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Filipino Information News and Entertainment Radio (F.I.N.E.R.) – July-September 1932
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The quarantine of Manila is holding - but only under martial law, and the guns of tens of thousands of military personnel.
Still, with the spread of the plague apparently halted, Presidente de la Vega has begun lifting the inter-island quarantine, trade route by trade route. Luzon is still mostly off-limits, but Mindanao is effectively once again open for trade.
This is a shrewd move by De la Vega, and should earn him some political capital...
8 July
The Filipino 2nd Independent Infantry Regiment has arrived in Asir and has been incorporated into India’s Sixteenth Field Force. No significant fighting has taken place yet, although casualties are daily. The deployment to Asir has highlighted several difficulties of desert warfare that the Army was unprepared for. Individual Filipino water rations are too small for the arid climate, and vehicles have repeatedly broken down or overheated.
Santos has seized on the Filipino commitment to Asir as "yet another example of the absurdity of our membership in SATSUMA. Why should we be drawn into these petty foreign entanglements? Why should our Filipino boys die in the sand, so far from home? There is no reason that I can see."
Cabral has not yet commented on SATSUMA, preferring to avoid the issue.
14 July
The elections are only a month away, and the political tempo is increasing. Archbishop Santos and Presidente de la Vega both gave speeches today - Santos in Davao, de la Vega in Cebu City. Cabral is campaigning in the small towns of Mindanao.
21 July
After extensive debate, the AdF's request for further funding in order to construct large fuel reserves has been put aside for the time being. The fate of the proposal will most likely depend on the outcome of the upcoming elections.
Cabral praised the move, being personally in favor of decreasing the Navy budget in favor of the Army. "During the godless Socialist uprising, the Army and its leadership were found to be weak and easily subverted by the Left. Our great nation was forced to rely on foreign troops to win back our own land. And yet, even after the return to power of the rightful government, 'Presidente' de la Vega continues to pour money into the same Armada that failed to prevent the Revolution last time, fermenting resentment in the Army once again."
Presidente de la Vega has appointed no Secretary of the Navy, and instead personally oversees naval matters.
24 July
Archbishop Santos publicly questioned Presidente de la Vega's legitimacy as President in a speech to supporters in Calbayog City today. "Remember, friends, how 'Presidente' [ooc: that last said in the most sarcastic, sneering tone possible] de la Vega came to power? At the feet of a dead man, a man whose death he failed to prevent, even with the signs of revolution so plain to see in front of him. Suspicious, is it not? After fleeing the country, de la Vega, our unelected President, rode foreign coattails into Manila and into power. He didn't even have to run for election, did he? So easy, so simple for him. It makes you wonder.
Unfortunately and inexplicably, in the wake of the leftist revolution, de la Vega has done nothing for the military, except commission ever-bigger and more expensive toys for his pet branch, the Navy. And yet, even the Navy is weakened. He has begun recruiting among the weak - allowing our women and even homosexuals to serve - oh yes, I speak of Cortázar, among others, we have all heard the stories..."
Presidente de la Vega shot back in a speech broadcast nationally, calling Santos' allegations "disgusting and without merit" and warning the public of the consequences of a Santos victory. "I have read the Archbishop's speeches, examined his rhetoric. A President Santos would be the first giant step theocracy. All that we have gained would be lost - tax reform, women's rights INCLUDING the right to vote, privacy rights, the separation of church and state... if you were more comfortable under the Iberians, vote Santos. If you love your country and its freedoms, vote de la Vega!"
27 July
The latest weapon produced by Skoda-Davao entered final test-firing today at the Busuanga Island artillery range. The 400mm naval rifle is scheduled to be installed in coastal mountings throughout
las Filipinas. Tests are going well, and production is expected to begin before the end of the year.
31 July
The National Radio Debate will be held at 4 PM, tomorrow, and will be broadcast live by F.I.N.E.R. from Central Philippine University in Iloilo City, in the University's famous Audience Hall.
All three candidates will be required to answer questions governed by rules. There will be a 20-minute period with no questions, leaving the candidates open to debate among themselves, and challenge each other.
1 August
~Excerpt from the National Radio Debate, 4:56 PM: Free Debate Period~
CABRAL: .. which is exactly why we never should have regulated the transportation industry in the first place! It crushes creativity and competition. Look at what's coming out of the United States lately --
DE LA VEGA: I respect our friends in the United States, but competition does not ensure quality. Ford and Chevrolet may sell cheap, but are they safe, or economical? Regulation ensures minimum standards that save lives. If government intervention in business is such anathema to you, Senator, then why support --
SANTOS: (cutting off de la Vega) Businessmen will always be businessmen, you cannot regulate away their hunger for profit. Of course the government should help its citizens, but through the Church! If my fellow priests and I had been given government subsidies when El Derretir came to Manila, many lives could have been saved. Why turn to business, throw holiness away in pursuit of the Godless peso?
CABRAL: I'm as much of a God-fearing man as any good Filipino, Archbishop, but religion is not government, and the office of the Presidency is not a pulpit!
DE LA VEGA: Hear, hear!
CABRAL: Thank you. Frankly, Archbishop, I begin to wonder if you can defend your platform at all, when you refuse to address the internal inconsist --
*gunshot*
DE LA VEGA:
Madre de Dios! *another gunshot in the background; screams*
DE LA VEGA: Senator!
