The day finally arrived, the three-man team felt that they had collected all the intel that they could, had made an assault plan as bullet-proof as possible, so there was nothing left to do but to take the Puerto Princesa cell out. If all else failed, this cell had to be taken out. The individuals in this cell, directly or indirectly, were responsible for the death of Marco Chiesa, and they had to pay for their crimes. Devon, Thomas, and Andres packed all their gear and weapons and loaded their cargo van. Andres then contacted his pilot buddy, Waldron Bernales, to set up a time for the flight to Palawan. As part of the service, he was to provide a vehicle for their use. When Andres told him what they required, he proposed using a jeepney (Tagalog: [ˈdʒipnɪ]), which was now ready at the Puerto Princesa Airport in Perto Princesa City, Palawan. This vehicle was so prevalent in the Philippines that it was virtually invisible. They were on almost every street corner in the Philippines, and no one would think twice about seeing one sitting by the side of the road with its hood up as if it had broken down. That was their cover story if anyone came by and questioned why they were parked by a vacant building. The jeepney also had the added benefit of having plenty of room for the three-man team and all their gear. They had not only rented the jeepney but they hired its driver as well. Given the price they offered, $500 USD, for a four-hour rental, the driver would have given up his mother, so they had nothing to worry about. Hiring the driver ensured they would not get lost in Puerto Princesa or on the route to and from the airport. Devon, Thomas, and Andres initially thought the idea of the jeepney was ludicrous, but they soon grew to love the pilot’s choice of vehicle so much so that they decided to use this type of conveyance for every assault.
Cessna Grand Caravan EX
The jeepney has a storied history, so I have decided to give the reader a brief history of the vehicle. Jeepneys originate from the American colonial period–share taxis known as “auto calesas“, commonly shortened to “AC”. These evolved to modified imported cars with attached carriages in the 1930s, which served as cheap passenger utility vehicles in Manila. These vehicles were mostly destroyed in World War II. The need for replacement transport vehicles led to the use of U.S. military jeeps left over from the war, which became the template for the modern jeepney. A jeepney modernization program launched by the Department of Transportation in 2017 seeks to use more environmentally friendly vehicles. Still, it has raised concerns regarding preserving the jeepney’s iconic look, as most modern jeepneys resemble regular minibuses.
From the American colonial period up to shortly after World War II, jeepneys were known as “auto calesa” (or “AC” for short), named after the horse-drawn calesas of Manila, or simply “jitney” or “baby bus.” The term “auto calesa” was first attested in 1910, and originally referred to relatively cheap imported cars that were used as share taxis by local drivers for ₱2 (equivalent to ₱1,099 in 2021) an hour. The first automobile to be modified for seating more passengers was introduced in 1932 by a Filipino entrepreneur, using cheap imported German DKW vehicles with side-entry carriages attached. These were operated by the DKW-AC Company.
By the mid-1930s, Emil Bachrach, a Russian American entrepreneur in the Philippines (who also owned the Ford Motor Co. franchise in the Philippines, as well as Manila’s first bus company), started the Bachrach Motor Company (BMC). They began manufacturing similar vehicles known as the BMC-AC. Unlike the DKW-ACs, they had a back-entry carriage style (similar to the carretela-type calesa) that was joined seamlessly with the chassis. It seated two people on each side. The automobiles used were cheap imported British Austin 7s and later on, American Bantams, both of which are the direct precursors of the Jeep. They later expanded to seat eight to ten people but were still much shorter than modern jeepneys. Most of these vehicles were destroyed in World War II.
When American troops began to leave the Philippines at the end of World War II, hundreds of surplus Jeeps were sold or given to the Filipinos. An American soldier named Harry Stonehill was involved in the disposal of military surplus, and reportedly created a black market for the surplus including jeeps.
The Jeeps were stripped down and altered locally: metal roofs were added for shade, and the vehicles were decorated in vibrant colors with chrome-plated ornaments on the sides and hood. The back part was reconfigured with two long parallel benches with passengers facing each other to accommodate more passengers. The size, length, and passenger capacity have increased as they evolved over the years. In assembly-built jeepneys (notably, those built by Sarao Motors and Francisco Motors), the passenger capacity reached a maximum of fourteen to eighteen (including two up front). These high-capacity jeepneys were the first versions to be referred to as “Public Utility Jeepneys” (PUJ) or “passenger-type” jeeps. The non-extended, original-seat configuration jeeps were labeled “owners”, short for “owner-type” jeeps, and are used non-commercially. To distinguish it from those used as public transportation, the term “owner” is used. Willys and Ford refurbished the original jeepneys as military Jeeps. Modern jeepneys are now produced with engines and other parts from Japan or South Korea.
