Rogue Generals V2 Reboot: A Different Post-EDSA Uno Philippines TL

AS we will eventually see, it does fall apart due to infighting. The next update though, we'll cover the Tiananmen Square protests and how the infighting actually causes the pro-democracy movement to falter because of it. Ye Fei might actually make an appearance in the next update.

On the other hand, there are also two or three future TL projects that I have in mind. One of them is about a Soviet-Japanese Cold War that doesn't involve the Western Allies being the third wheel. Another one is about an even more brutal Philippine-American War with an 1899 PoD where Aguinaldo dies during the Battle of Marilao River, paving the way for Antonio Luna's survival (in this case he avoids getting assassinated), eventually resulting in a bloodier suppression of the Filipino resistance to American subjugation, but the Fil-Am War stretches long enough for other nations to get involved (mainly Japan, which would also involve the survival of the Nunobiki Maru, and possibly Germany). It may also tie in with a longer surviving President McKinley as well.

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE: MUSIC TO MY EARS

(Note: This Segment will be replaced by another passage, while the Rap Portion will be posted in another Re-OMAKE)

Excerpts from "Indonesia Beyond the Cold War"
by: Kemal Bahruddin
Scribe, published on July 18, 2017

Chapter Four: The Trials of the Suharto Family

Although the Suharto family had been spared the gruesome fate that was inflicted upon the Marcos family when the former were placed on trial for various corruption charges, including the ones related to the infamous Pertamina Scandal. The Pertamina Scandal had been a major incident in the Suharto dictatorship, and the Subianto government had been heavily involved in the investigations of economic crimes that were committed by Suharto's sons. The skimming off of profits made from the sales of oil made by Pertamina had not only earned them a bad reputation, but many other clients were hesitant to do business with them. It was only because of the trials of Tommy and Bambang Suharto that the Subianto government was able to nationalize some of the companies that were involved in the various economic crimes that nearly destroyed much of Indonesia's economy on the same level as that of neighboring Philippines after the fall of the Marcos regime and the rise of the Tadiar-led junta. However, the Subianto government's overreaction to the levels of economic crimes that was committed by the Suharto family had ironically enough, created a worsened economic situation to the point where the Indonesian Rupiah was pegged to 1 USD per 45,000 Indonesian Rupiah. That such a huge gap had destroyed much of the savings that ordinary Indonesians had held. 

However, it was this kind of economic collapse that Subianto wanted, namely because he could now gain more control over the other underperforming companies that were badly affected by the Suharto dictatorship. In addition, half of the properties owned by the underperforming companies were previously owned by Indonesia's Chinese minority. Subianto could now sell half of the properties and even some of the underperforming companies to foreign buyers in exchange for allowing them to operate their own businesses on Indonesian soil. Moreover, Subianto also had to restructure much of Indonesia's financial sector, as it was badly affected by the falling value of the Rupiah. The Subianto government realized that if Indonesia is to regain the trust and confidence of the global business sectors, it had to undergo a necessary kind of painful restructuring that can allow them to compete with the likes of China, Japan, and even India. In the late 1980s, as Artemio Tadiar was busy establishing his dictatorship in the Philippines, President Subianto was busy traveling to other Muslim nations to seek economic assistance. Subianto was lucky to have gained the audience of the Turkish government, which was desperately seeking new markets for some of its products and business investments. The ancient bonds between the Turks and Indonesians (stemming from the 1565 Ottoman Expedition to Aceh) had played a role in Turkey's initial investments in Indonesia's oil sector. In fact, Turkey's Aygaz had purchased Pertamina for 50% of its current value in October of 1989, though the installation of new management inside Pertamina had not gone well with the Suharto family, which was on the verge of being imprisoned for the roles they played in the murder of Sudono Salim, a Chinese Indonesian.

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PHILIPPINE DELEGATION LED BY TADIAR ARRIVES IN CHILE FOR DIPLOMATIC SUMMIT WITH PINOCHET REGIME
Vancouver Sun
August 22, 1989

(Santiago, CHILE) - In quite a reversal from an incident in Fiji where Augusto Pinochet was subjected to protests while attempting to visit the Philippines for a meeting with former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the arrival of Philippine military dictator Artemio Tadiar in the Chilean capital was met with jubilation and adulation by the Pinochet regime's supporters. After stepping out of Santiago's Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport, Tadiar was met by none other than Pinochet himself, who was accompanied by a platoon of Chilean honor guards. The Filipino-Chilean diplomatic summit was organized to mend diplomatic ties between the two nations after it was forcefully severed at the behest of the Nixon administration, while the Dukakis administration has criticized the Pinochet regime's decision to host the Butcher of Ortigas Avenue, as anti-regime Filipinos had labeled the new military dictator. At the same time, Pinochet was mindful of Tadiar's physical fatigue after spending many hours aboard the government aircraft while leaving from Japan after attending the funeral of the late Minoru Genda, the man who masterminded the Pearl Harbor attack.

"We apologize on behalf of the Republic of the Philippines for the treatment that was given to you while attempting to visit us while former President Marcos was still alive," says Tadiar when conversing with Pinochet. "Now that I have arrived in Chile, it is my sincere wish that I would take the initiative in mending ties with such a fine nation, with such a fine leader like yourself, General Pinochet."

The Chilean honor guard had pulled a spectacular display of pomp in their military drills, while Tadiar saw more of the Chilean military's prowess. In addition, the Pinochet regime has also invited the Filipino delegation to a military parade that was specially organized in his honor, in hopes of seducing the Filipino military dictator into emulating the Chilean military in their organization. Moreover, Lieutenant Colonels Saulito Aromin and Edgardo Doromal, who has accompanied Tadiar on his international visits, has also taken notes on how the Chilean military organizes itself in areas of logistics and weapons procurement. Furthermore, the Filipino delegation also hopes to meet with various other Chilean officers who have attended security courses in the notorious School of the Americas, in hopes of acquiring the necessary expertise in their own counterinsurgency operations.

At the same time however, Pinochet was curious at the apparent lack of Spanish speakers that were present in the Philippine delegation, despite the Philippines being a former Spanish colony. His offers of sending not only Chilean officers to help reform the Philippine military, but Spanish language teachers from all over Chile was something that Tadiar and the Filipino delegation had taken into consideration. Sensing a need to revive the Spanish colonial legacy of the Philippines as an attempt to move a bit further away from its questionable relationship with the United States, Tadiar instantly accepted Pinochet's offer, in addition to seeking various licenses to produce some of the military weapons and equipment that the Philippine military desperately needs. One such weapon that the Tadiar regime was keen to reproduce with Chile's permission was the IMI Galil assault rifle, originally sold to the Chileans from Israel, though Pinochet advised Tadiar to buy the rifle and procure the license to build it from the Israelis instead.

"The potential for closer political, military, and diplomatic ties between our two nations is immense in this area, and Brigadier General Tadiar's courageous decision to expand his diplomatic ties to Latin America will be a major asset on both sides for years to come, although I am a bit nervous at Tadiar's planned trips to Mexico and Argentina," says General Alvaro Corbalan, when asked about Tadiar's other travel plans. "As Tadiar should know, our relations with Argentina is marred by the territorial dispute in the Beagle conflict."

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Portions from the Interview with Former Foreign Secretary of the Philippine Government-in-Exile Neil Oxales
Sky News AU Interview, February 13, 2018

Discussing the Philippine Military Reformation and its Consequences

Interviewer: You mentioned to us a half hour ago that the Tadiar regime's military reforms had been a major factor in why they eventually developed a toxic culture of contempt for international laws, as well as contempt for human decency. It isn't an accident that a majority of the Chilean officers that went to the Philippines in order to help revamp the Philippine Military Academy's curriculum had gone to the infamous School of the Americas, since they needed more expertise on counterinsurgency operations, as well as disaster relief drills, which proved crucial in their fast reactions to the natural disasters that had gripped the Philippines in 1990. Looking back, do you think you were still correct in this regard, or have you changed your stance on them?

