by John Muir
CHAPTER 7
COLLECTION DAY
CALOOCAN, METRO MANILA, 7.30A.M., 17 November
Private Bonifacio was pleased to see the same pretty girl at the same public jeepney stop. She had been here each of the last 10 days when he caught a jeepney to the Rizal Extension. From there he caught a bus to the army base. Sometimes she had been there before him, almost as though she was waiting for him to arrive. Then she would get on one of the many passing jeepneys. He wondered where she went to.
It was about the same time again, around 7:30 a.m. Sometimes she had been there with a man he thought might be her brother. She was not wearing a wedding ring, but that meant nothing. There was no obvious affection between her and the man, who was with her again today. The private decided that the next time he saw her, when she was without her escort he would try to open a conversation. She seemed to be shy. Perhaps his carrying of the M16 made him seem threatening. He wondered how he could allay her fears.
While they waited for a jeepney to stop he saw her look at him and he responded with a smile. She nodded her head to acknowledge the smile. He looked at the accompanying male in case he had given offence, but he too just nodded and smiled back at him. That seemed hopeful. He moved closer to them.
"You have a big gun," she said to him grinning.
Her comment surprised him. Perhaps she had not realised the ambiguity of her statement.
"Oh; not really. It's just an M16, not loaded of course" he responded. “The filled magazines are on my belt.”
She looked at the M16 showing some genuine interest in it. 'Oh my god she's beautiful,' he thought.
"Here," he said. "Try it, it's not heavy."
He passed the M16 to her willingly, knowing he was breaching dozens of army regulations.
"Thanks," she replied and held it comfortably across her chest while looking at it.
Private Bonifacio looked at her with a smile on his face. His mind was racing with thoughts of what he would like to do with her if he could ever get her alone.
When she expertly removed the empty magazine from the slot, examined it, and just as expertly reinserted it, he stopped smiling. He realised she was no stranger to weapons. He was distracted a split second at the sounds around him. He turned to see the others that had been waiting at the same stop had suddenly begun running away. Perhaps they were running in fear at the girl holding the weapon. He looked back at the girl, then at the man with her. He had not run like the others. Then he felt his lower jaw drop. The girl's companion was pointing a pistol directly at his forehead. He heard himself scream "No!" Had he really gone that far beyond the bounds of familiarity with the girl?
The scream stopped with the single shot.
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SAN MIGUEL, METRO MANILA, 7.30 A.M.
The jeepney slowed, then, stopped in the stream of traffic backed up on Magsaysay Avenue. Another jeepney nosed in front to take advantage of the pause to be ready to jump into the stream of traffic when it began to move. A motor cycle rider with a pillion passenger pulled up level with his jeepney. The pillion passenger was directly behind the seated soldier who was unaware that the motor cycle riders were only inches away. The soldier felt something hard pushed into the back of his head and he began to turn. The sound was little different to any of the backfires of rough running jeepney motors.
The soldier's co-passengers directly opposite were suddenly covered in blood and pieces of skull. Women began screaming in panic when the pillion passenger leaned into the jeepney and grabbed the M16 from between the dead soldier's knees. The rest of the soldier's body fell sideways on to the lap of the hysterical woman on his left.
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TAGBILARAN CITY, BOHOL, 7.30 A.M.
The corporal saw the motorised tricycle approaching and waved for it to stop. This one would do, it was the first one he had seen with vacant seats. It stopped as he requested, bouncing as it hit a hole in the road. He put his M16 in the sidecar first then raised his leg to step in. He saw a bright flash and felt an enormous pain in his chest at the same time.
Although he knew he was lying on the ground and badly wounded, he could still hear noise. The sky above him was bright blue. Somewhere nearby he could hear a motor cycle rev its motor and pull away.
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MACTAN ISLAND, CEBU AIRPORT, 7.30 A.M.
The four soldiers felt that starting their daily guard duties at the airport terminal this early was stupid. The first domestic flights were not due for two hours. They only obeyed orders, not gave them. There had not been any military trouble at the airport for years. Other soldiers rostered for helicopter guard duty did not have to report before 9:00 a.m. Their guarding really meant just lazing around, sitting out of the sun, or anywhere they could catch a breeze. The only benefit of the airport terminal duty was being able to ogle at the airport girls.
