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Friday, February 24, 2006
Marine Colonel denies supporting pending coup (8:45 a.m.)
MARINE Colonel Ariel Querubin denied Friday being held and investigated by top military leadership for his alleged participation in the pending coup against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Querubin clarified that he is not under the custody of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and still supports the chain of command.
Querubin is a co-founder of the Young Officers Union (YOU), a group of young military officers, which launched coups against the administration of then President Corazon Aquino.
He said he is due to leave on Tuesday for Lanao to return to his unit based in Lanao.
The military tried to quash a coup plot Friday, holding in custody an army general accused of involvement in the plan and urging soldiers not to get involved in demonstrations calling for Arroyo to quit.
Already-tight security was bolstered in the capital. The government canceled rally permits and told schools to call off classes, aiming to keep the opposition from exploiting scheduled demonstrations commemorating the 20th anniversary of the "people power" revolt that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Arroyo held a pre-dawn emergency meeting of her national security council, said her chief of staff, Mike Defensor.
"The president is in control and is taking steps to avoid trouble," Defensor said, adding that an unspecified number of civilians and military officials had been arrested and eight to 10 more were being sought.(AP/Sunnex)
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