Oxales: I would say that I have and haven't changed my stance on the reforms that the Philippine military had needed.

Interviewer: Needed?

Oxales: Because the Philippine economy started to decline after Tadiar's rise to power, he needed to launch a necessary kind of reform that wouldn't involve spending a huge amount of money that's needed to rebuild the entire country. Thus, a reform in military doctrine, as well as in training, was needed. Although our navy and marines had performed well during the Spratly Islands conflict, the merciless Chinese bombing of our country had revealed our weakness in our lack of anti-air defenses. In addition, the Chinese had also dropped certain bombs that were technically banned under the Geneva Convention, but they either forgot, or they didn't care. It isn't an accident that the Chinese had also used white phosphorus bombs when bombing Manila, and a significant number of people had died there. Moreover, the bombing of the Japanese Embassy in Manila had killed more Japanese diplomatic staff by the use of white phosporus bombs.

Interviewer: The sight of the burnt Japanese victims of the white hosphorus bombs, as well as China's lack of concern for how they killed their enemies in this bombing campaign was traumatic enough for Japan to openly call for the repealing of Article 9 of their constitution, but it wouldn't be formally abolished until 2010, 55 years after the end of WWII. On the other hand, the lack of air defenses in the Philippines only convinced the Tadiar regime that they had to invest in protecting their airspace, but they didn't have any more money left to spend on it. Is that how and why the Japanese had covertly intervened, as well as rogue elements of the CIA?

Oxales: Yes, of course. Because of the Chinese bombing of the Philippines that the Pinochet regime had been replaced by a new kind of junta that was now led by Alvaro Corbalan. Unlike Pinochet, Corbalan had taken a strident anti-China stance in solidarity with the Tadiar regime. In addition, there were also radical elements within both the United States and Australia on the need to give military aid to the Tadiar regime, but Tadiar instead chose the path of diplomatic isolation. Well, the Philippines was not totally isolated, as they maintained relations with Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Chile, Argentina, and Australia. However, Tadiar used the diplomatic isolation as a cover to launch his terrorist attacks, and it also gave the Philippine military experience in hit and run raids, as well as capturing civilian ships.

Interviewer: In any case, didn't the Philippines become just another dumping ground for second hand military weapons during the Tadiar years?

Oxales: I admit that we've remained a dumping ground for second hand military weapons for years, until 1998 when the Tadiar regime had emphasized on developing its own defense industry, in addition to all the other economic recovery programs that emphasized on food security and infrastructure repairs. In actuality, the infrastructure was simply destroyed and replaced with their newer versions. In that area, Japan heavily involved itself with the massive reconstruction efforts, in exchange for a free trade agreement that benefited the Japanese government more than the Tadiar regime, but it didn't worry the junta, as they were able to take advantage of the Japanese investment in the country which didn't involve the Japanese ODA.

Interviewer: But the Japanese didn't join in with the dumping of their own second hand weapons to the Philippines though, right?

Oxales: Not until 2005, when Japan formally repealed their arms export ban did they start sending their own second hand weapons, but in addition to that, the Japanese also expanded their defense industry in order to attract future clientele, namely Vietnam, Chile, and Thailand. The Philippines after 2005, had not only become the most battle hardened nation in all of SE Asia, but they have now developed their own defense industry that allowed them to develop their own weapons in addition to acquiring several other equipment from other nations. It isn't an accident that the Philippines is eyeing a new kind of mini-submarine that Japan and Turkey are developing, which is the STM-300.

Interviewer: Did the Philippines also managed to build its own aircraft too?

Oxales: In that area, we remained unable to. Luckily, Japan had developed its own aircraft, the Kawasaki JF-03. That one was a joint venture with Sweden, since they provided the JAS 39 Gripen as a model for the Japanese government to study. Its export version though, the Kawasaki JF-02, was also jointly developed, though with the Australian F-111 Aardvark. As of right now, the Philippines has in its inventory 30 Kawasaki JF-02s, 28 General Dynamics F-111C, and 21 Dassault Mirage Fighters acquired from Spain in 2010.

Interviewer: On the other hand, was the Philippine Navy also upgraded too as a result of the state sponsored piracy in the West Philippine Sea?

Oxales: It was, and shipbuilding was one of the main focus of the Tadiar regime in terms of both national security necessity and economic opportunity. The shipbuilding industry had not only attracted desperate, unemployed Filipinos that suffered from the Chinese bombing campaign, but it was also the primary destination for some of the Filipino exiles that actually came back from living abroad. In addition to building oil tankers and cargo ships, the Tadiar regime also poured a lot of money into building corvettes and patrol boats as well. It was only with the issues surrounding the frigates and destroyers that they had to approach other nations to do so, and submarines as well. In this area, both the United States and Spain had helped out with donating much of their older ships. The US had donated the USS Samuel Eliot Morison, the USS Sides, the USS Estocin, and one other Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate that was entirely built for the Philippines as the BEFF (Barko Estado Federales de Filipinas) Macario Sakay. The other three donated ships were renamed the BEFF Gregorio Aglipay, Dionisio Seguela, and Vicente Alvarez. Those ships were donated after the Second Korean war.

Interviewer: In any case, did you think that the Tadiar regime had actually paid a lot of attention to the Philippine military than his successors?

Oxales: Under Hector Tarrazona's caretaker regime, he emphasized on acquiring more weapons for the Philippine Navy and Air Force, as well as expanded the recruiting efforts. It was under Tarrazona that the enlistment age was increased from the maximum age of 29 to 39, in order to bring in older recruits that wanted to join, but were unable to. Tarrazona's government actually wanted to acquire some of the weapons that the former North Korean Army had, but was unable to. They had an eye on the Pokpung-ho tanks of the former North Korean Army, but Huh Kyoung-young actually donated all of the ex-KPA tanks to Kazakhstan, India, Iran, and Venezuela.

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"Pakistan's conflict with India had turned even nastier with the Soviet-aligned Afghan invasion of western Pakistan, especially the tribal areas where the Pashtuns lived. In January of 1989, the DRA Army had sent over 5,000 of its troops to attack the town of Kamr-ud-din Karez, with the backing of the Soviet forces that were stationed in Afghanistan. With Soviet aerial bombing campaigns against Mujahideen training camps on the border, the DRA Army was able to capture the town, before proceeding towards the rest of the tribal areas. However, the DRA Army's invasion of Western Pakistan was both a blessing and a curse for the two sides, as the Soviet-aligned Afghan forces now faced guerrilla attacks from the other Mujahideen fighters that didn't redeploy to fight the Indian forces in the east. It also became a major factor in the bloodier collapse of the Afghan communist government, though they managed to survive until 1995, when the Soviet Union was dissolved after the Second Russian Civil War ended. Indian forces still dealt with the remnants of the Pakistani military, as well as the Mujahideen fighters and Khalistani separatists that didn't defect to the Indian forces. Although not much was talked about regarding naval actions in the Indian Ocean, the Indian Navy did play a role in launching a naval blockade of Pakistani ports to ensure that no supplies were coming in. Any ship that was bound for the Pakistani ports were either forced to turn around, or made a detour towards the Indian ports instead, with the port of Goa being the preferred destination. It was not until February of 1989 that the world turned its gaze towards the insignificant town of Balkasar. Though a relatively minor town by Pakistani standards, it emerged as the chokepoint between the occupied portions of eastern Pakistan and the gateway to the capital of Islamabad. It was there that the joint Pakistani Army and Mujahideen forces had made their stand against the Indian Army. The Battle of Balkasar would become one of the longest and bloodiest battles of the Cross-Punjab conflict, surpassing the Siege of Lahore. In that battle, the Mujahideen had fiercely resisted Indian Army advances, often using anti-tank countermeasures, such as RPGs and improvised explosive devices, which killed numerous Indian soldiers. Indian forces would respond by bombing various areas where Mujahideen fighters were located. On this occassion though, the Soviet Air Force had conducted increased aerial patrols closer towards Pakistani airspace, making sure that none of their aircraft had violated Pakistani airspace, lest they end up triggering another major conflict. However, the Afghan Air Force during this time was staffed by Afghan technicians and Soviet pilots, as the Soviet military leadership inside Afghanistan feared that the Afghan pilots, once they were airborne, would warn their compatriots fighting for the Mujahideen. Thus, Soviet pilots flying Afghan aircraft would bomb Pakistani positions in western Pakistan. It has reached a ridiculous point where the Soviets even 'donated' 5 Tu-22Ms to the Afghan Air Force, knowing that Soviet pilots would use them to bomb targets as far as the Indo-Pakistani border. Unfortunately, the practice of using Soviet pilots in aerial bombing sorties had backfired spectacularly, as the Pakistani Mujahideen often tortured and executed captured Soviet pilots flying the aircraft belonging to the Afghan Air Force. It didn't stop the Soviets from continuing with their bombing sorties, until events in Moscow leading to the Second Russian Civil War forced the Afghan Air Force to resort to using actual Afghan pilots, but by then, the aerial bombardment had started to decline. All the same, the Indian bombing sorties against Pakistani target on the opposite side of Pakistan had also done a brutal but effective work of reducing various Mujahideen strongholds to rubble." From 'The Mutilated Country: Pakistan and the Conflicts in the Punjab and Afghanistan', released by NHK Documentary on May 19, 2013.