The jeepney rapidly emerged as a popular and creative way to re-establish inexpensive public transportation, much of which had been destroyed during World War II. Recognizing the widespread use of these vehicles, the Philippine government began to regulate their use. Drivers now must have special driver’s licenses. Routes are regulated and prices are fixed fares. Illegal (unfranchised) operators are referred to as “colorum” operations. Jeepneys have been reported to be exported to Papua New Guinea to replace buses and vans that are too costly to import. 4,000 jeepneys were exported to Papua New Guinea in 2004 with considerations to export them to Guam, India and Vietnam.
Recently, the jeepney industry has faced threats to its survival. Most of the larger builders have gone bankrupt or have switched to manufacturing other products, with the smaller builders forced to go out of business. Jeepney drivers also face rising costs of living and diesel fuel due to the government’s deregulation of oil prices. A 2017 study published in a Metro Manila newspaper compared the fuel use of a 16-passenger jeepney to a 54-passenger air-conditioned bus and found that the fuel consumption was the same, while no data was given for private vehicles. The planned construction of bus rapid transit (BRT) systems in Manila and Cebu might lead to the removal of jeepneys.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, public buses and jeepneys were subject to strict lockdown measures that affected the livelihoods of those in the transport sector. Jeepney drivers struggled with the effects of lockdowns and other disease containment measures. In 2020, jeepney drivers filed a case with the Supreme Court against the government’s COVID-19 policies, which they argue were prejudicial to their livelihood and deprived them of income to provide for their families.
Jeepney
The cruising speed of the Cessna they chartered was 185 knots (213 mph) per hour. The distance as the crow flies from Woodland Airpark to Puerto Princesa International Airport was 564 miles. They were looking at a flight time of a little over two and a half hours. Once they landed and taxied to their terminal, they had a 45-minute drive to the cell they were going to take out. This was a lot of travel time for an operation that would take less than 10 minutes.
When they finally pulled up to the cell, you could cut the tension with a knife. All the planning was finally going to bear fruit. Their driver Ramil Lopez Mandaputan after turning off the Jeepney’s engine, jumped out popped the front hood, and propped it open with the support rod.
Andres had the most experience with explosives and was in charge of placing the shaped charges on the points of ingress. This particular building had two points of access one steel reinforced in the front of the building and one at the back. This cell took their security for granted and therefore did not have any guards posted. This would prove to be a fatal mistake on their part. Both charges that Andres placed were controlled by a wireless transmitter. When the switch was flipped both charges would go off simultaneously. Devon would rush in the front door while Thomas would enter via the back door. Andres would act as the backup for both men. They all had coms, whoever met with the most resistance would request assistance. This cell was one of the smaller ones, and had only seven men in the building.
They had previously decided that they would not take out the medical staff involved in the harvesting, even though they did not deserve any leniency. They had to be realistic, where did it end? The goal was to cut the head off the snake, not obliterate it. Many of these medical professionals were not given any choice and were in many cases forced to do these procedures by the cartel members.
When Devon and Thomas entered the building, time was of the essence, even though their guns had silencers, the report they made was still substantial and was guaranteed to wake all but the soundest of sleepers. So they were guaranteed to have at least some sort of a gunfight to look forward to. That is why all three men wore body armor. Their primary weapons were two silenced Desert Eagle .50 AE semiautomatic pistols. They each carried Franchi SPAS-15 Dual Action Semiautomatic shotguns, where heavy artillery was called for. While the Desert Eagles had great stopping power the shotguns would take limbs off.
They all had a strict code of conduct no children or women were to be harmed unless they posed imminent danger to any of them. They each had zip ties with them for just such encounters. Fortunately for either Devon or Thomas, there were no women or children present. They met little resistance as they worked their way through the building. Their strike was quick and surgical. All it took was one shot from the Desert Eagle placed in a critical part of the body to do the job. The hollow point .50 shells left gaping fatal holes in each cell of the member’s bodies.
The quickness and ferocity of their assault overwhelmed the cell members. Devon is the only one who met with any resistance and that was in the form of a locked door, which his Franchi shotgun made short work of as shells from it virtually blew the door off of its hinges.
Andres followed both men’s deadly wake to make sure that there were no survivors. However, the gaping holes that their powerful shells made left little question of their lethality. All told the entire building was cleared in just under 60 seconds. When they had dispatched all of the cell members they grabbed 5-gallon Jerry cans and doused the building with their flammable contents. When the building was good and saturated with petrol, they struck and threw several flares into the building. By the time the jeepney was driving away, the building was engulfed in flames. One cell down, seven more to go.
By the time the firefighters started putting out the flames, they were already loading their gear on their Cessna. The mood in the plane was somber; however, there was no sign of remorse. The men that they dispatched were animals. They had caused untold pain and suffering, and the world was a far better place without them walking on its surface.
As they landed at Woodland Airpark, Andres addressed Waldren the pilot, ” See ya tonight. The Jeepney worked like a charm, so have one waiting for us at the Kalibo International Airport in Kalibo along with another reliable driver.”