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Saturday, July 08, 2006
Mutineer to identify coup plotters: Army chief
A JUNIOR officer involved in the short-lived Oakwood mutiny and in the failed plan to overthrow the Arroyo government last February is now on the side of government, said Army Chief Hermogenes Esperon on Friday.
In a press conference, Esperon said they were supposed to present Army First Lieutenant Lawrence San Juan to the media last Tuesday so he could personally deliver his message but the plan did not push through because this might be tied up with the showing of the video recording of erstwhile First Scout Ranger Regiment commander Danilo Lim withdrawing support from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Esperon said the Philippine Army (PA) also planned to present San Juan last Thursday but this was again postponed to another date because of the presentation of renegade officers also involved in the Oakwood mutiny.
He said San Juan has expressed intentions of naming all the civilians who were supposedly involved in the Oakwood incident and those who financed the mutiny.
For his part, Army Spokesman Bartolome Bacarro said San Juan has "realized that what they (Oakwood mutineers) did was wrong and he would like to help. There was a realization that they were just used."
Bacarro would not elaborate as Esperon said in the press conference that they are going to arrange another presentation of San Juan to the media. He also did not say when they plan to present San Juan.
When asked if San Juan was a factor in the capture of fellow Magdalo officers - Captain Nathaniel Rabonza and First Lieutenants Patricio Bumidang and Sonny Sarmiento - and lawyer Christopher Belmonte, Esperon answered no.
"If you are asking if Lieutenant San Juan who reported their whereabouts, no, no. Its (information leading to the arrest of Rabonza and company) based on the intelligence work of our police and AFP operatives," said the Army chief.
"I must say that there is no direct link (between San Juan's intentions and arrest of Rabonza and company). Based on documents that we earlier captured, there were actions that we took that lead to this operations," he said.
San Juan, Rabonza, Bumidang, and Sarmiento escaped from a detention facility at the Army Headquarters on January 17. Shortly after their escape, the four renewed their call for the ouster of the Arroyo government.
San Juan was arrested by military and police operatives in Batangas along with Belmonte on February 21. He and Belmonte were later charged with rebellion in connection with the planned power grab on February 24 that was to be led by Lim.
"We will present him (San Juan) to you (media) in another time and you can ask him some questions," said Esperon of San Juan, a sniper expert who served under Esperon while he was still a brigade commander in Basilan. (VR/Sunnex)
(July 8, 2006 issue)
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