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MUSICAL GROUPS FROM ABROAD HAVE ARRIVED IN THE PHILIPPINES FOR SPECIAL PRE-ELECTION CONCERT CELEBRATING THE NEWLY FORMED DEMOCRACY DAY HOLIDAY
Vancouver Sun
May 2, 2010

(Kabankalan, KABANKALAN CAPITAL REGION) - Various musicians and musical groups from abroad, though predominantly consisted of former Filipino political exiles and their descendants, have arrived back in the land of their birth to perform in what the entire country has called the pre-election concert that will kick off before the Philippines is set to hold its first free elections since 1986, when former dictator Ferdinand Marcos had fell from power in a popular uprising that was marred by the rising notoriety of another former dictator, Artemio Tadiar. Singers such as Lea Salonga and Zsa Zsa Padilla are among the guests that will perform in the new capital of Kabankalan, alongside other former exiles such as Francis Magalona, whose illness and subsequent operation had been crowdfunded by Filipino fans of his songs from across the world, even including from the Filipino diaspora in unlikely places like Armenia, Russia, and Iran. The concert, which was being organized by the outgoing Tarrazona quasi-junta, was seen as an attempt to excite the entire Filipino population into taking part in the peaceful transition to a fully fledged liberal democracy, a chance that was denied by Artemio Tadiar in 1986.

"We've waited for this moment since Tadiar died in 2007. While we appreciate what General Tarrazona has done for this country, we also applaud his decision to step down from political office in order for us to vote for a new President," says an unnamed concert goer who supports a newly emerging Filipino leftist party that has established itself as a credible movement called the Socialist Unity Party. "This is our chance to elect a President that will represent all the Fillipino political factions that have been victimized by decades of right-wing policies."

In addition to the individual singers that have been invited to participate in the pre-election concert, two rap groups have also been reported to have joined in the concert. Exiled Barkada, which is a cross-border political rap group based in both Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, and Motown Marauders, which is an entirely US-based political rap group consisting of famous rappers like 2M, 9Mag and Obie Thrice, are also set to make their first ever international debut, though Motown Marauders is also scheduled to perform in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Thailand after their concert in the Philippines is done. Motown Marauders is best known for being a diverse rap group that had its start in Detroit's 8 Mile neighborhood where 2M and 9Mag grew up together. In contrast, Exiled Barkada is most famous for being a rap group that was started by Filipino high school students that have yet to graduate from secondary school. The presence of these rap groups has electrified the fans of both groups, since their fame has risen to prominence, largely thanks to their social media presence like VossCode and ScreenClick.

"As we used to say, the Barkada is coming to the streets of Kabankalan to add to the excitement that is our first chance to elect a new President," says a supporter of a rising politician named Grace Poe. "We often listened to their music, even when Tadiar was still in power and he banned the entire country from listening to foreign rappers."

But keep in mind that they're getting second handed fighter aircraft. It wouldn't be surprising if they're also going to get second handed helicopters and transport aircraft as well ITTL.

Originally, I didn't thought about the OHP being sold to the Philippines, but I realized that a more naval focused defense of the Philippines would be necessary, hence the OHP. Also in this case, since Japan ITTL is also lifting its export ban on their weaponry, the Philippine Navy could also get some auxilliary ships from Japan as well.

Let's see. ITTL, Eminem would have an even bigger terrible upbringing, and sneaking into the Philippines on a forged passport acquired through underhanded means might not be out of the ordinary. The fact that a child soldier is also fighting would be a scandal in itself for the Dukakis administration. Of course, we're also seeing OTL Gloc 9 being forced to flee to the US as well.

The thing is, since OTL Gloc 9 will be in America, the rap careers of both men will definitely be intertwined, and much of their rap songs would be more political than related to social problems. In addition, OTL Eminem's wife Kim's twin sister Dawn will still be alive ITTL (IOTL, she died from a drug overdose).

Probably because he wanted to get away from the dull and miserable life that he has in Detroit. I may retcon that portion, but at the very least I’ll need to keep the lyrics.

CHAPTER THIRTY: THE WRATH OF MOTHER NATURE

REUSCHEL PLACED ON 30 DAY INJURY RESERVE AFTER SUFFERING FROM UCL AMIDST GIANTS LOSS TO PIRATES
San Francisco Chronicle
July 15, 1989


Rick Reuschel pitches a ball during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

(San Francisco) - The San Francisco Giants today had announced that they've placed Pitcher Rick Reuschel on a 30 day injury reserve in response to suffering from a UCL during the 7th inning while playing to a 4-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates at Candlestick Park. The injury took place while Bobby Bonilla was at the bat. Reuschel's injury may be costly to the Giants as they are looking to avoid being knocked out of the playoff races. In addition, both the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres are looking to exploit the opportunity caused by Reuschel's injury to gain the top position in the National League standings. In addition, the cross-Bay rival in the Oakland Athletics are dealing with numerous issues of injured pitchers as both Bill Dawley and Brian Snyder are placed on a 15 day injury reserve. So far, injuries are plaguing the two top performing teams in both the American and National Leagues as their respective rivals are locked in the playoff race for the coveted positions in the post season playoffs. In addition, both the Giants and the Kansas City Royals are interested in acquiring the services of recently released Infielder Jamie Quirk, who was released by the Athletics. However, other trade rumors are swirling around, with the Giants and Athletics looking to trade some of their underperforming players to other teams. Moreover, the Toronto Blue Jays are also looking to strengthen both their infielding and outfielding by shopping for any players that are on the verge of being released.

