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Saturday, September 25, 2004
Oakwood mutiny leaders say sorry to Arroyo
By Jonathan F. Fernandez and Benjamin B. Pulta
MANILA -- The jailed leaders of a failed military rebellion against President Arroyo in July 2003 apologized to her and the nation Friday for their actions and the resulting damage to the economy.
Arroyo accepted the apology but ruled out an immediate pardon and said their trial would proceed.
"Let me say that I feel no rancor," Arroyo told reporters after returning the officers' salute. "I accept the apology that they so humbly made."
She, however, stressed that "according to our laws you cannot have any pardon without any conviction so we are going ahead" with the court-martial.
Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala read the statement of apology in behalf of the other mutiny leaders during a press conference held in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City.
Arroyo was seated beside Gambala when he read his group's statement.
The six junior officers were temporarily allowed out of their prison cells for the press conference. They put on their uniforms and were ushered into the defense department for an audience with the commander-in-chief.
Aside from Gambala, the five others were Army Captain Milo Maestrecampo, Navy Captains Gary Alejano, Nicanor Faeldon and Navy Lieutenants Second Grade Antonio Trillanes and James Layug.
The officers face up to life in prison for the mutiny. Aside from the court-martial they also face separate criminal charges in a civilian court.
The meeting came more than a year after the six officers led around 300 men into Manila's financial district, seizing a high-rise condominium occupied by many business executives and a number of diplomats. They demanded that Arroyo step down because of corruption.
The bloodless rebellion ended less than 24 hours later when they failed to rally support from the armed forces. Rogue elements within the military have mounted seven coup attempts against democratically elected governments since 1986.
Gambala acknowledged in the statement their act of rebellion, which they said was committed "in our honest though naive desire for change."
Gambala said that "during our 14 months of incarceration, we have realized that while our country is facing serious problems, there are no shortcuts in solving them.
"In this light, we humbly seek absolution from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and we are hereby heeding her call of unity by declaring our unequivocal commitment to peace and reconciliation with her administration."
Following the apology, Arroyo instructed military prosecutors to exercise leniency in prosecuting the cases of the rank-and-file soldiers who are also on trial.
Although she accepted the apology, she said the cases against the six mutiny leaders would continue in accordance with existing civil and military laws.
She, however, directed military leaders to consider reinstating other officers and enlisted men who were apparently misled into joining the mutiny.
She also directed Armed Forces Chief Narciso Abaya to resolve the cases against the six officers with dispatch.
Arroyo described the officers' apology as a "great step" towards national healing and lauded them for their "courage and humility" to accept their mistake.
Gambala also apologized to former defense secretary and now Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes, former Armed Forces intelligence chief Victor Corpus and former PNP chief now National Security Adviser Hermogenes Ebdane.
The mutineers had accused Reyes and other military officials of selling of arms and ammunition to the Abu Sayyaf and other enemies of the state and of micromanagement and patronage in the Department of National Defense (DND). They implicated Reyes in the Davao bombings, which killed several innocent civilians.
Corpus was also implicated in the Davao bombings while Ebdane was linked to the escape of the Indonesian terrorist Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi.
At the Department of Justice, Secretary Raul Gonzalez Sr. said any leniency for the Oakwood mutiny leaders must be given cautiously to prevent sending wrong signals to like-minded members of the military.
Gonzalez said though that the apology by the rebel soldiers might have a favorable effect on the soldiers who are facing rebellion and coup d'etat charges before the lower courts.
He pointed out that the government's peace process initiative will largely dictate the administration's next move. "Everything will depend on national security. If we can talk peace with MILF, why not talk also with the misguided soldiers," he added.
But Gonzalez is wary of moves to condone prosecuting the soldiers, which may be misinterpreted. "History has shown that adventurous soldiers appear to be incorrigible," Gonzalez said.
But he quickly added, "in the process of bringing together the nation those things could be overlooked".
Prosecutors last November ordered the dismissal of criminal charges against 290 soldiers originally accused of mounting the failed coup attempt.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) however continued with the charges against 31 other officers in connection with the failed rebellion.
The cases are pending before Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 61 Judge Romeo Barza, where the original case was filed before the respondents were granted a reinvestigation by the court.
The sworn affidavit by Col. Enrique A. Cabos, chief of the investigation division of the Armed Forces Inspector General's Office, was used by the DOJ as basis for the dismissal of the charges against 290 soldiers.
Cabos, in his affidavit, said the Oakwood incident "was part of a larger planned and coordinated swift attack accompanied by violence, intimidation, threat, strategy or stealth directed against duly-constituted authorities of the Philippines for the purpose of overthrowing the duly-constituted government of President Arroyo."
The prosecutors echoed Cabos's claim that a number of active and retired military officers and enlisted members of the military orchestrated the grand plan and its execution.
Cabos identified the leaders of the uprising as former Sen. Gregorio B. Honasan, Capt. Felix Turingan, Col. Tito Legaspi, Col. Dante Bernate, Col. Melchor A. Acosta, Col. Arsenio C. Santos Jr., Capt. Andy Gauran, Col. Herbert Avinante, Col. Pompeo Limbo and Lt. Col. Demy Tejares.
All 321 soldiers implicated in the mutiny still face administrative charges.
During the mutiny, the renegade soldiers strung explosives around an upscale condominium in Makati and demanded the resignation of President Arroyo and other top officials.
Having failed to rally public support and convince military units to their side, the rebels surrendered about 20 hours later.
Arroyo last November ordered 133 of the 321 soldiers freed saying they were deceived by their officers into joining the mutiny.
A separate case for violation of the Articles of War filed against the 290 soldiers is pending before the Armed Forces Judge Advocate's General's Office (Jago). (With AFP)
(September 25, 2004 issue)
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