Mendiola massacre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Mendiola massacre, also called Black Thursday by some Filipino journalists, was an incident that took place in Mendiola Street, San Miguel, Manila, Philippines on January 22, 1987, in which state security forces violently dispersed a farmers' march on Malacañang Palace. Thirteen of the peasants were killed and many wounded when government anti-riot forces opened fire on the marchers.

Background

By January 1987, the administration of Corazon C. Aquino had been in power less than a year after the People Power Revolution ousted Ferdinand E. Marcos as President of the Philippines. The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (Filipino, "Peasants' Movement of the Philippines"), a militant farmers' group led by Jaime Tadeo, demanded genuine agrarian reform from the Aquino government.

On January 15, 1987, members of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas encamped at the Ministry of Agrarian Reform (now the Department of Agrarian Reform) in Diliman, Quezon City. The group presented their problems and demands, among of which was the distribution of land to the farmers for free.Dialogue between the farmers, represented by Jaime Tadeo, and the government, represented by then Agrarian Reform minister Heherson Alvarez took place on January 20, 1987, with Alvarez promising to bring the matter to the President's attention during the cabinet meeting to be held the next day.

The farmers barricaded the Ministry of Agrarian Reform offices and prevented its employees from going inside the premises the day after. In discussions later that day, Alvarez advised Tadeo, suggesting that a negotiating panel be assembled the following day for further talks.
March on Malacañang

On January 22, 1987, the farmers decided to march to Malacañang Palace in order to air their demands instead of negotiating with Heherson Alvarez. Marching from the Quezon City Memorial Circle, Tadeo's group was joined by members of other militant groups: Kilusang Mayo Uno (May One Movement), Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (New Patriotic Alliance), League of Filipino Students and Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng Maralitang Lungsod (Unity Congress of the Urban Poor). At 1:00 in the afternoon, the marchers reached Liwasang Bonifacio and held a brief program. At around the same time, anti-riot personnel under the command of Capital Regional Command commander Gen. Ramon Montaño, Task Force Nazareno under the command of Col. Cesar Nazareno and police forces under the command of Western Police District Chief Brig. Gen. Alfredo Lim were deployed around the vicinity of Malacañang.

The first line of civil disturbance control units consisted of policemen from the Western Police District. About ten yards behind the policemen were Integrated National Police Field Force units. The third line, a further ten yards from the second police line, consisted of a Philippine Marine Corps unit, the Marine Civil Disturbance Control Battalion. Positioned behind the Marines were army trucks, water cannons, fire trucks and two Mobile Dispersal Teams equipped with tear gas delivery gear.

The marchers numbered 10,000–15,000 by the time they reached Claro M. Recto Avenue. They clashed with the police, and the police lines were breached. At this point, gunshots were heard and the marchers disengaged from the melee, retreating towards Claro M. Recto Avenue. Sporadic gunfire could be heard amidst the withdrawal. Alfredo Lim, now Mayor of Manila, conveniently forgotten his role and maintains the excuse that the Marines were responsible for the shooting.

Aftermath

Twelve marchers were immediately confirmed dead; later sources would cite thirteen. Thirty-nine had gunshot wounds and 12 sustained minor injuries. On the state security forces' side, three sustained gunshot wounds and 20 suffered minor injuries. President Corazon Aquino convened a special body chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Vicente Abad Santos, the Citizens’ Mendiola Commission, to investigate the incident. The body recommended the prosecution of all commissioned officers of the Western Police District and the Integrated National Police Field Force who were armed at that time.

In protest over the massacre, the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Human Rights, Jose Diokno and J.B.L. Reyes, resigned from the government.
In 1988, the Manila Regional Trial Court issued a decision to dismiss a P6.5-million class suit filed by relatives of the victims. This decision was upheld by the Supreme Court in 1993.
In 2007, members of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas installed a granite marker at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City, commemorating the 20th anniversary of the incident.
The government disallowed the conduct of demonstrations at Mendiola, however, in January 2008, Mayor Alfredo Lim, allowed the conduct of rallies at the landmark.