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Excerpts from "Loma Prieta: The Earthquake that Defined Dukakis's America"
by: Ralph Mellanby
Montag Press, published on October 18, 2017

Chapter Six: A World Series Marred by Tragedy

No one could predict that a normal Game Three between the Toronto Blue Jays and the San Diego Padres will somehow be cancelled. Of course, no one in San Francisco or Oakland can predict while undergoing through the daily normal curse of heavy traffic from their respective workplaces. Yet, without a warning, the cross-Bay area shook violently as the double decker freeway around it had collapsed, killing thousands of unsuspecting drivers that were driving on the Cypress Freeway Structure. Rescue efforts were made more difficult by the fact that the entirety of the structure had collapsed on the damaged cars, and ambulances found it difficult to navigate through the maze that emerged. When Steve Armitage told me that if Rick Reuschel did not suffer from the torn UCL, the San Francisco Giants would have at least made it to the playoffs, if not the World Series. I countered back by saying that if the Oakland Athletics had dealt with their injury related issues a lot sooner, they wouldn't have declined long enough to allow the Kansas City Royals to surpass them in the standings. We had this discussion before the official start of the Game Three match between the rock solid Toronto Blue Jays and the dark horse team in the San Diego Padres. I must admit that the Padres had not gone idle in improving their defensive capabilities by paying attention to the infielders and outfielders, as well as rotating much of their pitching corps. They also didn't stick with just one pitcher in every game, preferring to switch out their pitchers in either the 3rd or 4th inning, which both prevented the starting pitcher from risking injury, as well as giving relief pitchers and other untested players a chance to gain experience on the field. It was something that Jack McKeon had paid attention to.

All of America had watched in horror as the tragedy in the Bay area unfolded, but the nasty surprises weren't done yet for the state of California. The sports world would learn, much to their grief, that both the San Francisco Giants pitcher in Greg Litton and the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice were among the victims that were killed in the Loma Prieta Earthquake. All of the major sports league had suspended their operations for two weeks as the athletes themselves have decided to pitch in the rescue and relief efforts. It was also surprising to see both the Blue Jays and Padres players volunteer in helping out with the clean up efforts, though the stench of death remained with the players. In fact, Freddie Toliver and Mauro Gozzo had suffered from PTSD when encountering the mangled corpses of an entire family that was squashed to death by the fallen debris. Unfortunately, those players would no longer play in the World Series, since they were mandated by the MLBPA to seek professional help in dealing with the trauma from seeing the corpses. It was also when the eventual winning pitcher in Andy Benes had found a seven year old boy and a nine year old girl that were still breathing, but barely surviving, that he would dedicate the rest of the World Series, not just to the many thousands of people that died in the Loma Prieta Earthquake, but it was something that all of California would rally around. It was the memory of the Loma Prieta Earthquake victims that would give strength to all of the California based teams to perform better, for their sake. In fact, both the Loma Prieta Earthquake and the previous year's Spitak Earthquake that allowed the two superpowers, the United States, and the Soviet Union, to set aside their differences to help each other out. At that time, the outgoing President Ronald Reagan had temporarily hosted Soviet leader Anatoly Lukyanov when news of the 1988 earthquake broke out. Thus, the American gesture would later be reciprocated by the Soviet offers of relief effort in the Loma Prieta Earthquake. It was at this time that an obscure businessman by the name of Alisher Usmanov had created his fortune in mass producing the necessary equipment and medical supplies needed for the relief effort in the Spitak and Loma Prieta Earthquakes. He bought three abandoned factories that became inoperable and converted them into facilities that produced heavy duty plastic bags, which subsequently became the foundation of his fortunes. Another factory that Usmanov controlled had produced emergency food rations that were needed in case canned foods were unavailable. Overall, the supplies that Usmanov's firm had built were used in the Loma Prieta Earthquake, with the heavy duty plastic bags being favored by the athletes engaged in clean up efforts.

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DUKAKIS CABINET

President: Michael Dukakis (from January 20, 1989, to December 4, 1989)

Vice President: Jesse Jackson (becomes President after December 7, 1989)

Speaker of the House of Representatives: Jim Wright (becomes Vice President after December 7, 1989, decided to not run for the Vice Presidency in the 1992 US Vice Presidential Election)

Secretary of State: Warren Christopher

Secretary of the Treasury: Robert Rubin

Secretary of Defense: Charles C. Campbell

Attorney General: Nicholas Katzenbach

Secretary of the Interior: Ron Dellums

Secretary of Agriculture: Mike Espy

Secretary of Commerce: Mickey Kantor

Secretary of Labor: Robert Reich

Secretary of Health and Human Services: Sharon Cissna

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Hazel O'Leary

Secretary of Transportation: Federico Pena

Secretary of Energy: Henry Cisneros

Secretary of Education: Dan Quayle

Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Togo West

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency: Carol Browner

Office of Management and Budget: Charlene Barshefsky

United States Trade Representative: Leon Panetta (until December 4, 1989, when he is replaced by Charlene Barshefsky, on account of him dying alongside President Dukakis in the Pamplona plane crash)

Director of Central Intelligence: John Deutch

Ambassador to the United Nations: Walter Mondale

Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers: Dianne Feinstein

Administrator of the Small Business Administration: Ann Kobayashi

Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency: Craig Fugate

Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy: Lee Brown

Chief of Staff: John Galvin

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PRESIDENT DUKAKIS DECLARES NATIONWIDE STATE OF EMERGENCY AS CALIFORNIA MOBILIZES ITS NATIONAL GUARD TO HELP OUT WITH DISASTER RELIEF WORK, CONGRESS TO HOLD EMERGENCY MEETING ON THE FUTURE OF INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS RELATED TO HIGHWAY CONSTRUCTION
Washington Post
October 18, 1989


President Michael Dukakis addresses a reporter during his speech inside Congress while discussing the ongoing Loma Prieta Earthquake crisis.

(Washington, DC) - As the United States is dealing with a devastating earthquake in the California area of Loma Prieta, President Michael Dukakis has declared a nationwide state of emergency to deal with the aftermath of the natural disaster. The updated total amount of casualties were over 500 killed and 5,395 injured, although it isn't yet the final count. Although the international community was quick to send a significant amount of humanitarian aid, including from the Soviet Union, there were fears that the increased number of casualties would outpace the number of medical and food supplies that all of California currently has in its stock. In addition, all of California's National Guard personnel were deployed to the disaster area, followed by the arrival of US military personnel operating from their military bases within that state. The arrival of the US Navy's transport ships carrying a half million tonnes of medical supplies had docked in San Francisco Bay's harbors, while the US Air Force was airlifting much needed equipment to help with excavating the rubble, and medical personnel were on standby to help retrieve the victims that were stuck inside the rubble.

"This calamity on an unprecedented scale is something that we can never forget. Let us remember that mother nature has a way of unleashing her anger upon all of humanity," says President Dukakis when addressing the press in front of the White House lawn. "The large number of casualties sustained in this disaster could not have been avoided, but at the heart of this tragedy lies within the constructions of double-deck freeways that are often used by motorists."

The emerging issue of the double deck bridges that often dominated California's highway scenery has long been a subject of intense scrutiny, owing to the large number of vehicles owned by ordinary Americans. Although the transit system within the Greater San Francisco Bay area had also been affected by the Loma Prieta Earthquake, as many electrical grids were significantly damaged, much of its damaged equipment, including some of the sub stations, could be fixed or rebuilt. In fact, Congress has called for an emergency meeting to discuss on the future of other highway infrastructure projects that are either in progress, or have yet to start. It is most likely that all highway infrastructure construction works would be suspended, as Congress and the House of Representatives are looking at alternative solutions to the double-decker freeways.

In addition, all of the major sports leagues have suspended their operations once news has reached them that San Francisco 49ers WR Jerry Rice and San Francisco Giants Pitcher Greg Litton were among the civilians killed in the earthquake. However, it is yet unclear if there were more athletes that are among the numerous victims of the earthquake, although the NBA has reported that all players of the Golden State Warriors have managed to survive the earthquake, but were now stuck inside Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena. There's an ongoing effort to send additional vehicles to help evacuate the trapped basketball players and coaching staff from the area, but it is unsure how safe the evacuation will be, given the possible aftershocks that may occur.

