Tuesday, March 11, 2008 Retired generals to file charges vs. Esperon
SAN JOSE, Negros Oriental -- Retired generals of the different divisions of the Armed Forces of the Philippines are preparing for a court battle with AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon after he linked them to an alleged plot to overthrow President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Retired General Ramon Montano, in an interview with the members of the media at the family-owned Wuthering Heights Resort, said General Esperon is issuing sweeping statements against them (retired generals).
The retired general, the husband of former Mayor Fe Pareja Montano, was also the former director general of the defunct Philippine Constabulary (PC) and Integrated National Police (INP).
Montano said if Esperon fails to identify an alleged retired general who tried to get him to support a planned coup d'etat, he would be facing several charges.
Esperon up to this date has not identified this retired general.
Montano explained that they came up with a resolution during a meeting to challenge General Esperon to identify the retired general.
"If General Esperon fails to identify him, then the retired generals would file charges against him," Montano stressed.
Montano added that Esperon's statement is unfair since suspicion now falls on all retired generals.
General Esperon, as the Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, has the right to arrest the retired general, who allegedly recruited him to join a coup de e'tat.
Montano said they are conferring with their legal counsel regarding the specific charges they will file against Esperon. (Edmund B. Sestoso)
