldiers would be unexpected.
Warvic had re-constructed many of the old contact lines and established many new ones. New codes and signals had been distributed. Many contacts had experience with the old-style small hit groups against individual soldiers. Those groups were publicly called 'Sparrows'. Now it was jus
t a matter of getting them to act at the same time, yet each groups’ preparation would be unknown to any other.
Each hit group was ordered to select individual soldiers and watch his personal schedule over a period of time. Then, knowing where the soldier was probably going to be at the date and time she selected; to carry out the assassination and confiscate the weapon.
The government would quickly realise that it had to be the NPA who was responsible. There was no other large group capable of co-ordinated activity nation wide. The government would also be confronted with the fact that the NPA had not been destroyed as they thought. To avoid any suggestion of co-operation between the Muslim and NPA groups, Warvic would exclude the Muslim areas of the south in the assassinations. That, thought Warvic, would confirm it was only the NPA responsible. It should also demonstrate that a new captain was at the helm of the NPA.
If the action succeeded she would refine it. Then, on the night before the takeover of the tourist resorts, she would organise some national action to distract the attention of the AFP. This weapons gathering action would be a dress rehearsal for the next national action.
The sudden of assassinations and weapons thefts would put the AFP on full alert for a considerable period of time, perhaps even months. It had to take place long before the resorts were taken over. The AFP would need time to settle into its more relaxed mode. An AFP on full alert might upset her plans.
Warvic needed time to gather the stolen weapons centrally before redistributing them to their final destinations. So she was happy to work on a wide time-scale for that.
She needed time to gather cash for working capital. That meant bank and armoured car raids and other fund raising methods. Though the NPA already had large sums of money in banks, it was possible, even probable, that account details were known by the government after the action at Mercedes. Anyone accessing them would likely be apprehended and compromise the re-emergence of the NPA.