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"I suppose that our failure to make it to the playoffs had not only affected the next seasons after it, but Rick Reuschel's injury had opened a pandora's box that resulted in a larger amount of tragedy that has occurred. Had our team and the Oakland Athletics dealt with their injury related problems a lot sooner, we would have been in the World Series instead of the Padres and Blue Jays. Given that the majority of the spectators would have been in either the Bay area or in Oakland when the Loma Prieta Earthquake happened, far fewer people would have lived. Now both the modern day sports fans and prominent figures within the government are now calling the whole thing as the Reuschel Curse, named after poor Ricky. Then again, when we lost Greg Litton to that earthquake, we wept for the loss of a great player. Candlestick Park was heavily damaged beyond repairs, and the damage it sustained during the earthquake made it easier for us to decide to not play in that field anymore, and to build a new stadium. The new field that was going to be built in the SoMa district of San Francisco was originally going to be named Pacific Bell Park, but we've decided to name our field in honor of Greg, so it became the Litton Loma Prieta Memorial Field. The LiLoPriMe, as we've nicknamed it, had to be subjected to strict rigorous tests that would enable them to withstand future earthquakes, even going as far as to subject the building to the highest point on the Richter scale to see if it can withstand such a thing. Though it was seen as extremely controversial, it was necessary to do so, as San Francisco sat at the Ring of Fire. Our football counterparts in the 49ers had to subject the newly built Jerry Rice Embarcadero Memorial Field to the same rigorous test as our baseball field, and it was largely thanks to the late President Dukakis that the West Coast has seen a massive uptake in earthquake-related innovations in construction projects. Japanese firms specializing in earthquake proof technology were eager to share their secrets with us, since they also have an opportunity to experiment with such tech that they had when they were sent to rebuild the Philippines in the late 1990s. Even the Canadians would get into action, as the Ironworkers' Field in Vancouver were also subjected to the same test, albeit under orders of Canadian Prime Minister John Reynolds and BC Premier John Cummins." Roger Lee Craig, while talking about the tragic legacy of the Loma Prieta Earthquake and its effects on both San Francisco sports and the reforms in American construction technology.

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Excerpts from "Orange Crushed: British Columbia and the Slow Decline of the BC New Democratic Party"
by: Jack Weisberger
Quest University Publishing Press, published on August 18, 2014

Chapter Four: 1986-2001

When Bob Skelly won the 1986 British Columbia elections over newly elected BC SoCred Party leader Grace MacCarthy, the entirety of the province had been stunned. While the legacy of the Bill Bennett Premiership was one of excessive monetary investments in the construction of BC Place and the Expo 86 exhibit. Yet, like every other parts of Canada, British Columbia was unprepared for events across the Pacific Ocean, as the Philippine dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos collapsed in a series of events that led to the Filipino Civil War and ultimately, the rise of Artemio Tadiar as the new military dictator of that country. Many refugees from the Philippines had arrived in Canada through the former US Trust Territories in the Pacific between 1987 and 1990, although additional Filipino refugees would still come to Canada. However, by 1991, many more Filipino refugees could arrive in Canada from an unexpected place of origin: the Middle East and Yugoslavia. As the collapse of the Eastern European communist regimes are happening, and the Second Russian Civil War has broken out, much of the Western world has sobered up to the shocking realization that the plight of refugees from those war zones have to be taken seriously. First and foremost, the Eastern European refugees fleeing from the Polish and former Soviet warzones were taken in, and then the Filipino refugees staying in Europe that wanted to leave as well. Premier Skelly's government started to prepare the infrastructure for the eventual arrival of the refugees, though at this point Vancouver has not yet been transformed into a global municipal powerhouse that it has become today. At the same time, there were two other cities within British Columbia that were earmarked for the resettlement of the refugees, such as Squamish and Gibsons. While Gibsons wasn't going to be as big as say, Calgary, it was given enough investment to attract around 80,000 refugees that settled there. Squamish on the other hand, was given a much bigger investment, mainly because the Skelly provincial government wanted to develop much of the Sea to Sky region into a moderate powerhouse that could take the pressure and burden off Vancouver's backs regarding the infrastructure and housing. However, there was no roadway connecting Gibsons and Squamish, which posed a major problem, as Squamish didn't have a BC Ferry terminal, while Gibsons does have one. Before the construction of BC Highway 101's extension from Gibsons to Squamish, a traveler would have to take the BC Ferry ride from Langdale to Horseshoe Bay, and then travel all the way to Vancouver to catch a Greyhound bus to Squamish. After 1988, the construction of the Gibsons-Squamish connection of Highway 101 began, though unlike the construction of Coquihala Highway, this project took a lot longer to complete, as there were a lot of tree cutting involved, with much of the trees that were cut simply shipped to various lumber companies that continued to operate at this time.

Labour unions were strengthened by the Skelly government's reinstatement of various labour laws that the previous Bennett government had repealed, and they played a crucial role in buying approximately 46% of BC Rail's shares, since much of its investors had started to lose money. Social services were not only also strengthened, but were also updated to meet the inevitable demands that the arrival of the refugees would have. To this end, the new starting wage that took effect by January 1, 1991 was $8.25, which although not as helpful to young people and new families back then, was necessary to expand the work force. Many refugees that arrived in Canada after 1991 had been hired by the various companies involved on the Gibsons-Squamish connection of Highway 101, though the competition for such jobs were unusually high, as local residents also wanted to work on the highway as well. After the establishment of the Philippine government-in-exile inside Whistler in 1995, the resort town of Whistler and the agricultural town of Pemberton would eventually receive the same kind of investment and attention, although by then, the Skelly government was well entrenched. The acceptance of investors from Hong Kong, such as Li Ka-shing into Vancouver, triggered intense controversy, when independent investigators connected to the BC SoCreds and the BC Liberal Party, had revealed that both Li Ka-shing and exiled Chinese-Filipino billionaire John Gokongwei, partnered up to purchase lands in Vancouver's False Creek area and in Richmond in 1988. Although not controversial at that time, the purchase of the Expo lands had been crucial in attracting Asian investors to place their money in the development of Vancouver. However, long after Bob Skelly was defeated in the 1991 BC Provincial Election by a narrow margin to Grace McCarthy, the new McCarthy provincial government raised an alarm to the news that an obscure mainland Chinese businessman named Ren Zhengfei wanted to purchase the lands hugging the incomplete Gibsons-Squamish connection of Highway 101. Skelly, as it turned out, was friendly with the Hong Kong business clans and even courted the exiled Chinese-Filipino business families, long after the Tadiar dictatorship had gotten involved in a disastrous conflict in the South China Sea. In contrast, McCarthy was leery of allowing foreign investors too much influence in the development of the Lower Mainland. During my tenure as Premier between 2000 and 2010 while representing the BC Reform Party, I was constantly communicating with both Skelly and McCarthy on the emergence of the Filipino political exile community. Skelly didn't really cultivate much good will with the refugees that have arrived in Canada after 1991, but the BC Reform Party positioned itself as the political party that catered to both the local residents and the refugees that arrived. It certainly helped the BC Reform Party after 1996, when during Skelly's second term, Skelly had mistakenly said that China had legitimate interests in the disputed Spratly Islands region when he should have said that the SE Asian claimant nations had legitimate interests. The arrival of Vietnamese refugees fleeing from their wartorn nation after both China and Cambodia launched a two pronged invasion had been a major factor in the Vietnamese refugee community's open display of loyalty to the BC Reform Party, since both Grace and I had condemned China's military aggression in the South China Sea, and also condemned Russia's brutal aggression during the Second Russian Civil War. However, what was troubling was that in the beginning of 1996, a prominent Japanese billionaire named Yoshiaki Tsutsumi was interested in investing in real estate outside Japan, and he had an eye on cornering the real estate market in the Sea to Sky region. Though that area wasn't interesting to both Li Ka-shing and John Gokongwei, Tsutsumi was keen on making his mark on British Columbia, especially since he was ambitious enough to express interest in investing in the reconstruction of the Philippines and Vietnam after the Spratly Islands conflict had ended.

