Tuesday, December 11, 2007 Escudero: Thrilla at the Peninsula By Edcer Escudero With or without
HE NEVER learns from a stupid mistake. He did it again, and failed again.
Brassy boy-Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, backed by robotic followers--the Magdalo rebel-soldiers, reprised his 2003 Oakwood fiasco when he launched an ill-conceived coup d'etat by placing under siege the Peninsula Hotel in Makati shortly before noon last November 29, terrorized hotel occupants, and kept the nation in suspense.
This time around, the Magdalo boss brought in new personalities who played supporting roles - Gen. Danilo Lim, Scout Ranger commander, former senator Teofisto Guingona Jr., high profile Gloria haters Bishops Antonio Tobias, Julio Labayen, mentally discordant priest Robert Reyes, who likes to run semi-naked for self-proclaimed causes and several inconsequential souls.
Interestingly, Trillanes used the media people who were with him as convenient props in his poorly directed power grab.
Acting with decisive swiftness, the police, under the command of Gen. Geary Barias, gave Trillanes a 3 p.m. surrender deadline, which Trillanes mocked ranting defiantly "Believe me, nothing will happen."
Well, less than three hours later, something happened that sent shivers down Trillanes' spine: a military personnel carrier rammed through the hotel main door, and police unleashed tear gas inside the function room where Trillanes held court.
Realizing the futility of resistance, Trillanes found convenient excuse for his cowardice saying that he was giving up to prevent blood of innocent people from spilling.
After their arrest, Trillanes and Lim declared feebly, but with obvious tint of defiance in their voices, that the fight is not yet over.
Will there be another Trillanes power grab caper?
Yes, it is very probable, for as long as he is not chained to a steel post in a maximum security cell and for as long as there are idiots who share his delusional fantasies of power.
Twice, Trillanes failed to topple the Arroyo government using luxury hotels as command post. Perhaps, he will succeed next time if he chooses another venue.
Why not take over the Archbishop's Palace in Manila? I'm sure the holy bishops will raise no objections. Like Trillanes, they have nothing but contempt for President Arroyo. The bitter fact is that the entire forces of the Catholic Church have been pounding the gates of heaven all these years praying for the political demise of Gloria.
If Trillanes and his cabal of dumbbells will hole themselves up inside the palace, all the Catholic religious groups will mass around it to protect Trillanes.
Definitely, the PNP and the AFP will not dare ram a tank through the palace main door. They will have no option but to negotiate. But Trillanes will demand for the immediate resignation of President Gloria and the dismissal of all the military generals in the AFP as conditions for his surrender. Of course, the government will not agree.
So, the inevitable standoff will ensue. For how long? Well, maybe until the so-called "rapture" takes place, that is, the second coming of the King of Kings and the final judgment day of all the living and the dead.
