"A US Navy SEAL is supposed to be missing in Pinatubo,” Lieutenant Miraflor told us. Apparently, the American service member, who was among those taking part in ongoing bilateral exercises in Subic, failed to return from a trek to Mount Pinatubo and was presumed missing.
History
Encounters with Amang
From where he was seated, Blas Fajardo Ople, Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Philippines, asked me where I was being proposed for my first foreign assignment. I told him I was being groomed as Vice Consul at the Philippine Consulate General or as Third Secretary at the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York.
Exile
Fly Dubai FZ211 bound for Baghdad was half empty compared to the flight to Jeddah that was scheduled to leave the same time from Terminal 4 of Dubai International. As the Boeing 737 taxied, the onboard entertainment system began showing "American Sniper." Quite timely, I told myself. Is it an indication of things to come? In my bag was the book "Green Zone" that Chuchay and Butch Fernandez gave as a going away present.
No Pasarán: The Bamban Barricade & the 1986 People Power Uprising in Pampanga
By nighttime, thousands of Kapampangans have made their way to Mabalacat and have massed up along the approach to Bamban Bridge. It was a spontaneous, unprecedented display of People Power. A few hours later, President Marcos fled Malacañang. After four days, it was finally over.
The Sole Survivor
"Sometimes it does not feel like 30 years ago. Sometimes, I can still see every detail,” Captain Pulsifer told me after I messaged him to remind him how fortunate he was for cheating death in the hands of the NPA not just once but twice.
United Against Daesh
I looked at them and saw that unspoken expression of sympathy and solidarity written in their faces. And they went even further. Talking through one of our Iraqi local hires, they told me: “We will fight and defeat Daesh wherever they are, whether here in Iraq or in the Philippines.”
A Taste of History in Baghdad
Atrakchi in Baghdad's upscale Jadriya District near the Philippine Embassy is not just an ordinary coffeeshop. It is also a museum that allows visitors to experience Iraqi history and culture.
Assignment: Tripoli
My task was to escort and debrief the Abu Sayyaf hostages on board and upon arrival in Tripoli, observe their turnover to their respective governments, and then send reports to Manila.
Lito and the Sniffing Dog
Lito already had an assignment order even before I volunteered to go to Iraq but as head of post I still had the final say. I really wanted to make sure I get the right people to serve with me in Baghdad—one of the most challenging posts in the foreign service because of, among others, the average of five terrorist bombings that take place there everyday.
Hospitality in the Desert
One afternoon in April, our Kuwaiti friends allowed us to experience local hospitality when they invited us for afternoon tea in the desert outside Kuwait City.
DISPATCHES FROM THE FRONTLINE 