Sequel to yester-day's ar-ticle Da Aragoncillo Code in this column, I harped on US spies operating in the country. This is not fiction. This is a cold documented fact, that even ten thousand angels swearing against it, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales who has of late showed bias for US inte-rests, cannot effectively deny its authenticity.
***
To recapitulate, a Filipino-American ex-US Marine and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intelligence analyst by the name of Leandro Aragon-cillo has pleaded guilty in a US federal court that he passed top secret infor-mation to friends in the Philippines. Specifically, Aragoncillo admitted having released confidential information on US national defense particularly relating to "terrorists threats on US government interests and American military per-sonnel in the Philippines."
***
In his talk with the media, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales touched on the subject of extradition particularly referring to former President Joseph Estrada, et al., who had been named in the com-plaint against Aragoncillo with the US court. Gonzales intimated that the Phi-lippines may extradite them upon request of the US government in deference to the US-RP Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
***
To be sure, whatever transmittal of secret information lifted from FBI files which the Fil-American ex-US Marine admitted sending to some members of the Philippine opposition and even to certain Malacañang offi-cials, was not damaging to the Philippine government. The information merely related to US national defense which he trans-mitted by telephone, through fax and e-mail. The recipients of the confidential information were branded by the US prosecutors "conspirators" for identification in the unauthorized transmittal of classified matters subject of the espionage complaint against Aragoncillo.
***
Speaking of espionage, it technically means the use of spies by one government to secure confidential information from another country. The United States has been spying, even unearthing unpleasant things about the Philippine government through its espionage ring which people invariably suspect with the knowledge of its embassy in the country.
***
This may be gleaned from the case of that Washington undercover agent by the name of Michael Meiring who almost blasted himself to death with the bomb he was preparing in his hotel room in Davao City some four years back. He was charged by the government with violation of Philippine laws under illegal possession of explosives. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, but the fugitive US spy successfully eluded apprehension by secretly leaving the country with the assistance of the US Embassy.
***
Meiring entered the Philippines as a tourist, traveling back and forth to the country for the past decades far as could be recalled. He stayed in an economy hotel at Sta. Ana district in Davao City and impressed himself to friends as a treasure hunter although this information was never annotated in his travel papers. As the hotel boys had it with police investigators, Meiring left the hotel for weeks and sometimes months without word of his whereabouts and just pop up in the hotel after long absence.
***
The American spy was severely injured when the bomb he was preparing inside his hotel room ex-ploded. Strangely enough, this incident happened sometime in 2002 when Mindanao was rocked by a series of bomb explosions in public places killing people which the military quickly attributed to acts of terrorists. Badly mangled, Meiring was immediately brought to the hospital for surgery.
***
Immediately following the incident, a US consular official and two FBI agents escorted by a Philippine National Police (PNP) col-onel, acting upon orders of the US Embassy in Manila flew to Davao in a char-tered jet, removed Meiring from his hospital bed and spirited him to the capital city without the knowledge of the local government authorities. The injured American was later smuggled out of the country via Subic Bay by the unseen hands of the US Embassy to evade police arrest.
***
Among Meiring's personal possessions turned over by the police to the City Prosecutor's Office after his flight from the country was a picture of the American spy in combat uniform posing with a Muslim rebel officer somewhere in the wilds of Central Mindanao. Was the American spy selling arms to the Muslim rebels to fight the government? Was he teaching them how to prepare bombs to intensify terrorist attacks?
***
Before the justice department starts thinking of extraditing Estrada et al. to the United States in the Aragoncillo espionage case, Justice Secretary Gonzales should first work out the extradition of that American fugitive spy Michael Meiring, back to the country for violation of Philippine laws. Meiring has a pending case with the local courts and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
***
Justice Secretary Gonzales will do justice to the Filipino people if he seeks the US government to extradite US spy Michael Meiring back to the country to face trial for violation of our sovereign laws. Reliable sources reveal that Meiring now lives a life of a free man in Florida USA under an assumed name, taunting the Philippine laws and mocking the Philippine authorities, thanks to the US Embassy.