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO: THE NEW MASTER OF THE HOUSE

Excerpts from "A Nation in Mourning"
by: Arturo Tolentino
Atlas Publishing, released 2002

Chapter Fifteen: A House in Need of Order

I was not surprised to hear from Brigadier General Tadiar that he was not invited to attend the funeral of the late President Michael Dukakis as a result of a tragic plane crash that killed him over Spain, although in hindsight Tadiar himself was in dire need of bringing order to the entirety of our country after a civil war nearly destroyed it. The food riots continued apace, and this time around, there was massive opposition to the emerging junta that arose because of his seizure of power and the banishment of the Aquino family. Honestly, we needed some time to bring the Philippines to order, and the first thing that Tadiar did when he took power was to order the farmers to produce more food than usual. Food security was something that he obsessed over, since a hungry populace could easily lead to his own downfall. The quotas on the number of rice, livestock and other kinds of fruits and vegetables were set, and Tadiar even approached neighboring Malaysia and Indonesia for help with food imports as well. To our surprise, the Thai government offered to help us expand on our rice cultivation, and even proposed a kind of free trade agreement between our two countries as a way of thanking them for helping us with the problem regarding the communists. Unfortunately, what I was about to see regarding the new transformation of our country was something that the political exiles are now screaming about. Around the new year, a single aircraft had landed in Manila Airport, carrying several Chilean officers that were dispatched by the Pinochet regime to help us retrain our military. While I wasn't present during Tadiar's trip to Chile and his meeting with Pinochet, it appeared that the Helicopter General, as Colonels Aromin and Doromal had dubbed him, was honest about our subpar performance during the civil war, though he lamented our excessive stocks of obsolete WWII era weapons that were donated to us during the civil war.

I was sitting inside my office in Malacanang Palace, discussing with the Thai ambassador and their Defense Minister Chatichau Choonhavan, through the use of translators, on how our relationship will be like. Moreover, three junior ranked Chilean officers waited just outside the door of my office while observing our officers' interaction with the rank and file soldiers. To say that the Chilean guests were not impressed by our soldiers' conduct was not surprising; the standards had rather fallen since the end of the civil war, when money was in short supply and the morale of our military had also suffered as a result.

"The security concerns of the entirety of Southeast Asia is something that our two countries are interested in, and as we've demonstrated during your civil war, having a paramilitary force consisting of volunteers is a necessary countermeasure against insurgents. To fight guerrillas, you need to think like a guerrilla fighter. Conventional warfare may only work to a degree, but if you're suffering from attrition as a result of guerrilla raids, then you may have to change tactics," Defense Minister Choonhavan explained to me while Tadiar himself entered my office and shook hands with Choonhavan. "General Tadiar, it is nice to see you in person. I have the great honor of aiding our country's ambassador to your great nation."

Tadiar nodded in agreement. "Likewise, Defense Minister. There are plenty of things to talk about." He paused to acknowledge the three Chilean officers vying for his attention. "If you don't mind, I'd like to invite the Chilean military officers here to join us as well. They've arrived all the way from Chile to seek an audience with me. No doubt that General Pinochet is interested in lending a hand to our military modernization."

"Ah, thank you for inviting us over, General Tadiar," one of the Chilean officers said to Tadiar as they joined the entourage and entered what was essentially the office of the President, which Tadiar had commandeered for his own use. "We appreciate your hospitality, and for taking your time to receive us."

"If anything, I should thank your leader for allowing me to make up for the foolish actions of my predecessors. General Pinochet was a brave patriot who saw the dangers of communism and took action to stop it," Tadiar told the Chilean officers present in the room as he and Lt. Colonels Aromin and Doromal had led them inside the de facto Presidential office.

Unfortunately, I was not invited to the meeting, as Tadiar himself didn't want anyone else who isn't in the military to learn of the dealings he's made with the Chilean military delegates that have shown up in the Philippines. However, I was able to learn two of the officers that showed up here in Malacanang. One of them was a man named Alvaro Corbalan, who would go on to become the head of the UN peacekeeping force in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region when the Soviet Union would be embroiled in a civil war. Another one was Pablo Belmar, who showed up at the School of the Americas as a guest instructor just two years prior to Tadiar's rise to power. I soon realized that Tadiar and his junta were desperate to reform the Philippine military, along the same lines as the Chilean military. Though they're not as wealthy as say, Japan or even Australia, the Chilean military is impressive in that they retained the military traditions of the late Imperial German military while simultaneously keeping their military on the budget. Yet, from what I heard back when Macoy was in power, even he was not really comfortable getting too close with the Chilean junta, and this is coming from the same man who committed similar kinds of human rights violations. Though I'm not sure how the diplomatic ties between the Philippines and Chile will turn out, I get the feeling that we may end up relying on the Chileans down the road.

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"What we have seen today during our country's independence day parade is nothing short of shocking. President Poe today has yet to address the notoriety of the practices that our military has retained from the Tadiar-era reforms that were largely influenced by the former Pinochet and Corbalan regimes in Chile. What's the practices that I'm referring to? The fact that our soldiers are still goose stepping like it's Nazi Germany all over again, and they're still wearing the olive drab parade uniforms that were inspired by the Japanese military during WWII. Yes, the same Japanese military that had occupied our country and had massacred our people, with the help of the same collaborators that the previous military regime had pardoned because of his desire to improve ties with Japan. However, what is equally disturbing is that the flags used by the far-right Fatherland Freedom Party, which succeeded the KALIBAPI-1998 movement, were also on display, much to the rightly disgusted reactions of the audience, as if the Tadiar years had not changed one bit. However, much of the nationalist wing within the Philippine government had insisted that the AFP has done more to safeguard our country's sovereignty and national existence than the politicians of today. That, I have to agree with, since they were serious about fighting our external and internal enemies. Unfortunately, their combat prowess could not be compared to their habit of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity, as we've seen when they've fought the communist guerrillas that are still hiding within the jungles of Visayas and Mindanao. They've resorted to not only torture, but executions as well. Then again, it isn't surprising that this kind of behavior was displayed openly during the Second Korean War, when many of our own troops had also massacred innocent civilians and surrendering Chinese soldiers that fought as volunteers. Heck, our own criminals were even allowed to serve on the front lines in exchange for their freedom! What kind of sick, twisted, and demonic behavior is this? On top of that, both our military and NICA were instrumental in imposing the late Tadiar regime's anti-clerical policies by taking control of all educational facilities that were run by the Catholic and Protestant Churches. Heavy handed secularization went hand in hand with placing an even bigger emphasis on reversing the harmful legacy of benevolent assimilation, which both the Tadiar supporters and ironically enough, the resurgent leftists in the Philippines, had supported, as a means of asserting much of our national identity that is separate from the Anglosphere. My friends, the legacy of the Tadiar era is still there for all of us to see, and it is frightening." Jessica Soho from 'Jamming with Jessica' on the controversy surrounding the 2013 Philippine Independence Day Parade, where Chilean style military parades were still being practiced, before the 2016 Military Reformation Order, which either toned down some of the Tadiar-era practices, or abolished it altogether.

