An Appeal and Challenge to the Graduates of the Philippine Military Academy

It is with the challenge of the times and the occasion of your graduation that the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) appeals to you, our brothers and sisters in the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to revisit your roots as sons and daughters of our Cordillera homeland and fulfill the duties that such entails. On your graduation, you are reminded of your responsibilities to protect the rights of indigenous peoples and the welfare of the Filipino people.

Like the majority of the Cordillera peoples, you hail from indigenous communities, peasant families, urban poor communities, and even the middle class. Your graduation from the PMA did not change your being from these exploited and oppressed sectors, albeit the instant employment that awaits you. Indeed, had there been better employment opportunities, undergoing Spartan training and anticipating deployment to war-torn areas would not have been your first option. We cannot hide the fact that the economic crisis is a push factor for entering the PMA.

In our country, the real picture is that the AFP is used to serve the interest of those in power and the ruling elite, not the majority of the Filipino people. And this is exactly the character that is being cultivated into the young minds of the cadets — a culture of fascism and military violence, of disregard to civil liberties and human rights. It nurtures that character of obeying first before complaining, be it just or unjust, good or evil. It breeds, in a sense, a culture of impunity among the cadets, whose idealism and nationalism is watered down because of such tradition in the AFP. And this spawned restiveness in the military, among the young officers, and largely, it caused the AFP to be isolated from the Filipino people. We know that among you now, that spirit of patriotism burns well and alive. It is the call of the times that you nurture it in the context of protecting the Filipino people and your Cordillera brethren, as you are mandated. And above all, uphold civilian supremacy over the military even at times when your loyalty and duty are put into test.

We challenge you not to be cowed into submission to heed the wiles of the ruling few — as the “chain of command” wills it. It is upon you to reject being exploited to attack your fellow Igorots and countrymen. It should be clear to you that the enemy is the force that oppresses and exploits our workers, that plunders our ancestral lands and resources. The enemy is the few, greedy, ruling elite that allows and commits these atrocities, including the mounting political killings. Your commander-in-chief, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a puppet of the ruling elite and foreign powers. In fact, the GMA regime has intensified its policy of national oppression and ethnocide against indigenous peoples. The GMA administration has not lifted a finger to investigate the political killings, and Gen. Jovito Palparan, the butcher of Mindoro and Samar, has even been awarded for his blood debts and crimes — murders and assassinations — against leaders and members of the people’s movement. And before this scenario escalates in our Cordillera homeland, you must not allow it to happen.

We have in our culture and tradition empathy “ti panagsinnakit ken panagtinnulong iti kailian ken kabsat nga Igorot”. (compassion for and camaraderie among Igorot brothers and sisters). This is our legacy from our elders, from our mothers and fathers who battled against state oppression so that future generations may live. This is the same legacy and undertaking that is expected of you, PMA graduates, and those already in the service. Do not be used against your fellow Cordillerans, especially now that Cordillera political activists are experiencing intense surveillance, monitoring and harassment. In fact, a military hitlist ordering the liquidation of leaders of the Cordillera people’s movement, including the CPA, exists. Nor should you be blinded by the “chain of command” notion of the AFP which suppresses your right to take part and have a say in the issues that affect you.

Together, we must fight national oppression and institutionalized discrimination perpetuated by the state against us. We must resist destructive projects that plunder our ancestral lands, including policies that drive us to ethnocide. We must not allow our basic human rights and collective rights as indigenous peoples to be trampled upon by the state and the AFP that you are forced to protect and obey.

And on this day, be reminded of your Igorot roots and our collective legacy to protect our people, our ancestral lands and resources. Because at the end of the day, we are all Igorots bound by a collective heritage.

Cordillera Peoples Alliance
March 25, 2006