***
The justice secretary talks of giving honor to the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between the United States and the Philippines. Gonzales should give more honor to the Philippine laws which are wantonly violated by US military agents in the country.
***
To recapitulate, a Filipino-American ex-US Marine and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) intelligence analyst by the name of Leandro Aragon-cillo has pleaded guilty in a US federal court that he passed top secret infor-mation to friends in the Philippines. Specifically, Aragoncillo admitted having released confidential information on US national defense particularly relating to "terrorists threats on US government interests and American military per-sonnel in the Philippines."
***
In his talk with the media, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales touched on the subject of extradition particularly referring to former President Joseph Estrada, et al., who had been named in the com-plaint against Aragoncillo with the US court. Gonzales intimated that the Phi-lippines may extradite them upon request of the US government in deference to the US-RP Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty.
***
To be sure, whatever transmittal of secret information lifted from FBI files which the Fil-American ex-US Marine admitted sending to some members of the Philippine opposition and even to certain Malacañang offi-cials, was not damaging to the Philippine government. The information merely related to US national defense which he trans-mitted by telephone, through fax and e-mail. The recipients of the confidential information were branded by the US prosecutors "conspirators" for identification in the unauthorized transmittal of classified matters subject of the espionage complaint against Aragoncillo.
***
Speaking of espionage, it technically means the use of spies by one government to secure confidential information from another country. The United States has been spying, even unearthing unpleasant things about the Philippine government through its espionage ring which people invariably suspect with the knowledge of its embassy in the country.
***
This may be gleaned from the case of that Washington undercover agent by the name of Michael Meiring who almost blasted himself to death with the bomb he was preparing in his hotel room in Davao City some four years back. He was charged by the government with violation of Philippine laws under illegal possession of explosives. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, but the fugitive US spy successfully eluded apprehension by secretly leaving the country with the assistance of the US Embassy.
***
Meiring entered the Philippines as a tourist, traveling back and forth to the country for the past decades far as could be recalled. He stayed in an economy hotel at Sta. Ana district in Davao City and impressed himself to friends as a treasure hunter although this information was never annotated in his travel papers. As the hotel boys had it with police investigators, Meiring left the hotel for weeks and sometimes months without word of his whereabouts and just pop up in the hotel after long absence.
***
The American spy was severely injured when the bomb he was preparing inside his hotel room ex-ploded. Strangely enough, this incident happened sometime in 2002 when Mindanao was rocked by a series of bomb explosions in public places killing people which the military quickly attributed to acts of terrorists. Badly mangled, Meiring was immediately brought to the hospital for surgery.
***
Immediately following the incident, a US consular official and two FBI agents escorted by a Philippine National Police (PNP) col-onel, acting upon orders of the US Embassy in Manila flew to Davao in a char-tered jet, removed Meiring from his hospital bed and spirited him to the capital city without the knowledge of the local government authorities. The injured American was later smuggled out of the country via Subic Bay by the unseen hands of the US Embassy to evade police arrest.
***
Among Meiring's personal possessions turned over by the police to the City Prosecutor's Office after his flight from the country was a picture of the American spy in combat uniform posing with a Muslim rebel officer somewhere in the wilds of Central Mindanao. Was the American spy selling arms to the Muslim rebels to fight the government? Was he teaching them how to prepare bombs to intensify terrorist attacks?
***
Before the justice department starts thinking of extraditing Estrada et al. to the United States in the Aragoncillo espionage case, Justice Secretary Gonzales should first work out the extradition of that American fugitive spy Michael Meiring, back to the country for violation of Philippine laws. Meiring has a pending case with the local courts and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
***
Justice Secretary Gonzales will do justice to the Filipino people if he seeks the US government to extradite US spy Michael Meiring back to the country to face trial for violation of our sovereign laws. Reliable sources reveal that Meiring now lives a life of a free man in Florida USA under an assumed name, taunting the Philippine laws and mocking the Philippine authorities, thanks to the US Embassy.
***
The justice secretary talks of giving honor to the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between the United States and the Philippines. Gonzales should give more honor to the Philippine laws which are wantonly violated by US military agents in the country.
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