Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Destabilization plot v. Arroyo won't succeed: military
* NCRcom anticipates rallies by Estrada supporters
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday said groups who plan to destabilize the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in time for the handing down of the verdict on former President Joseph Estrada's plunder case next month are doomed to fail.
AFP public information officer Bartolome Bacarro expressed confidence that no military officers or men would join the destabilization plot.
"If ever it is true that there are people (soldiers) who have been approached (for recruitment), I would believe that at this point in time, the level of the professionalism of the soldiers is high," said
Bacarro.
"They (soldiers) won't join such adventurism because they know it would lead to nothing," Bacarro also said, adding that counter-intelligence operatives would conduct an investigation to determine the veracity of such a report.
The last time a major destabilization move happened was in February last year involving the group of then Scout Ranger chief Danilo Lim and then Marines commandant Renato Miranda. The two senior officers reportedly planned to lead their men to an anti-government protest at the Edsa Shrine on February 25 last year and subsequently withdraw their support from the President.
The plan was aborted when then AFP chief Generoso Senga ordered the incarceration of Lim and his cohorts. They are now detained in Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal and facing general court martial proceedings.
Bacarro said the groups are spreading talks that the soldiers are in a low state of morale when in truth the troops are much focused and willing to get their job done in defeating threat organizations.
"Bringing down the current administration is their ultimate agenda but they will continue to fail. We do believe that if they will recruit soldiers, they will not get the soldiers to follow or to join them," he said.
For his part, National Capital Region Command (NCRcom) chief Ben Dolorfino said the military is solid behind the chain of command with the past coup experiences.
He refused to confirm if there are indeed plans to destabilize the Arroyo Government in time for the handing down of the decision on Estrada's plunder case.
Dolorfino said they are anticipating violence, similar to what supporters of Estrada on May 1, 2001 called the "Malacañang siege" if the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan convicts the former President.
He said the NCRcom and the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) have been preparing for at least a month now for contingency measures to prevent a repeat of the "Malacañang siege".
He said at least 2,000 soldiers would be deployed in the streets when the Sandiganbayan hands down its verdict on Estrada to quell violence. However, he said that NCRcom's role would be in support to the police.
Meanwhile, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye asked the President's foes not to destabilize the government.
"Do we want to move forward or do we allow ourselves to go back to the fractious days of 2005 and 2006? Our gut feel is that the average Filipino wants progress, not politicking."
"The average Filipino wants to move on and allow the President to focus on the real problems of the nation," he added. (VR/JMR/Sunnex)
