Mutiny and resignations: Davao circa 1909.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

Byline: Carlos Isagani T. Zarate

WITH DEEP regrets was how President Macapagal-Arroyo described her acceptance of the resignation of Secretary Angelo Reyes. But apparently, especially for those who suffered the brutal effects of the "total war" under his widely perceived hawkish watch-as the Armed Forces chief of staff during the Estrada regime, then as defense chief under the present administration-his departure is a relief.

While a lot of unanswered questions linger on his culpability in the "dirty wars" in Mindanao, his resignation is believed to augur well for the peace process that is yet to be resumed.

What has befallen Reyes after the Oakwood incident (rebellion, failed power grab or just take your pick) calls into mind the 1909 mutiny of the Philippine Constabulary in Davao, which is told in the recently released book, "Davao 1890-1910: Conquest and Resistance in the Garden of the Gods," written by Ateneo de Davao professor and Palanca awardee Dr. Macariu D. Tiu.

By reading Tiu's account on the Davao mutiny, the reader is left with a sense of deja vu, about history repeating itself. Indeed, if one gets to compare it with the Oakwood mutiny, it was as if only the names of people, places and certain circumstances have changed. But the substance and the causes, although occurring a century apart, remain unchanged.

The Davao mutiny took place on the night of June 6, 1909. Led by a certain Sgt. Manuel Rodriguez (a junior officer!), 23 soldiers belonging to the Company B of the Philippine Constabulary mutinied against their "abusive" American officers.