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JAPAN ANNOUNCES MOBILIZATION OF ITS MILITARY AS ESTO MEMBER STATES CONDUCT CLIMATIZATION EXERCISES IN SOUTHERN CHINA, RAISES FEARS OF POTENTIAL MILITARY CONFLICT BETWEEN ESTO AND THE PHILIPPINES
Japan Times
November 4, 2018


A Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force vessel accompanies a Philippine Navy frigate during a naval drill, just outside the Ryukyu Island chain. Tensions in the wider East Asia region caused by the Zhemchuka 2018 exercises conducted by members of the Eurasian Security Treaty Organization

(Tokyo) - The Japanese government today has announced that it has issued a partial mobilization of its armed forces in response to the continued military exercises conducted by members of the Eurasian Security Treaty Organization inside China. Prime Minister Tamogami Toshio has also revealed that the Japan Maritime Defense Forcce has also been given orders to deploy their active vessels for patrol duty between the Japanese Home Islands and the Ryukyu Island chain, in case the Zhemchuka 2018 exercises extends to its naval component as well. The exercises conducted by ESTO inside China is viewed by both the Japanese and Philippine governments as a prelude to a possible ESTO military invasion of the Philippines, in response to the Legarda administration's confession of its nuclear program, which technically violated SE Asia's nuclear free zone status, but has also revealed that much of the nuclear free zone status has been recently made obsolete, due to Indonesia's desire to pursue a similar program. In response to the Zhemchuka 2018 exercises, the Japanese and Philippine Navies have decided to conduct a naval exercise to simulate a response to an amphibious invasion from across the West Philippine Sea.

"Our country may or may not have the strength to face off against the might of the Eurasian Security Treaty Organization, but we will not make it easy for them to invade our ally in the south. Additionally, the Chinese are also eager to reconquer their so-called lost province of Taiwan, in order to soothe their delusional wounded national pride," says Tamogami, during a press conference in front of the Japanese Diet building. "Taiwan is our ally, and we will also extend our own protection to them, just as we have done for Vietnam and the Philippines."

Taiwanese President Cho Jung-tai has also warned his Chinese counterpart in Wang Jian-ping against any attempt to use military force to reunify the two countries, stating that the Taiwanese military is not afraid to fight any PLA amphibious invasion, and will gladly call on its allies to help defend Taiwanese territory. Since his victory in the 2016 Presidential Election, President Cho has doubled down in his stance on Taiwanese national statehood, viewing himself as a major figure in Taiwan's Pan-Green Coalition, which is at odds with its ideological opponent in the Pan-Blue Coalition, which favored the current status quo (though a few Pan-Blue Coalition politicians are actually in favor of gradual reunification with mainland China). The Taiwanese Pan-Green Coalition had been a vehicle for Taiwanese independence, which sought to cultivate closer ties to Japan, and in fact, President Cho had paid a visit last year to Tokyo to speak at the Japanese National Diet Building, which Prime Minister Tamogami had presided over a crowded reception to hear President Cho's speech. Unlike Japan though, President Cho has yet to announce his stance on the diplomatic irregularity that has poisoned relations between neighboring Philippines and mainland China, given that the two nations are still technically at war with each other. It was for this reason that Taiwan does not have any diplomatic relations with the Philippines. In addition, Taiwan's own claims in the disputed Spratly Islands chain is also a major roadblock for any potential opening of diplomatic ties between the two nations, as both previous Tadiar and Tarrazona regimes, followed by the Grace Poe administration, had refused to acknowledge Taiwanese territorial claims in the Spratly Island chain.

Within Japan though, the Japanese Minister of Defense, Iwasaki Shigeru, has reported that since the repealing of Article 9 and the Tamogami government's aggressive push for natalist policies, the Japan National Defense Force has seen a slight increase in the number of enlistments from within the Japanese public. Between 2015 and 2018, approximately 14.5% of the recruits that joined the JNDF came straight from high school, as a result of Prime Minister Tamogami's approval of the Defense Force High School Recruitment Act, which was passed in 2016, had authorized the JNDF military to send active soldiers into various senior high schools to promote service in the JNDF, mainly targeting both high performing and low performing high school students. A good chunk of the JNDF's active soldiers and NCOs were predominantly of the low and mid perfoming range at the academic level. Unfortunately, the Defense Force High School Recruitment Act was controversial, due to the Japanese Ministry of Education's opposition to what it saw as the Ministry of Defense's attempt to interfere with the educational system by influencing high school students to join the military instead of going to post-secondary studies. Now that a possible major war in Asia might break out, the number of enlistments may increase more drastically, as nationalist propaganda has once again become more prominent in the media and educational systems, with the greater emphasis on Japanese history and the wider East Asian history.

"With the crisis in the Philippines reaching a breaking point, it is up to us to prove to the world that we can be responsible enough to safeguard the security and sovereignty of the wider Asia-Pacific region. For this reason, I think that we should slightly increase our defense spending towards the training of our soldiers, as well as expanding our fleets, as we are more reliant on our naval power than the entirety of the ESTO alliance," says Defense Minister Iwasaki, when asked about the greater focus of the JNDF in the event of the ESTO's military intervention in the Philippines. "Out of the entire ESTO alliance, only the Russian and Korean navies are a bigger threat than the PLA Navy, and that is mainly because of the Russian Pacific Fleet and the Korean Navy's expanded arsenal, which included older and obsolete vessels they've obtained from the former North Korea."

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Op-Ed: A Terrifying Soft Power Emerging in the Philippines?

by: Takush Martirosyan

Tyrant Watch

Although the Tadiar years were notorious in the increased level of human rights violations that were committed by the junta against its political opponents, there was one area of the regime where they had at least some successes. Most of the time, pundits from across the political spectrum had agreed that the Tadiar regime had seriously attempted to face the challenges that even its predecessors had failed to overcome, such as the continued rising prices of food and fuel, as well as the lack of economic opportunity in the country after news of the Marcos cronies had gotten away with state sponsored robbery. To this end, various senior and junior former Marcos cronies were faced with simple choices: to forfeit their wealth in exchange for their lives and loyalty to the Tadiar regime, or face the death penalty. Many of these oligarchs, such as Antonio Floirendo and Roberto Benedicto, had become Tadiar's most ardent loyalists within the financial sector, since he allowed them to profit from the downfall of their former compadres on the national level. However, it was after 1996 that Philippine militarism had been exploited to its most terrifying potential. Numerous nations within Africa had been rife with various military coups and counter coups, and while Zaire was not as vulnerable to its other African neighbors, it was also emerging as the center of various PMCs that have arisen. Private Military Companies had existed since the 1960s, but the 1990s saw the expansion of numerous aspirant PMCs. From within Eastern Europe, the Poland-based Logos Defense Corporation had been organized by veterans of the Second Russian Civil War that fought against the Soviet government, and worked closely with the United States military throughout the rest of the 1990s, and even participated in the American Invasion of Cuba and Nicaragua during the Kemp administration's first tenure. In response, the former Soviet Union (now Russia after it was forcibly broken up as a precondition for re-admittance into the United Nations as separate republics that succeeded the former USSR) would form their own PMCs, namely Terminal Division Group, which had been built by ex-Soviet military intelligence officers, with Yevgeniy Balitsky as its nominal founder. When the Tadiar regime began to improve its relations with Japan in 1996, military cooperation was not a major focus, as the Japanese government still maintained Article 9 of its constitution. However, Japanese intelligence had began to cooperate with Japanese military officers that were sympathetic to Toshio Tamogami's plans to repeal the controversial article within their constitution after August of 1998, seeing a way to give active and former military personnel opportunities to gain actual combat experience. It was not until 2004, after the Second Korean War had ended, that Japan would emulate Poland in building its own multi-national PMC group. Japan's equivalent and answer to both the Logos Defense Corporation and Terminal Division Group was to become Akatsuki International Resource Group, which would consist of not only Japanese and Filipino private military contractors, but after 2001 and the aftermath of Vietnam's Revolution of Dignity, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Chilean, Argentine, Mexican, and Brazilian members.

