San Juan publicly issued an apology and declared allegiance to the Arroyo administration a few days after the Filinvest arrest. He has also declared that there is an alliance between the Magdalo group and the CPP-NPA. He has even dragged Pulido into the issue, pointing to the lawyer as a “propaganda officer” of the Magdalo group.

“Which is more believable, what San Juan said when he was outside and had all the freedom to do and say what he pleased, or what he said after five months of being held incommunicado and suffering all other kinds of pressure?” Pulido replied when asked to comment on San Juan’s recent allegations. “I’d say the first is definitely more believable.”

Interestingly, San Juan and Gambala were both trained by U.S. Special Forces during the Balikatan 02-1 exercises in Basilan in 2002, and are both described by military sources as “deadly snipers.”

Both the Magdalo group and the CPP-NPA have denied allegations of an alliance between them.

Bumindang, meanwhile, is alleged by his military custodians to be at odds with the others arrested at Filinvest, and to have in fact facilitated their capture.

“They have not crushed dissent”

Pulido said that many among the Magdalo remain consistent with the cause they fought for at Oakwood. He however admits that “there is a lot of pressure on them.” He did not elaborate.

He said that three years after the Oakwood uprising, the factors behind it remain. He agrees with observations that the outstanding issues which fan military restiveness remain unresolved.

“They always say let’s make the military apolitical, let’s make the military apolitical,” Pulido said. “But the military is but a part of society, and when the military man goes home, he faces the same problems we all face: he lacks money for his children’s food and tuition, the Meralco bill is so high, water and fare rates are so high, everything is expensive. So of course it pushes him to question himself: ‘Why am I risking my life every day I go into the field for a government that does not even allow me to feed my family?’ So they may have crushed whatever it is that they say they’ve crushed, but certainly they have not crushed dissent.” Bulatlat

 Save as PDF