By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo

 

MY sister Emma and her children moved to Filinvest II in 01 May 2017 with an eight-year contract of lease ending 31 April 2025. I moved in sometime later, shuttling from the house I occupied in Mapagkawanggawa, Teachers Village where I maintained a small garden until July 2024, when I decided to relocate in the province. I transported most of my things in Pangasinan, but moved the important documents and mementos to Filinvest.

The past months meant sorting, packing, unpacking, donating things we have outgrown or have too much of. We had to attend also to the repair of screens and doors scratched by the three dogs. My sister’s son-in-law Lean, assigned Benjie, an all-around handyman to help us with the repairs. He came with the materials ready to be installed and told us that the storeowner told him:

“Oh, so you’re doing repairs at 34 Adler? That’s the Magdalo hideout in 2006. That’s the house occupied by the group of Trillanes and Honasan!”

We were told about this at various times, but never paid attention to it. But now that my back ached sorting the papers, I googled “Magdalo 34 Adler”, and here’s what I found:

”We saw them visit a townhouse on Adler street in Filinvest II in Quezon City with a ‘For rent’ sign. A week later, the sign was removed and they went there,” a CIDG agent said.

Based on documents seized from their hideout at Filinvest II, the Magdalo fugitives were spending P35,000 monthly for their safehouse rentals, P1 million for their personal family support for 50 people, and separate funds for intelligence operations, logistics for transportation and communication, contingency and reserve funds.” (Police monitoring Magdalo financiers, Bebot Sison Jr., Cecille Suerte Felipe, Philstar Global, 10 July 2006 12:00 am)

According to this article, a cache of firearms and explosives were recovered including a blueprint of the Batasan Pambansa complex in Quezon City where President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as supposed to deliver her state of the nation address (SONA) on July 24.

GMA News quoted Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon saying that operatives recovered some 300 pounds of explosives and assorted high-powered firearms from the Magdalo hideout at 34 Adler St., Filinvest 2 subdivision in Quezon City . . . Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Director Jesus Versoza said other items recovered were 10 rolls of blueprints of government offices, including the Malacañang Palace in Manila and the Senate building in Pasay City.” (GMA News, Published July 7, 2006 12:21pm)

After I read these, I inspected the little corners of the house for a hint of Magdalo. Witnesses said there was a woman, allegedly an NPA who escaped arrest, and that one suspect injured his foot. That was very long ago, but there’s an energy to this house that excites the imagination, or suspicion. The house is adjacent to a vacant lot, which strategically would have provided an easy escape route. Maybe that’s where the woman jumped ahead of the rest. Women normally have an instinct, intuition if you will, for danger.

The adjacent lot is now an urban forest with several trees that include more than 8 mulberry trees, 8 aratiles trees, ipil-ipil trees, 4 talisay trees, bananas, Malavar chestnut trees, mango trees, 4 lagikway trees and one macapuno tree, a gift from the late Jun Castillo, proprietor of Coconut House and fellow advocate for sustainable agriculture. In between the trees are flowering plants, and on the walls climb the monsteras, philodendrons and various kinds of pothos. In the cracks of the walls, there are the trees and ferns planted by the birds.  It is no longer the safe space for rebels, it is now home to birds, cats and crawling creatures.

Share your Comments or Reactions

comments

Powered by Facebook Comments