Various hotspots around the world provided a golden opportunity for these PMCs to expand their activities, and while traditional PMCs like Sandline International and Blackwater had the upper hand, they were shocked at the performances of their newly emerging rivals. For example. Logos Defense Corporation members had been deployed during the upheavals in Venezuela between 1999 and 2001, when Ramon Rodriguez Chacin and what was left of the Bolivarist revolutionary group had fought back against the corrupt Venezuelan government. Likewise, Terminal Defense Group mercenaries were spotted during Thailand's counter-insurgency operations against the Patani separatist group between 1999 and 2003, when the Second Korean War forced them to withdraw and redeploy to the border between Russia and North Korea. Akatsuki International Resource Group contractors were deployed to help the Colombian government battle the FARC terror group and Shining Path in Peru between 1999 and 2002, when the same conflict that forced the Terminal Defense Group to be recalled back to Russia had forced its Japanese counterpart to recall its contractors as well. However, a notorious chapter in the history of the AIRG had occurred in 2001, when Daniel Atienza's attempt to overthrow the Tadiar regime had been met with brutal suppression by both regular Philippine military units and members of the AIRG. After the death of Artemio Tadiar in 2007, Hector Tarrazona had emerged as his successor, though he has insisted on being the caretaker of the Philippine government until new elections could be held. It was during the Tarrazona period that the Philippines too, would form its own PMC, the Aswang Group. Unlike the other PMCs, the Aswang Group was the AIRG's sub-contractor group, meaning that the Aswang Group would be outsourced by the AIRG to complete the more unsavory missions, such as training terrorists in carrying out attacks. The Aswang Group gained notoriety in March of 2008 when Chinese intelligence agents had apprehended an Uyghur militant that came out of the training camps in Masbate island while attempting to blow up a supermarket in Urumqi. Three months later, Chinese Armed People's Police personnel had foiled an attempt by seven Inner Mongolian militants to carry out a massacre at a Chinese school in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia. Unfortunately, there was a successful terrorist attack that was carried out by seven Pan-Mongol extremists that were trained by the Aswang Group at the Sino-Mongolian Border Crossing at Zamiin-Uud in what was to become known as the Zamiin-Uud Border Bombing of July 16, 2011. Though Chinese merchants were the primary targets, the Aswang-backed Pan-Mongol extremists also targeted any of their countrymen that worked for Chinese corporations as traitors and collaborators. Tsaagan Khaas, a neo-fascist organization based in Mongolia, was revealed to have sent its members to training camps in Masbate Island.

Ultimately, the Aswang Group would be labeled by the international community as a terrorist organization that provided training and arms financing to other terrorist organizations that primarily carried out their war against China and the Korean Federal Republic. It wasn't an accident that the Aswang Group had attracted former Second Korean War veterans that served in penal battlations, like the Bato and Berdugo Brigades. Criminals with a brutal past were natural candidates to join such an organization, since they were allowed to commit various crimes that would normally result in their punishment back home. At the same time though, their sub-contract status has enabled the AIRG to outsource their services to various African nations when they could not afford the services of the more expensive PMC group that were operating there. The founder of the Aswang Group, notable Second Korean War veteran in Bato de la Rosa (who was also the founder of the Bato Brigade), had a reputation for brutality towards prisoners of war and army deserters alike. During a South Korean counteroffensive that resulted in the defeat of the North Korean forces besieging Gangneung, thirteen North Korean soldiers who fell into captivity after being too slow to retreat along with the other KPA forces had been rounded up by members of the Bato Brigade and were hacked to death with machetes. However, the Aswang Group would outlive its founder, as de la Rosa would be found dead by suicide on November 27, 2018. Rumors and conspiracies would surround the nature of de la Rosa's death, though two major viewpoints would emerge: the first one, albeit a bit more logical, would be that Bato de la Rosa opted to kill himself when it emerged that he had more dirt on three major defendants standing on trial for crimes against humanity. The fact that Bato de la Rosa's testimony would have condemned Saulito Aromin, Edgardo Doromal and Jovito Palparan to life in prison, became the main motive for his suicide. A second viewpoint, though a bit more outlandish, was that de la Rosa was killed by the other inmates as a means of settling scores with him. There was one evidence that actually supported the second viewpoint, which was that during the so-called murder attempt on de la Rosa, unknown assailants had also tried to murder a second inmate named Rodrigo Duterte, but was foiled by prison guards stationed in the Hague. Whichever viewpoint was correct, the main point was that the Aswang Group would continue to thrive as a satellite corporation of AIRG.

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Portions from the Interview with Chilean Foreign Minister Francisco Javier Cuadra
Sky News AU, released on April 12, 2018

Discussing the Pinochet-Tadiar Partnership and the Chileanization of the Philippine Military

Interviewer: You've spoken to numerous other journalists over the years about the dramatic improvement of relations between the Philippines and Chile, which enabled the former to expand on its relations with other Latin American nations as a way of branching out its foreign policy. However, critics of both the Tadiar and Pinochet (and later Corbalan) dictatorships had also pointed out that the influence of Pinochet on the political climate of the Philippines had been a factor in the growing militaristic nature of the Philippine military. Do you agree with this statement?

Cuadra: To a certain degree, yes. However, the military cooperation didn't just stop at the doctrinal reformation of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It also extended to military equipment and strategies as well, and with deeper sense of cooperation, we also managed to send someone named Eugenio Berrios to help establish a medical research center in the Philippines, where he would teach young biochemists on how to deal with various diseases, as well as teaching them how to create biological weapons as well. Berrios however, would gain a dark reputation as the Latin American equivalent of Shiro Ishii, mainly because he authorized the use of political dissidents as guinea pigs for his experiments.

Interviewer: (gasps) Experimenting with live human beings as guinea pigs? Didn't we do away with that horrible practice?

Cuadra: Well, we did at the moment, until news of how Martin Bryant had ended up as an unwitting human guinea pig had broken out in all international media outlets. Heck, your government didn't find out about Mr. Bryant's death until 2015!

Interviewer: Ah, yes! Now I remember. His mysterious disappearance had been the talk of the Australian media from 1998 until 2004, but it took us ten additional years to learn of his fate? That was tragic. What was worse was that many other people with similar physical and mental conditions to Mr. Bryant had been shipped off secretly to the Philippines as a part of a secret deal between the Tadiar regime and former Prime Minister John Howard, whom I understand is facing charges of human trafficking, as well as bribery, when it was revealed through a whistleblower connected to the disgraced former Prime Minister that the Australian government was receiving financial gifts from the Tadiar regime in exchange for the 'bodies' needed for additional experiments. You've also heard of Honey Lacuna and her collaboration with Mr. Berrios, right?

Cuadra: Yes. Ms. Lacuna was in fact the second in command to Mr. Berrios when they ran that notorious medical experiment center in Tanusa Island.

Interviewer: In that case, let's move on. You've also mentioned that the current Filipino military system was increasingly more refined as it adopted more practices that were common with the Chilean military, including conscription. In fact, even after the fall of the Tadiar regime and the end of the Tarrazona caretaker government, the Grace Poe and Loren Legarda administrations had not yet made a decision to end the policy of conscription, seeing it as a necessary evil, in case China decided to launch another attack on the Philippines. However, in the 1998 Tadiar-era constitution, conscription is not only mandatory, but they're expected to serve their mandatory service for 48 months, or 4 years. In exchange, the AFP will cover between 80 to 100 percent of their college tuition, should they decide to enroll in post secondary studies after their mandatory service is finished. Were you concerned that much of Philippine military laws that were adopted by the Tadiar regime had also been influenced by Chilean military tradition?

Cuadra: Much of the Philippines's governance regarding military recruitment had been taken from the General Directorate of National Mobilization, which I assumed would have also adopted the same penal system for draft dodgers and military deserters. We were growing concerned that the Tadiar regime's attempts to rebuild its military with our help was resulting in turning the Philippines into a clone of Chile, and to a certain degree, our fears came true. However, we in turn, had ended up cultivating our own Artemio Tadiar in Alvaro Corbalan. Because of Pinochet's declining health back in the 1990s, General Corbalan had been taking over certain functions of the Chilean junta. Thanks to him, Chile didn't return to democracy until 2013, a few years after the overthrow of Mexico's General Mario Chaparro.