Gloria a willing hostage of AFP, No political will to stop the killings

MANILA -- It looks like there's another hostage in town. This one a
willing captive.

The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan decried what it called
"Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's willingness to be a captive of the
military" a day after Malacañang remained defiant of a United Nations
report on extrajudicial killings in the country.

"Malacañang, through the Press Secretary, has so far only issued two
paragraphs in response to the Alston report. And the two paragraphs
are devoted to defending the practice of the military in putting up an
Order of Battle list directed against activists. This is truly a
dismal response," said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.

"How can Arroyo say that she is in control of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines when the killings have not stopped? The AFP's vilification
of activists continues. The orders of battle are being updated. And
the military continues to deny responsibility in the killings," Reyes
said.

Bayan believes that Arroyo is now a willing hostage of the militarist
cabal in the cabinet and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

"Arroyo's political survival depends on keeping the military happy and
on the systematic elimination of her most effective critics. Both
goals are accomplished through the extrajudicial killings of
activists," Reyes said.

Arroyo has faced calls for her resignation and ouster over the past
two years. She has survived several attempts to remove her from power
via impeachment cases and street protests.

"The commander-in-chief is a willing captive of her own generals. She
is politically weak and isolated and has no will to stop the killings.
All that she does now is for the consumption of the cameras," Reyes
added.

Reyes said Arroyo's inability to censure generals for their refusal to
heed the Melo and Alston reports is a glaring sign that Malacañang is
not doing enough to put the AFP in its place.

"Why is it that Gen. Esperon and Secretary Ermita can talk their
mouths off denying the AFP's involvement in the killings, and
Malacañang does nothing. Why is it that the AFP deploys soldiers in
Metro Manila and Malacañang does nothing?" Reyes asked.