Officers should consult foot soldiers
To the detractors and critics of Sen. Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri, make no mistake about it: The senator from Bukidnon resigned because he had to protect his family from accusations that he cheated in the 2007 senatorial elections.
Zubiri belongs to a family that values honor more than anything else.
I know the Zubiris personally.
The patriarch, Bukidnon Vice Gov. Joe Zubiri, is a friend who loves to indulge in girl-watching whenever he’s in Manila.
The Zubiri siblings—businessman Manny, Migz and Bukidnon Rep. Joey—were my classmates in kickboxing and arnis, a local martial art of stick fighting, under the tutelage of the late Christopher “Topher” Ricketts.
The Zubiri brothers were among Topher’s excellent students; they seldom lost in sparring sessions with fellow enthusiasts.
Migz was considered the “valedictorian” of the class where I was the most senior member.
I don’t recall a time Migz ever got knocked out in kickboxing sparring sessions in Topher’s gym where opponents always ended up with bloody faces or writhing in pain on the floor.
Migz was several times national champion and one-time international champion in arnis competitions held in Manila.
What message am I trying to convey here about Migz?
That fear of adversity is not in the vocabulary of the Zubiris, much more Migz.
The guy apparently got piqued by accusations he is a cheat and resigned in disgust.
Migz Zubiri is pikon, one who gets easily irritated.
Perhaps it’s the Spanish blood in him.
* * *
The biggest and most humiliating defeat suffered by the military took place in Sulu province recently when seven Marines were killed and 26 others were wounded when they were ambushed by Abu Sayyaf bandits.
The Armed Forces had suffered many more defeats in the past but in less dramatic fashion.
In the Sulu encounter, some of the dead Marines were beheaded by the killers.
The number of defeats would have been reduced or avoided if only young officers were humble enough to consult their subordinates.
Young officers, who are mostly wet-behind-the-ears in combat, mistake foolhardiness for courage.
Officers, especially fresh graduates from the Philippine Military Academy, should know that foot soldiers, who have preceded them in their units of assignment, are better trained in combat than they are.
Before an officer leads a patrol, he is well advised to consult with these combat veterans.
Most enlisted men, because they have been in an area long enough, know the lay of the land and the custom of the people.
They are the best teachers to young officers.
* * *
My father was in Sulu from 1947 till the early ’50s during the Kamlon campaign and didn’t lose a single soldier in battles with Moro outlaws.
My old man’s secret?
He learned his combat strategy from sergeants and corporals who preceded him in the units where he was assigned.
The veteran soldiers, my father knew, were better trained and more experienced in combat than he was.
He followed the advice of his platoon or company sergeants on how to patrol an area.
He and his men were never ambushed.
The result was that in his six-year stint in Sulu, lst Lt. Ramon S. Tulfo logged 50 encounters—more or less—and never lost a man.
