RUMORS OF POWER GRAB: MILITARY GOES ON FULL ALERT NATIONWIDE
MANILA, October 27 , 2004 (STAR) By Jaime Laude and Jose Rodel Clapano - The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) went on full alert nationwide yesterday amid rumors of another power grab in the wake of a widening corruption scandal rocking the military.
Military spokesman Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, however, insisted that the AFP declared "a red alert status" on fears of increased communist guerrilla attacks.
"This is to prepare the troops in the light of possible heightened attacks by the communist terrorists," Lucero said.
This developed as Sen. Rodolfo Biazon disclosed that three retired generals were behind the latest coup plot.
Without naming the retired generals, Biazon claimed they were only waiting for the results of the ongoing investigation of Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, a former Army comptroller who was suspended by the Ombudsman after being accused of accumulating unexplained wealth.
"They are pretty serious about it," Biazon said. "The thought that they are entertaining military adventurism — they are just waiting for the right situation since the (present) situation is not yet right for actions to happen."
Biazon, himself a former AFP chief, described two of the retired generals as his former junior officers while the other was his senior. He claimed the same officers were involved in the failed coup attempts led by then Army Col. Gregorio Honasan against former President Corazon Aquino in the 1980s.
Biazon said he encountered the three retired generals when he took his vacation in Los Angeles, California during the congressional break last Oct. 21.
"They are just in the US for a vacation. They are planning to agitate the junior military officers to act regarding the problem in the AFP," Biazon declared.
At Camp Aguinaldo, Lucero said troops were placed on 24-hour standby with all leaves canceled following a statement by the exiled Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) leader Jose Maria Sison purportedly encouraging "widespread dissent."
Sison declared President Arroyo has shut the door of the peace negotiations with the CPP. He called for Mrs. Arroyo’s removal through "a popular uprising, a civil disobedience movement, a mass withdrawal of support by political parties and personages, a voluntary resignation, a coup d’etat or any combination thereof."
Lucero said the military had been warned two weeks ago of the NPA’s plan "to exploit the present controversy."
"The AFP has raised the alarm that the CPP-NPA and its front organizations will exploit this situation by way of conducting tactical offensives against government troops and by way of conducting mass rallies and protests to shame the AFP and the government," Lucero said.
He insisted the alert had nothing to do with reports of another coup attempt against Mrs. Arroyo amid the tensions generated by the ongoing congressional investigation against Garcia and other military officers facing possible court martial for corruption.
A high-ranking official disclosed the top brass has decided to place the AFP under full alert to address the sagging morale of troops in the field triggered by the series of controversies and criticisms against the military.
"If left alone without close guidance, these troops are prone to exploitation by some quarters out to take advantage of the present situation to further their own personal and political agenda," the officer said.
The President appealed yesterday to lawmakers to exercise "rhetorical restraints" in assailing the AFP over the series of corruption allegations concerning its officials.
"We are determined to bring grafters to justice in the Armed Forces, but I would like to appeal, in fairness to the Filipino soldier and the command, for a good measure of rhetorical restraint among our political leaders," Mrs. Arroyo said.
The congressional probe was triggered by a supposed tip-off from the US government early this year that Garcia and members of his family had brought nearly a million dollars to the United States over the last 10 years.
Sen. Miriam Santiago, in a speech on the Senate floor on Monday, denounced what she described as massive plundering of military funds by its top 12 officers who she alleged acted like "the military Mafia, the military mob."
Santiago had claimed a "Gang of 12" is behind the system of corruption in the AFP which was finally uncovered by the accusations of unexplained wealth against Garcia.
Mrs. Arroyo issued to appeal for lawmakers to temper their criticisms against the AFP as she ordered a court martial to convene and try Garcia by Friday.
"I have ordered court-martial proceedings to start forthwith and we shall leave no stone unturned in the full investigation and trial of wrongdoings, but let us not drench the uniform in dishonor for the wayward acts of a few," she said.
The President met last night for three hours with the members of the National Security Council following the AFP alert.
Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye explained the emergency meeting with her security advisers was previously scheduled.
"We’re going about our normal activities, of course, the AFP has raised the alert level but it’s because of (the) statement of Joma Sison," Bunye said.
On Monday, Mrs. Arroyo admitted the corruption scandal might provoke attempts to destabilize her government by entities other than the threat posed by the NPA.
"I will deal with these destabilizers with an iron fist, even as I hold out an open hand and open mind for those who are open to a just and dignified reconciliation," she declared.
