JoAl: Is Gringo now exchanging honor for political expediency?
The Inquirer reported that Sen. Gringo Honasan called my account of the plot to kill the Marcoses during the turbulent days leading up to Edsa I a “lie” (News, 2/26/15).
I would like to share my thoughts on this issue.
First, Gringo’s “lie” charge has to be handled with care. We have an obligation to ensure that the Reform the Armed Forces’ historic contribution to Filipino nationhood is preserved, and if possible to protect the reputation of everyone. Besides, by charging me with lying, who will be the winners and losers?
Second, my initial reaction was to wonder why Gringo did not react to a similar revelation of mine in 2006 in my little book, “My Part in the 1986 People Power Revolution.” I wrote that monograph in response to his letter dated June 1, 2005, asking me to write about my participation in People Power ’86. Was it because the political landscape in 2006 is different from 2015?
Third, Gringo’s claim that I lied not only diminishes him. It is also equivalent to denying his identity, his meaning, which he acquired in 1986 from the honor of leading the attack against the Palace and in the process kill Marcos and his family, as planned. In fact, we vied for the honor (Inquirer, 2/26/11) to lead the attack. I did volunteer but lost to Gringo, who argued that I should not deprive him of the honor because after all I had already so much behind me. I happily gave way because my concern was merely about his life. But his argument was higher than life, it was honor.
I argued to attack the Palace but only to capture Marcos and his family so that the people can exercise their right to render judgment on them. My fear was the fickle nature of history, whose judgment of historical actors is never final. An example is Czar Nicholas and his family who were executed in 1917 and are now in the process of being sainted by the Russian Orthodox Church.
As the eldest in the RAM, I was proud of Gringo’s conviction. I presented to him the AK assault rifle that the Vietcong issued to me while I was operating with them in the 1960s, which, in happier times, I intended to give to Marcos.
Is Gringo now preparing to exchange honor for political expediency? God forbid. Politics does not operate that way. It does not reward equivocating convictions.
—JOSE T. ALMONTE
