On January 13, 1971, and August 21, 1971, I had close calls with death. The former was when the PC Metrocom Police Intelligence Service (MPIS), the predecessor of Col. Rolando Abadilla’s Metrocom Intelligence and Security Group (MISG) followed, chased and fired upon me from Plaza Miranda until the Ateneo Law School campus in Padre Faura, both in Manila. The latter was during the bombing of the Liberal Party’s Proclamation Rally at Plaza Miranda during the campaign for the mid - term elections in November 1971. At that time, the bombing was perceived as the handiwork of then incumbent President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos. Later, the Communist Party of the Philippines/New People’s Army was exposed as the real perpetrator of the crime.
In 1971, 1972, 1975 and 1980, we had our four children – Jose Luis Jr. “Pip”, Maria Teresa Margarita “Cuchie”, Manuel Hermilo “Mikko” and Jose Maria “Lucky”. The three boys went to school at the Ateneo de Manila. Mikko transferred to Philippine School of Business Administration (PSBA). Lucky transferred to Montessori in Greenhills and Ateneo de Naga. Cuchie went to Maryknoll Grade School and High School and Ateneo College.
Since I was a college dropout, albeit after three and a half years, I put in extra effort in all the jobs and positions that I had. In 1973, I worked for La Paz Investment and Development Corporation, a low - cost housing developer. In 1974, I worked for my eldest brother, Manuel “Mano”, in Decision Research Corporation. From 1975 – 1981, I worked for Raymond M. Moreno in Electronics Specialists, Inc., Telectric, Inc. and Comcenter, Inc.
The first job entailed field trips in San Pedro, Laguna and Mabalacat, Pampanga. The third job included sales, service and logistic support to the Philippine Constabulary/Integrated National Police (PC/INP) and AFP GHQ in the Visayas and Mindanao during the height of the MNLF and CPP/NPA/NDF insurgencies.
In late 1981 or early 1982, Col. Balbino Diego, a JAGO lawyer in the Presidential Security Command, tried to implicate me in the 1979 – 1980 bombing campaigns of the “Light a Fire” and “April 6 Liberation” Movements. I was able to get away from that partly by putting on a political cover. Much earlier, in 1972 (just before the declaration of Martial Law on September 21, 1972) after two years as the Chairman of our moderate left of center organization KASAPI, I resigned and transitioned to a political party that we were organizing for the scheduled November 1973 national elections. Unfortunately, our plans were aborted by Martial Law and delayed for a decade. On February 4, 1982, we formally organized the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino (PDP) in a charter convention in Cebu City. Since the PDP believed in federalism and local autonomy, we rotated our 27 - person National Council meetings throughout the different regions of the Philippines.
On Sunday, August 21, 1983, former Sen. Benigno S. “Ninoy” Aquino was assassinated at the Manila International Airport. From then until February 25, 1986, we organized and participated in small and big mass actions in different venues with August Twenty One Movement (ATOM), Bandila and Justice for Aquino Justice for All (JAJA). My original 1970 organization KASAPI and the 1980 A6LM, planned and prepared for what we called a People’s Urban Insurrection (PUI). With this strategy, we debated against the radical left’s (CPP/NPA/NDF) strategy of Protracted People’s Warfare (PPW).
(To be continued)
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