Tales from the Darkside of Alfredo Lim - part II

The Selective Purge of Manila’s red Light District

In 1988, as WPD chief, Gen Lim launched a series of almost nightly raids on the “fun establishments” in Ermita considered to be Manila’s red light district. Whereas residents were initially willing to extend support to his vow to purge Manila of suspected prostitution dens, Lim ultimately received a lot of flak for the raids. One of the reason was the high-handed and brutal manner in which the raids were conducted. Bar girls were routinely treated as animals and subjected to unspeakable indignities and a wanton denial of their most basic human rights.

Another reason was the growing perception that the raids were selective. Suspected prostitution and illegal gambling dens situated in Chinatown especially those owned by Sy Pio Lato and other Chinese businessmen were spared by Lim and his men. Even in Ermita establishments owned by Chinese were bypassed by the raiders as in the case of Big City and Impierno night clubs. What enraged the non-chinese club owners was the fact that the raids appeared to be instigated by the Chinese-controlled tourist Belt Businessmen’s Association led by Mrs. Doris Ho and another Chinese Mrs. Narzalina Lim who was then acting secretary of the Department of Tourism. In some of these Chinese-owned clubs, police elements identified with Lim were frequent customers. According to some Filipino owners of the raided and padlocked establishments, the harassment was part of a plan to put them out of business. Apparently, the game plan was for the raids to usher in the secret Masterplan – Ermita Rehabilitation which would have allowed favored Chinese investors to invest in tourism projects in Ermita.

Lim and His Untouchables

The selective raids in Ermita reinforced the growing belief that Lim was wont to cast a jaundiced eye out for some favored Chinese businessmen belonged to a priviledged lot whose business interests were being protected and furthered by Lim. During Lim’s tenure as the chief of the WPD, it was reported that no WPD operative dared to arrest or apprehend Chinese businessmen even for simple traffic violations. Almost all the Chinese businessmen and traders of Manila had Lim’s calling card and anyone who had one was virtually immune from arrest. Lim’s calling card was their talisman of invincibility against any traffic regulation and ordinance. Any policeman who committed the grave mistake of arresting these Chinese “friends” of Lim often ended up being immediately and unceremoniously reassigned. This was the “erring” cop’s reward for being true to the thankless job of enforcing the law.

Sy Pio Lato, Lim’s Most Notable Untouchable

Of these Chinese “untouchables”, perhaps none was more favored than his bosom friend and “kumpadre”, Sy Pio Lato. The celebrated close bond that exists between Alfredo Lim and the low profile Sy Pio Lato is a prime example of how Lim’s untouchables have capitalized on their closeness to Lim the better to further their vested interests. Sy Pio Lato, aided by his kumpadre and protector Lim, set into motion his systematic plunder of the treasury of the City of Manila. A clear example is the anomalous awarding of the garbage contract to Leonel waste Management, a firm reportedly owned by Sy Pio Lato.

According to the published information, among others, the contract calls for the payment of 1.08 million pesos daily to Leonel for their clean-up efforts. This amount is more or less 100 per cent higher than the 600,000 pesos daily that the City of Manila used to pay the Metro Manila Authority(MMA) daily for the same services. The very fact that Lim switched contractors immediately upon assumption of office and at twice the rate is more than enough to raise the eyebrows of a lot of people. The issue would have not been raised if Leonel showed above average performance in its services, but the complaints of Manila residents on poor quality of service being rendered by the firm refutes any claim to efficiency by the company.

To further compound the woes of the graning taxpayers of Manila, some Manila councilors have cried foul over the alleged payment to Leonel waste Management for the services rendered for the period of February 1-28, 1993. Considering the history of the awarding of the contract, the anomaly here arose from the fact that the contract was signed on February 22 or 23 of the said year. As such, Leonel Waste Management can only legally claim for 7 to 8 days of services rendered (if there were any). Due to this, the City of Manila paid something close to 20 million pesos for ghost services!

As this was enough, the most glaring disregard for the law in the Leonel deal is the fact that Leonel was awarded the contract even though it had not been registered by the Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC). This clearly violated Manila Ordinance No, 92-386 which expressly stipulates among others, that companies seeking to enter into contract with the city government by way of bidding must have been existence legally at least six(6) months prior to the bidding proper. Leonel Waste Management Corporation was duly registered and granted legal existence by the Securities and Exchange Commission only on 26 August 1993 or 6 months after it was awarded the contract. Thus, the City of Manila decided to choose the bid of an entity which gained legal existence only 6 months after the bidding! This disregard for an ordinance must have cost Sy Pio Lato quite a tidy sum, something that is reportedly within the vicinity of P 200,000.00 a day payment for Lim!

