Manglapus was the founding President of the Movement for a Free Philippines (MFP);Gillego was MFP’s Director of Intelligence, Research and Development; and Ortigas was MFP’s Executive Director. MFP is historically dubbed as the 20thCentury equivalent of the Propaganda Movement – the group that kept the fires burning as it exposed the atrocities and evils of the Marcos dictatorship. It is credited for convincing the United States to give up Marcos as its puppet for as historically discovered and proven by its own records, that the latter was a Fake Hero.
Unbeknownst to many, the ability and success of MFP’s three top propagandists for Freedom were due to the significant contribution of one man I call the embodiment of Christian-Muslim democracy. His name is GERRY JUMAT!
Manglapus could not have founded the MFP and led it more effectively and efficiently had his family not escaped from Marcos’ hold. Colonel Gillego who was an expert on Psywar, intelligence and military organizational techniques; and AIM (AsianInstitute of Management) Dean and Engineer Ortigas who earned his DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) from Harvard, and was an expert in business organizational development, also escaped to join Manglapus in the struggle.
The escapes with all the risks involved actually helped change the course of Philippine history. For this, we owe recognition, recording, and publication of Gerry Jumat’s role for an event so historic in significance! My posts in both mainstream and social media hope to partially fulfill that responsibility.
Gerry Jumat joined the GOD Almighty and his late wife Boots Ayson Jumat only a few days ago. Tina and I will be with their son Wally, daughter Lara and her spouse Ervin with their children tonight. We will be expressing our condolences and joining them in prayers as Gerry enters the Gates of Heaven.
Gerry was my partner. We led our respective families together in our escape to freedom and to join the struggle for the restoration of democracy. Together, we braved the armed pirates in the high seas amidst the discomforts of rain, storm, and thunder. Together, we faced a Malaysian government who was initially suspicious of our presence in the island of Sabah – a territory that the Philippines still claims its own then and today. Together, we faced a US government that initially opposed our entry to the Land of the Free and of the Brave for fear of hurting its relationship with a dictator. Together, we fought for a movement that believed in Christian-Muslim democracy, in the creation of a society “based on human dignity, built on justice and dedicated to progress.”
As we raised our children in the United States, I gained access to a series of confidential cables that the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia sent to then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger about me and Gerry during our escape. I will reprint the cable on Gerry as a Tribute as well as to show the importance of our escape.
“JUMAT-- WAS A DEVELOPMENT PROJECT OFFICER FOR ADMIRAL ESPALDON'S COMMISSION FOR WESTERN MINDANAO BECAUSE HE WAS ONE OF THE FEW EDUCATED MOROS AVAILABLE FOR THAT PURPOSE. A CONVERT TO CATHOLICISM, HE ATTENDED AND GRADUATED FROM NOTRE DAME COLLEGE IN JOLO IN 1965 WHERE HE FIRST ENCOUNTERED MAYNIGO AND BECAME INVOLVED WITH THE CSM IN SEPT 1965 HE ENTERED THE OBLATE SEMINARY AT TEWKSBURY, MASS, AFTER WHICH HE ATTENDED AND GRADUATED FROM OBLATE COLLEGE AT 391 MICHIGAN AVE., N.E., IN WASHINGTON.
JUMAT WAS ORDAINED IN THE U.S. MAY 20, 1971, THEN RETURNED TO MINDANAO WHERE HE FIRST WAS STATIONED IN COTABATO. IN EARLY 1973 HE WAS MADE VICE PRESIDENT OF NOTRE DAME IN JOLO AND IN THAT YEAR HE MET AND MARRIED HIS WIFE, MARIA TERESA AYSON, WHO HERSELF HAS ALONG HISTORY OF STUDENT ACTIVISM AGAINST CORRUPTION AND AGAINST THE MARCOS REGIME. FOR EXAMPLE, HE SAID THAT IN 1971-72 SHE LED A CAMPAIGN AGAINST THECORRUPT CRISOLOGO FAMILY, MARCOS ALLIES IN ILOCOS, WHICH ALMOST LED TO THE CONVICTION AND JAILING OF BINGBONG (SIC) CRISOLOGO AND WHICH EMBARRASSED MARCOS.
IN 1973 MRS. JUMAT WAS PERMITTED TO GO TO A FRIEDRICH-EBERT FOUNDATION SEMINAR IN WEST GERMANY BUTEARLY THIS YEAR WHEN SHE APPLIED TO GO TO A FOLLOW-UP MEETING TO BE HELD ININDONESIA PERMISSION TO DEPART WAS DENIED AND HER PASSPORT WAS CONFISCATED BY INTELLIGENCE OFFICERS OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY.
LATER THIS YEAR JUMAT HIMSELF WAS WARNED BY RELATIVES IN THE ARMY THAT HE WAS BEING CLOSELY WATCHED AND LIKELY WOULD BE ARRESTED. BOTH HE AND HIS WIFE WERE ACTIVE IN THE ANTI-REFERENDUM CAMPAIGN AND WERE KNOWN TO BE ASSOCIATING WITH BOTH CATHOLIC OPPOSITIONISTS AND WITH PEOPLE WHO SYMPATHIZED WITH THE MUSLIM SECCESSIONIST EFFORT. (JUMAT SAID A COUSIN IS WITH MNLF CHIEF NUR MISUARI IN LIBYA.)
HE ALSO CLAIMS THAT HIS KEY ROLE IN SPIRITING MRS. MANGLAPUS AND CHILDREN FROM ZAMBOANGO BY AIR TO SITANGKAY ISLAND AND THEN TO TAWAU BY KUMPIT HAD BECOME KNOWN TO THE AUTHORITIES. THEREFORE, HE ARRANGED FOR HIS AND MAYNIGO'S FAMILIES TO FOLLOWTHE SAME ROUTE.
7. COMMENT. BOTH MAYNIGO AND JUMAT ARE PERSONABLE, WELL EDUCATED FILIPINOS WHO SEEMED TO BE TELLING THE TRUTH. THEY WERE CONSIDERABLY DISTRESSED WHEN THE EMBASSY OFFICER WHO INTERVIEWED THEM EXPLAINED THAT THE U.S. NORMALLY EXTENDED POLITICAL ASYLUM ONLY TO PERONS WHO HAD ALREADY EXTERED THE U.S. LEGALLY AND FACED ARREST OR PERSECUTION IF THEY RETURNED HOME. HE AND A CONSULAR OFFICER ALSO NOTEDTHAT ON THE SURFACE NEITHER JUMAT NOR MAYNIGO HAD A GOOD CHANCE OF QUALIFYING FOR IMMIGRANT STATUS.WHEN IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT IN FACT ASYLUM ALREADY SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN EXTENDED BY MALAYSIA, MAYNIGO REPLIED THAT HE DIDN'T THINK THE GOM WOULD PERMIT THEM TO STAY. THEY WERE INFORMED THAT THEIR REQUEST FOR ASYLUM WOULD BEFORWARDED TO WASHINGTON. DATA FROM VISA APPLICATIONS BEING SENT SEPTEL.
8. ACTION. PLEASE INSTRUCT.
UNDERHILL
CONFIDENTIAL”
We were eventually paroled into the US as political refugees and granted political asylum later.
Gerry helped design an escape and exit route for freedom fighters during critical times in our history. It was a straight path to righteousness (Daang Matuwid). But I find no better formula or path than the life he fathomed for himself and his family.From poverty to education, to faith, to freedom and justice – and most importantly, what a nice way to go to your Maker, RESTING in PEACE! He died while sleeping.
Goodbye, PARTNER!
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