Buencamino does political affairs analysis for Action for Economic Reforms (AER). This paper was published in the newspaper Today, 20 August 2004 edition, page 9.
“The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.” -H. L. Mencken
Dear Joma,
I’m writing you this letter because I read your statement titled, “BUSHREGIME IS SABOTAGING THE GRP-NDFP PEACE NEGOTIATIONS AND ESCALATING USMILITARY INTERVENTION IN PHILIPPINES.”
There, you accused President Bush of sabotaging the peace negotiationsbecause neither you nor your organizations were de-listed from theterrorist list of the US State Department and the Office of ForeignAssets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department. You deduced that “TheBush regime is thereby stirring up the civil war between the GRP andthe people’s democratic government (PDG) represented by the NDFP.”
So you issued a call to arms. “It is their duty [the Filipino peopleand revolutionary forces] to fight back and liberate themselves from USimperialism and its die-hard puppets.”
Forgive me for asking but if you already knew that Bush listed you as aterrorist in order to “stir up the civil war,” why then did you doexactly what Bush wanted you to do, declare war on “US imperialism andits die-hard puppets” and “stir up the civil war?” ‘Di ba parang nagpa-uto ka?
Or maybe you’re just blind with fury because the US Treasury Departmentfroze the advance royalty payment for your book. You argued, “Thisroyalty payment has absolutely nothing to do with terrorism. It is paidin accordance with a pre-2002 contract which is perfectly legal.”
And you devoted more than 200 words right in the middle of yourcommuniqué just to show how persecuted you are. However, a betterapproach might have been to remind the State Department that you tradedyour M16 for a suit a long time ago and your main concern these days iscross-town traffic—not cross-fires.
I understand you have to “let it all hang out,” but it doesn’t lookgood when you go into a lengthy discourse about your personal problemsand then say “Back to the question of GRP-NDFP peace negotiations,”followed by a brief 80-word summary of why the peace talks should bepostponed until the GRP meets its obligations under the Oslo I and OsloII Statements.
In the paragraphs leading up to the frozen royalty story, you deliveredan appeal that reveals more than it should. You said, “I fight byexposing the injustices done to me and calling on the people to supportmy cause,” thus making casus belli out of your personal problems.
Frankly, you reminded me of Bush who exclaimed, “He tried to kill mydad,” in the middle of a serious speech outlining his reasons fortoppling Saddam.
Once upon a time you called yourself Amado Guerrero, the BelovedWarrior, and led your troops in a battle royale against the GRP. Now,you hire American lawyers to wage royalty battles against the USTreasury.
Joma, revolutionaries and rock stars don’t age well. Those who live toolong end up bloated like Elvis or depraved like Mao. Those who dieyoung become heroes.
It’s too late for you to die a young hero and it would be unseemly,though tempting, for you to follow Mao’s example and trade your “LittleRed Book” for a private little red house. And so your only option is atotal “make-over.”
In this regard, you should stop using laborious phrases like “USimperialism and its die-hard puppets.” They date you because no onetalks that way anymore. If you were to appear in a televised interview,subtitles would be needed.
Joma, you are a revolutionary. Fire your lawyers, wear the terroristlisting as a badge of honor and a reminder that at least someone stilltakes you seriously. At your age, you have to learn to be moreappreciative of life’s blessings.
Sincerely yours,
Manuel Buencamino
Former “guerilla”, now Chief Image Consultant to Aging Rebs
P.S. The GRP has a reputation for caving in to “terrorist demands,” soyou might actually be negotiating from a “position of strength” if youwear the terrorist badge to you next round of negotiations.
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