*muffled noises, loud roars from the audience*
F.I.N.E.R. ANNOUNCER: I cannot see what is happening - the audience is rushing the stage --
SANTOS: The third floor! I saw him on the third floor!
F.I.N.E.R. ANNOUNCER: Senator Cabral is down on the platform! I see El Presidente and his Marines moving off the stage - the Archbishop is moving through the front - I can't tell where the shots came from. Madre de Dios...
~End Excerpt~
Although the sitting audience was rigorously pre-screened, and security tight, it appears that the shooter entered via a previously unknown hole in the rafters, and fired his weapon (apparently a pistol firing 9mm Browning rounds) from the boarded-up third level seating.
Senator Cabral was hit three times in the chest, and died almost immediately. Presidente de la Vega has called for a day of national mourning.
The assassin has not been found, and the police have no leads. Suspicion has naturally turned to the two remaining candidates, and it is apparent that both will be under investigation for some time..
2 August
The death of Senator Cabral has left the Nationalist Democratic Party in turmoil. No Vice-presidential candidate had been selected, and with no clear sucessor to Cabral, it appears that the NDP will pull out of the race.
Presidente de la Vega and Archbishop Santos have agreed to cease campaigning for the next week, in honor of Cabral, but all eyes are on Cabral's constituency. Will the NDP's supporters turn to de la Vega, or Cabral?
4 August
The Brazilian battlecruiser
Rio de Janiero has been completed, in the small area of Manila not under quarantine. With little pomp or ceremony, the ship set sail today, beginning to undergo trials.
In other naval news, a new drydock has been opened in Puerto Princesa..
7 August
Another attempted attack on Presidente de la Vega!
This time, the assassin (a tall, caucasian man wearing an off-white suit) was foiled by the President's personal bodyguard, who sighted him preparing to break through the skylight above de la Vega's personal study. "A quick spray of SMG fire sent him running - I don't think I hit him, though" she is reported to have said.
9 August
Campaigning has reached a crescendo. Polls show the country about evenly split, with perhaps a slight advantage for el Presidente.
11 August
Today, Presidente de la Vega announced, on national radio, the beginning of limited production (soon to be scaled up) of the El Derretir vaccine. Samples have been sent to the Dutch, British, Siamese, Indians, Burmese, and other affected nations, and overseas production is expected to begin relatively soon.
Archbishop Santos has already accused El Presidente of withholding the vaccine until just before the election, but his rhetoric has mostly fallen on deaf ears. This is a huge blow against Santos.
Most public clinics in Luzon are to receive their first samples of the vaccine by the end of this week.
14 August
Today is Election Day! The polls are open all day throughout the Philippines. Remember to vote early, and avoid the long lines!
16 August
The preliminary results are in from voting.
Presidente de la Vega - 57%
Archbishop Santos - 35%
All others - 8%
FLAN retains its majorities in the Senate and the House!
FINER extends its congratulations to Presidente de la Vega on his victory! Viva de la Vega! Viva El Presidente!!
17 August
Colonel Moran of the Manila Constabulatory announced the death of Archbishop Santos today.
An anonymous tip (signed "Oracle"), left on Colonel Moran's desk, appears to be from the assassin himself. "Oracle" claims to be the leader of some sort of small assassin or bodyguard group that has been in the employ of Archbishop Santos for some time. "Oracle" also maintains that he killed Cabral, attempted to kill de la Vega, and staged a break-in in order to engender sympathy for Santos. The assassin did not explain his motive for exposing Santos, but noted that he "hated hypocrisy and bigotry more than anything in the world, and that was all Santos stood for".
The letter is written in American English.
When Constabulatory officers arrived at the Archbishop's residence, they found him shot dead in his living room, apparently in a suicide. A search of his property revealed proof of Santos' involvement in the assasination of Senator Cabral and the attempts on de la Vega's life, among other things...
18 August
In the wake of Archbishop Santos' suicide and his own re-election, Presidente de la Vega has called for a "return to normalcy".
"In the wake of this traumatic election, in this turbulent period of our history, I will do my best to fulfill the mandate put before me. We must destroy the plague upon our land. We must ensure that the violence of this year's Presidential campaign never happens again. And we must return las Filipinas to prosperity."
26 August
The Army's new tank design, being developed by Skoda and Skoda-Davao, is apparently being jointly funded by the Philippines and, believe it or not, the Netherlands!
Skoda-Davao released this drawing:
5 September
Presidente de la Vega announced an expansion of the Fuerza Aerea today, even as the FAF is receiving brand-new Nakajima Ki-12 fighters.
Scandal still swirls around Navy's air arm, the Aerea Armada de Filipinas, with rumors of famed pilot Vicente Cortázar's sexual "dalliances" refusing to die...
15 September
Bestselling book "Southern Lights" by Ernesto Trujilo, chronicling the author's experience exploring Antarctica as part of a Filipino research team, has reignited interest in the southern continent. The joint Filipino-Australian base in Macquarie Island is nearly completed, and it is believed that
Pacifica will begin her journey anew sometime soon.
27 September
Army units in the areas surrounding Manila have all been fully vaccinated, and are beginning to advance, slowly, into the quarantined areas, diverting civilians who refused to evacuate to medical centers. It is hoped that Manila will be opened once more by the end of the year...
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