Tales from the Darkside of Alfredo Lim – part 1

MANILA’S FINEST HOODLUM

Tales from the Darkside of Alfredo Lim – part 1
By Luisa Bustamante – Smart Files

Manila’s John Wayne, Django Kojak and Dirty Harry, These are just a sampling of the praises lavished by the media on former Western Police District(WPD) head and former Director of the NBI Mayor Alfredo Lim. Truly, Lim’s exploits and storied career have received fawning coverage by the media to whom he has obviously endeared himself. Just recently, a movie was even made depicting and extolling the supposed courage and devotion to duty of Manila’s ageless and bronzed warrior in uniform.

But there exists a lesser known and perhaps more truthful side to this former chief of Manila’s finest, the name accorded to the WPD as the premier police unit in the country. It is the exact opposite of what has been touted by the media quarters sympathetic to him. A careful reading of Lim’s stint as a police officer reveals it is replete with reported cases of corruption, utter disregard for the law, abuse of authority and human rights violations including “salvaging,” shady deals and a reign of terror, all perpetrated by Lim and his cohorts.

This is the other side of Lim. The dark side that rarely sees print, thanks in large measure to Lim’s uncanny ability to manipulate media.

Lim’s supporters claim dedication and hard work as the two key elements of Lim’s steady rise to power. Lim’s own campaign slogan for his reelection pictures him as a “Man of Action.” But a great portion of Lim’s success can very well be attributed to Lim’s manipulation of the media to depict him as a no-nonesense, honest to goodness police officer. He is a media creation who has spawned from the stories and articles which flowed from the pen of journalist friends. A good example of this is Lim’s 1968 “foiling” of an escape attempt of five prisoners in Precint 5 in Sta. Ana when Lim was still an obscure station commander. Lim made the prisoners believe that escape was possible, but only the convicts were to realize in the end that they were mere pawns in a drama staged to add impetus to the then still-fledging career of Lim. All the five escapees were killed in the event that was well covered by the media. The “foiling” of the escape then led to the promotion of Lim and that of his men.

The Manipulator of His Subordinates

Lim is not only adept at media manipulation tactics, but is also well versed in the ways of soliciting loyalty and support from his colleagues and subordinates in the police force. A classic example of this is Lim’s signature campaign to bolster support for himself within the ranks of the WPS. Through his trusted lieutenant and muscleman, Col. J. Lagasca, Lim ordered all WPD officers to sign a prepared resolution supporting him in his clash with then EIID Commissioner Jose Almonte. This was during the time of Almonte’s investigation of the smuggling activities in Manila that were regarded to be the handiwork of WPD operatives closely identified with Lim.

Gen. Lim also requested support from the other three police districts of Metro Manila. These police chiefs were Col. Edgar Dula Torres, who was recommended by Lim as the Northern Police District Superintendent; Col. Samson, a classmate at the National defense College of the Philippines and Gen. Manuel Roxas, who was promised a recommendation as the next superintendent of the WPD. Lim also requested Brig. Gen. Javier D. Carbonnel, Commander of the Metropolitan Citizen’s Military Training Command – MCMTC and Director of U.E. Knights Inc., to pass resolutions of support to his naked ambition to be appointed the first Director General of the then newly-created Philippine National Police.

Syndicated Crimes and Alfredo Lim

The spheres of influence and interest of Alfredo Lim extend far beyond the legal limits of his office as Mayor of Manila. Lim and his men are also behind or protectors of almost all kinds of syndicated crimes in the city such as prostitution, illegal drugs, smuggling, illegal gambling, rice hoarding, etc.. the easy profits generated from these illegal activities have afforded Lim and his cohorts the needed funds to solidify their hold on power.

Patron of Manila’s Drug lords and Smugglers

Lim’s supposed tough stand and iron fisted treatment of suspected drug lords and smugglers operating in the city is set against the backdrop of the painful reality that Lim is associated with some of the most powerful drug lords in Manila.

