Why Spy?

Apparently, what could be the subject of espionage by Michael Ray Aquino are two reports by a U.S. envoy on the possibility or viability of coup attempts that were being planned against the administration of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, one in the early part of this year and another just about a couple of months before the impeachment controversy had reach it climactic heights. The reports were allegedly prepared by US Charge d'Affaires Joseph Mussomeli in assessment of a palpable wrangling within the Armed Forces of The Philippines, among “a substantial number" of junior officers and generals. Such reports went on in concluding that any coup attempt would be premature for primarily lacking in public support. Of course, it could not entirely be confirmed if those reports were actually the subject of documents that former PNP Senior Superintendent Michael Ray Aquino had “sourced” from FBI files in America.

To think, what could be other reasons or motives why FBI had to have some sensitive files concerning the Philippines. There were initial queries about what could exactly be the content of the so-called FBI files and what could probably be so important about our nation that American authorities had to have certain classified information about it. It makes me wonder. Not like we have some secret nuclear weapon program or a stealthy plan to invade a neighboring country, like in the case of Iran or Iraq. I do not think also that we hide some Weapons of Mass Destruction concealed somewhere beneath our Philippine soil.

And so the FBI files must contain none other subject than that “research” or “assessment” by the U.S. Embassy on the possibility of coup plots being launched against the GMA administration. If you asked me, any person worth his while would not have to extract any FBI information storage just to know that some uprising is being cooked within the military organization, with the confluence of the opposition politicians. These things are always up in the air and we always can smell it like dirty fumes from a decrepit factory nearby. Mostly, we do not have to be a super-secret agent in order to know these things?

And so what I mean, Michael Ray Aquino may have just unduly harmed himself by improperly acquiring information that he would have gotten just easily using internal sources, without violating any U.S. laws. I suspect that he was just given the Elliot Ness treatment, being caught red-handed with an innocuous wrongdoing, when he could not be prosecuted successfully with a more serious one. Let us remember that he had fled the Philippines years ago in order to escape murder charges leveled against him in connection with the murder of publicist Bubby Dacer and his driver in 2000. If he can’t be taken out by the murder indictment, he will fall by this espionage infringement.

All the while, although it won’t surprise us anymore why the U.S. Embassy would tinker its hands into our political affairs (where it seems to me that they have to dip their hands into every nation’s affairs), it still amazes me how they could sum up so very detailed information contained in the two reports by Mussomeli, generally pointing out to a certain group of “young officers and generals” as the progenitor of the planned coup attempts, like they knew their names with certainty, and just wouldn’t admit to it for evident reasons. Could the U.S. Embassy been in contact with these military people? Is Mussomeli been involved in this more than what is necessary? This present controversy on spying tells us something about the extent of meddling the U.S. had on our affairs; that perhaps, the U.S. government is trying to wield its influence over our politics more than what is necessary and more than what we ever had thought before.

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