‘Anonymous little insect’
Biazon said the supposed three coup plotters told him it was fortunate Mrs. Arroyo had ordered the AFP to immediately convene a court martial to try Garcia.
He said the three retired officials had expressed to him their willingness to recruit active military personnel and officers to act on the problems besetting the AFP.
Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, a former defense chief himself, said the capability of the retired generals to launch a coup should not be underestimated.
Enrile explained the influence of the retired generals over active personnel and officers in the AFP would depend on how long it has been since they retired from military service.
Biazon’s revelations, on the other hand, confirmed the earlier warning made by former AFP Inspector General Angel Sadang who said a power grab will be staged by the military if civilian authorities fail to handle the case against Garcia.
Sadang claimed a number of retired generals are now restive over the controversy surrounding Garcia, now the focus of investigation by the House of Representatives, the Ombudsman and the AFP.
Sadang claimed most of the retired generals have been hurt by sweeping accusations that they have been part of a system of corruption even as few officials might have been involved in enriching themselves in the military.
"What is pilloried now is the AFP," Sadang said. "Once the retired military generals and officials felt so much hurt, we could join the active military. We have the track record to oust a president and put in power a president. Two presidents were ousted from their posts," Sadang warned.
The country has suffered numerous coup attempts in the late 1980s.
President Arroyo survived a military revolt last year after taking power in a military-backed popular revolt that ousted former actor Joseph Estrada in January 2001.
Sadang also chided Congress for conducting the investigations without legislating measures to correct the problem in the military.
For his part, AFP vice chief and spokesman Lt. Gen. Edilberto Adan said the statements made by Senator Santiago exposing the supposed widespread corruption in the military was "uncalled for."
The comments were "an insult to the generals and the officer corps as well as to ordinary soldiers," Adan said.
"Hindi nakakatulong at lalo lamang pinalala ang sitwasyon," Adan said. "We believe Senator Santiago’s statement only emboldened the enemies of the State."
Santiago, for her part, replied by warning she would block Adan’s confirmation before the Commission on Appointments (CA).
Santiago described Adan as an "anonymous little insect" defending a vested corrupt interest in the military.
"Unless he is acting on orders or instruction of a person higher than himself and possibly equally corrupt with himself, Mr. Adan, therefore, has made the worst mistake in his professional career," Santiago said.
"How dare that anonymous little insect talk about the senator in those unintelligible terms," she said.
Santiago said she would block the appointment of Adan by the CA, saying the official is "totally unfit and useless in the military."
On the other hand, the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO) issued a statement warning the morale of the officers and servicemen has been adversely affected by negative statements over the military and the ongoing investigation against Garcia.
The group, composed of active and retired police and military generals, also aired their concern over the manner the lawmakers handle the probe.
AGFO said Garcia should be properly prosecuted before a court of law.
"If there is evidence of corruption or any crime against him (Garcia), he should be prosecuted by the proper authorities to the fullest extent of the law. At the same time, his rights under the Constitution and the law should be respected, he should be accorded ‘due process’," the group said.
In a related development, the Supreme Court has given the go signal for court-martial proceedings against the 290 junior officers and servicemen involved in the Oakwood failed mutiny last year.
The Supreme Court upheld the jurisdiction of the General Court Martial to try the 290 soldiers for violation of the Articles of War.
In a 30-page ruling penned by Justice Romeo Callejo, the high tribunal declared the Makati City regional trial court acted "without or in excess of jurisdiction" in trying the officers and servicemen in following its Feb. 11 order that the charges "are not service-connected but rather absorbed and in furtherance of the alleged crime of coup d’etat."
The charges of coup against the soldiers before the Makati court have been dismissed by the Department of Justice for lack of evidence.
Lawyers of the accused soldiers used the DOJ ruling to question the continued detention and court martial before the Supreme Court.
The high court later denied the petition for prohibition and habeas corpus filed by their lawyers since the declaration made by the Makati court violated Republic Act 7055 vesting jurisdiction over offenses filed against the soldiers in the military courts.
On July 27, 2003, the 290 soldiers took over the Oakwood Premier Hotel in Makati City staging the one-day mutiny to highlight their complaints against high-level corruption in the military and the government.
The soldiers were later charged for mutiny and sedition, conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman, disrespect toward the President and government officials, conduct prejudicial to the good order and military discipline, among other charges under the Articles of War. – With Marichu Villanueva, Delon Porcalla, Aurea Calica, AFP
Reported by: Sol Jose Vanzi
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by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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