Lim was the kumpadre and protector of the late Manuel Velasco, the leader of a big drug syndicate at Binondo, Manila. It was Velasco who allegedly helped two of Lim’s children through college during the earlier and leaner days when Lim was still a lowly policeman. Velasco was believed to have been arrested by law enforcers other than those under Lim. Velasco disappeared and Lim was supposed to have feared that he spilled the beans on Lim before he vanished.

Lim was also widely-reputed to be the protector of Jose “Pepe” Oyson, once regarded as the number one drug lord in the country. It was an open secret that WPD men associated with Lim doubled as bodyguards of Oyson. Oyson was later killed under highly suspicious circumstances by operatives of Lim after being “invited” on orders of Lim. At that time other law enforcement agencies were hot on the trail of Oyson and his arrest was quite imminent. There were talks at that time that Lim decided to get to Oyson first to preclude the possibility of his revealing his ties with Lim the way Velasco might have done.

And even closer to home, there is his own fresh and blood, his nephew, a certain Maynard Limcangco Siojo, who according to the paper is the number one drug pusher in Manila. Like Manuel velasco and “Pepe” Oyson, Siojo enjoys the protection of his uncle. Another relative reportedly into large-scale drug pushing who also enjoys Lim’s protection is his half-brother, Quentin. Quentin is allegedly very close to Joseph Estraded and was supposedly on of the vice-president’s financiers in the last elections.

Apart from illegal drugs, Lim has likewise been linked to big-time smuggling. This was extensively reported on in Smart File Double issue 26&27 where his association with Sy Pio Lato’s smuggling syndicate was exposed. In this type of operation, Lim enlists the participation and aid of his band of trusted men. They engage what the local smuggling underworld has termed as escort services. This refers to the escorting of smuggled goods from the pier to the secret warehouses of big time smugglers. The duty of the escorts is to preclude or forestall apprehension by other law enforcers.

In the past, protection and escort services extended by Lim’s men such as former Police Lt. Antonio Sapalo, Col. Romeo Maganto, and Col. Alladin Dimagmaliw resulted in several encounters between Lim’s men and operatives from the Economic Intelligence and Investigation Bureau(EIIB). At times these encounters almost led to near “shoot-outs” arising from the adamant refusal of Lim’s men to turn over smuggled items to the apprehending authorities unless otherwise instructed by Lim himself. In fact because of Sapalo’s clear involvement in these smuggling activities he was summarily dismissed from the service.

Editorial - The Worst of Manila's Finest

EDITORIAL - SMART Files

Manila’s Finest. That has been the name tradition had reserved for the Manila Police Force. And among Manila’s finest, one name has stood out. Alfredo Lim, former Manila Western Police District chief, former head of the National Bureau of Investigation(NBI), and now Mayor of the country’s premier city, has been touted as the finest Manila’s Finest has ever produced.

It has mostly been that way. Mayor Alfredo Lim has always had the singular luck of coming out smelling roses in the media. He has consistently been pictured as an uncompromising nemesis of organized crime, graft and corruption, and the myriad evils associated with the bureaucracy and petty traditional politicians. In fact during his first campaign for the mayoralty, Lim’s chosen symbol was a broom to portray his supposed no-nonsense mission to rid city hall of its Augean stables and the city of crime syndicates. This has led a former general who has had the opportunity of observing Lim at work up close to remark rather sarcastically the “Lim is just a media creation.”

This “media creation” is the glowing picture of Lim the public has always been shown. That is the image he painstakingly tries to project. That is the Lim that, sadly, is the exact opposite of what his critics have portrayed him to be – a protector of crime lords, a purveyor of graft and corruption in high places, and a man given to violence with murders or summary executions or “salvaging” liberally strewn across his path. In short, he is the worst of Manila’s Finest!

It is likely the true picture. There are just too much evidence scattered here and there that cannot but convince the objective observer that Lim is indeed the best thing that happened to syndicated crimes in the city. Witness for instance the various syndicates run by his bosom friend and associate Sy Pio lato. Sy Pio lato’s smuggling, prostitution, rice-hoarding and illegal gambling syndicates have flourished over the years certainly not because Lim targeted them for extinction when he was WPD chief, NBI director and Mayor. Mayor Lim may have indeed busted some organized crime outfits but as an earlier Smart File issue has shown, from obtaining indications, Lim’s actions appeared meant to marginalize Sy Pio Lato’s actual and potential rivals. Apparently, this was to ensure that the criminal playing field remained uneven to suit Sy Pio Lato’s needs. Witness, too, the alleged protection Lim used to extend to known drug lords Manuel Velasco and Jose “Pepe” Oyson as well as to his own nephew, Meynard Siojo. For good measure, throw in convicted Calauan mayor and rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez who was never arrested and charged by Lim while he was still NBI head despite overwhelming evidence collected by the NBI on Sanchez’s jueteng operations.