The taxi had dropped them in front of the small guard hut, next to the airport terminal, where they started their day. As they approached the door, four masked figures rushed out. None of the four soldiers had time to react before they were aware of the presence of more figures behind them. Some screamed as knives were driven into their backs by the figures behind them then into their stomachs by those in front. As their bodies sagged and collapsed to the ground, the M16's they were carrying were torn from their grasps.
The assailants rolled over the dead and dying soldiers, quickly emptied the pockets of money and spare M16 magazines and ran off.
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For two hours, throughout the Philippines, soldiers and policemen on their way to bases and places of assignment were being murdered. Each attack was without warning and certainly without mercy.
Some of Warvic's experienced hit squads managed three separate group assassinations in the two-hour period. One group collected ten M16's and two pistols. All action against the soldiers stopped exactly at 9:30 a.m. as Warvic had ordered.
By midday the extent of the action within Manila had been realised. News of the murders began to be broadcast on Manila radio and T.V. Stations interrupted scheduled programs to announce what they thought was happening without really knowing anything. Each Manila radio gave an updated newsflash of the latest reported figures. In Manila the figures quickly grew to over 100 soldiers killed. As the afternoon wore on, reports of similar killings outside Metro Manila were being reported. It was soon apparent it was nation-wide.
All leave was immediately cancelled and all Armed Services personnel were recalled to base. The Navy and Air Force readied all ships and aircraft for dispersal and action.
Government representatives made sure their personal body guards were in a full state of readiness. Army units were called in to protect buildings where politicians were sheltering.
Politicians began debating the identity of those responsible. The only possible conclusion was that the NPA was responsible. Yet they had been thought eliminated, at least for a while. There had not been enough time for them to reorganise and mount an operation of this scale. The tactics employed were not usually those of the NPA. Until further information was known it was decided to declare a State of Emergency and impose a curfew. Martial law was considered fleetingly but quickly discarded because of the memories of the Marcos regime.
All flights, international and domestic, would be suspended for a short time in case there were any attempts to bomb airports or planes.
As the casualty figures came into the President's office, the advisors realised the true figures could not be released. If the public learned that nearly 1400 soldiers and police had been casualties in a two hour period the President would have to resign. Official casualty figures of 350, including 170 killed, were released to the press.
The President was truly saddened at such a loss of good youth. Military officials were extremely concerned that the weapons of all the slain soldiers were taken. They worried over the reason behind this type of action. It appeared someone was preparing to mount a well-armed major offensive. But this action was it
self a major offensive. How had they re-organised so quickly? It was the greatest single day loss of life ever suffered by the AFP.
The military knew the nation was going to be locked up in a very strict curfew under the state of emergency. The extra powers given to the AFP and the constabulary should, with luck, uncover the identity of the organising group.
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ILIGAN, WEST MINDANAO
Warvic first heard the news broadcast late in the afternoon. She knew the Government would considerably understate the losses. By how much she would not know until she received her own reports. She knew there would be failures, but if she accepted the government casualty figures then the mission fail rate was about 75%. That was highly unlikely. She expected a haul of at least a 1,000 weapons from this operation
After the large windfalls from the earlier actions to gather cash for working funds, she could not imagine this better organised follow-up action having a 75% failure rate. When later reports came in, the casualty figures grew then stopped at the ceiling of 345 killed. No figures for the wounded. Her reports trickling in showed more like 90% success. The number and type of weapons taken would have to wait until details from her contacts were received.
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AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
The evening T.V. movie was "The Killing Fields". T.A. had seen it before but enjoyed it again. After it, the 10:30 p.m. headline news started.
"News this evening just in from our Philippine news-room in Manila. A series of nationwide attacks occurred earlier today against members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Flights in and out of the Philippines have been temporarily suspended. A state of emergency has been declared. Travellers intending to depart for the Philippines in the next few days should contact their travel agent or the airline on which they are flying."
"Shit," said T.A. aloud. He thought about the announcement for a few minutes. His departure was still four months away. By then things should have returned to normal. Over the next few weeks he would ask opinions of the supposed Asian specialists in the Research Department. He would ring the travel agent too.
