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Monday, February 27, 2006
‘Protest’ over Marine chief's relief settled; crisis ends
MANILA -- A potential threat to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's leadership ended peacefully Sunday night after disgruntled marine officers agreed to end a five-hour standoff that started when their commander was relieved of duties.
The officers appeared to back down when their appeal for people to defy a ban on rallies and turn out to protect them "from aggression" -- presumably from the government -- drew only about 3,000-4,000 opposition figures, leftist leaders and their followers.
The new marine commander, Brigadier General Nelson Allaga, said the men had agreed to be loyal.
"It's clear we follow the chain of command, and we follow the duly constituted authority," Allaga said after meeting with the men inside the marine headquarters camp.
On the face of it, the standoff appeared to be an internal matter, as Allaga claimed, with the restive officers claiming they were just showing support for their outgoing commander.
But the marines were widely rumored to have been among military units involved in a coup plot that military officials said Friday they had uncovered before it could be launched.
The call for people to come to the camp came from Colonel Ariel Querubin, earlier named by the military as a key figure in plans by marine officers and their troops to withdraw support for Arroyo on Friday and join protests demanding her resignation. Querubin confirmed that plan Sunday.
Instead, Arroyo launched a security clampdown, declaring a state of emergency that her critics have claimed is a step toward martial law.
Riot police tried twice to disperse the people outside the marine camp in Fort Bonifacio. But the protesters resisted, and the police backed off each time, apparently on orders not to worsen the situation with violence.
The uneasy scene was a clear sign that efforts to oust Arroyo remained alive.
Arroyo said Friday that "treasonous" elements were trying to unseat her, and military officials said they could not be certain that the coup plot was completely dead.
The standoff was sparked when marine commander Major General Renato Miranda was relieved of his duties. The government said he asked to step down. His backers, claiming he was forced out, rallied behind him.
Querubin arrived at the camp and said he was joining Miranda in sympathy.
"We'll...wait for all the people to really come here and protect us," he said.
Asked what they needed protection from, Querubin said, "From aggression."
Querubin claimed a majority of the marines was ready to walk out Friday but found the camp sealed in a security clampdown.
"The junior officers are really raring, they're so agitated, so I told them to avoid clashes and shooting, let us just march," he said.
Three armored personnel carriers, a tank and some 300 marines went inside the camp early in the standoff. It was unclear where their loyalties lay.
"The most important thing is for the soldiers not to fire at each other," said Senator Ramon Magsaysay, an Arroyo critic.
The 8,000-strong marines are regarded as an elite, well-armed unit at the frontline of the government's war against Muslim and communist guerrillas and al-Qaida-linked militants in the country's volatile south.
Arroyo set off an uproar with her emergency decree Friday as Filipinos celebrated the 20th anniversary of dictator Ferdinand Marcos' ouster in a "people power" revolt.
The decree bans rallies, allows arrests without warrants, permits the President to call in the military to intervene and lets her take over facilities -- including media outlets -- that may affect national security.
Local and international journalists expressed alarm over a police raid of a small daily newspaper critical of Arroyo.
Police seized editorial materials from the offices of The Daily Tribune early Saturday and threatened to take over the paper.
Troops have been deployed outside two of the country's largest TV networks, ABS-CBN and GMA7, purportedly to protect them from possible attacks by coup plotters. A prominent political columnist was arrested at an anti-Arroyo protest, and some journalists have complained they were being stalked by government intelligence agents.
Reporters Without Borders criticized the newspaper raid and accused Arroyo of declaring the state of emergency to crack down on opponents.
The Tribune produced an issue Sunday featuring a strongly worded editorial vowing to continue to criticize Arroyo. "We will not be cowed," the editorial said. (AP)
(February 27, 2006 issue)
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