But it is not the crime syndicates flourishing under Lim’s blessings and protection. There is likewise the miasma and stink of corruption which can be as pervasive and as nauseating as the “sweet heart” garbage contracte bagged by Leonel waste Management Inc., a corporation allegedly controlled by Sy Pio Lato. Truth to tell, Sy Pio Lato seems to be in on almost all of Lim’s questionable activities that he has most deservedly been referred to by city hall insiders as the “Little Mayor”. For apart from the crime syndicates, Sy Pio Lato operates, apart from the garbage contract, Lim’s favored “kumpadre” is reputed to also be involved in a host of anomalies at city hall which may not have yet caught the public eye as they are less obtrusive as the much criticized Leonel garbage collection and disposal contract.

There is for instance, the multi-level parking project in Binondo where parking spaces have been reported to have been sold for as high as 140,000 pesos each. Then we have Divisoria Market building project worth some P 500 million. There is also the reported massive evasion of tax payments on amusement revenues estimated at over half a billion pesos annually for which Mayor Lim is allegedly able to demand a P 2 million weekly take from the 60 or so theater owners and operators in the city. Finally, there were the various pending projects and contracts Lim inherited when he took over as mayor. These projects and contracts were reviewed by no less than Sy Pio Lato with Lim’s blessings and businessmen or companies involved had since been pressured into ceding interests in these projects or contracts just so they would push through.

Yet beyond the crime syndicates and over and above the graft and corruption at city hall, there is still a more sinister side to Lim. This is the obvious streak of ready violence in the man. From the time Lim made his first sensational kill as an obscure station commander in Sta. Ana where he hilled no less than five detainees “trying to escape”, Lim has never looked back. The scalps of his hapless victims or would-be victims have since piled up. The more known include drug lord Jose “Pepe” Oyson, the unarmed farmers in the Mendiola massacre, Colonel Rolando de Guzman and Major France Calanog, Batangas Fiscal Felizardo Lota, Dr. Nemesio Prudente, among others. This patented penchant for constitutional short cuts at the expense of the most basic human rights of persons who have crossed him or have posed real or imagined threats to him, makes of Lim a nightmare the city can do without.
Unfortunately, the spectre that is Lim is something media appears perfectly willing to gloss over. But perhaps there is something about Lim that media cannot afford to ignore or paper over.

- SMART FILE EDITORIAL -

Manila's Finest Hoodlum

I have posted the front page of the magazine and so that people would look for this "Smart File" magazine that came out 1994 in the streets of Manila.

I was able to get this magazine a few years ago and it made me realize how stupid filipinoes can be. I felt sadness and grief that people from Manila, never realized how crooked is their mayor.

Allow me to post each and every story in this magazine. Hopefully people will see some light on who Mayor Alfredo Siojo Lim really is.

My heart trembled after reading this magazine. I have heard of these stories from old people and never really knew the whole story until now...

I am hoping that by doing this, everyone specially the youth will be enlightened on the shadiness of this character and the darkness of his soul.

Let me tell you first how he started as a crooked policeman and how he was connected to major drug syndicates in Manila.

On the next blogs, I will post real stories on how he syndicated smugglers, how he massacred farmers in Mendiola, how he ambushed and killed Prudente, Fiscal Lota and how he salvaged Don Pepe Oyson, Rodolfo Herrera, Lean Alejandro, and Major Jimmy Victorino.

Let me also show you the document describing how he made his billions supposedly protecting Chinese businessmen and provided escort services for big time smugglers.

This will include also his shady deal with a garbage contractor and including how he was able to get his house in America and Forbes Park.

My heart is trembling by the mere fact that I am writing this. However, the truth should prevail and I know that in the end… The truth shall set all of us free…