People’s organizations led by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan will hold a public tribute to retired Philippine Navy Captain Danilo P. Vizmanos on Monday, 3:30 pm at the mini-theater of the University of Makati.
Who is Vizmanos? Read Alex Remollino’s piece to know a bit more or this article by Bonifacio Ilagan. But better read Vizmanos’ own book titled “A Matter of Conviction”.
Vizmanos also wrote two other books: “Through the Eye of the Storm” and “Martial Law Diaries”, which he described as “a chronicle of troubled times”.
Vizmanos is used to writing his analyses on political and military issues, offering activists a refreshing viewpoint from someone who left the comforts of being a US-educated junior military officer to join the people’s movements. Here are some of his papers:
- Military aspect of the Mindanao conflict
- The people’s struggle against foreign military presence in the Philippines
- Why the VFA should be scrapped
- An assessment of the Balikatan exercises
- A pattern of deception and disinformation
- Oplan Bantay Laya: U.S.-Arroyo Regime’s ‘Final Solution’
Indeed, way before we saw Ltsg. Antonio Trillanes, there was Capt. Danilo Vizmanos who stood up for national sovereignty against his superiors. Here is a truly pro-Filipino soldier who is not colonial-minded. US-educated, yes; rabily pro-US, no.
I have been fortunate to meeting and knowing Ka Dan. He was still president of Bayan when I became an activist. He was a mainstay in many all-leaders’ meetings, and many activists valued his presence and his sharp analyses.
Ka Dan is old-school through and through. He never actively used a mobile phone or a computer. He wrote in long hand, and, some years back, dictated them to me or Juli (the latter more often than me) when his statement should be mass reproduced by Bayan. No regrets about those instances whatsoever — those are very small things compared to what are truly important: Ka Dan’s patriotic views that needed to be amplified in opposition to the highly-colonial analyses that dominate official policy and media.
Monday’s tribute to Vizmanos is a humble effort by people’s organizations to fete Ka Dan, to honor him and his contributions to the advance of patriotism and democracy. May all Filipino soldiers and military officers find him as a fine example worthy of emulation.
Photo courtesy of Bulatlat.com.