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Thursday, April 06, 2006
Soldier tagged in coup plot nabbed
MANILA -- The military on Wednesday announced the arrest of another junior officer allegedly involved in destabilization efforts against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
In a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo, Army chief Hermogenes Esperon said Army Captain Dante Langkit was arrested last Sunday at Max's Restaurant at the corner of Banawe Street and Quezon Avenue in Quezon City.
Confiscated from Langkit were several "seditious documents" contained in a flash disk, thousands of pesos worth of prepaid cell cards, nine cell phone units, and P81,300 in cash.
Esperon said Langkit was supposed to lead a group of soldiers in assaulting the Army Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Makati City during the failed power grab last February 24.
Langkit, a classmate of five core leaders of Oakwood mutiny at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1995, is being detained at the Army's Intelligence Security Group camp also in Fort Bonifacio. He was also reportedly involved in planning the short-lived Oakwood mutiny in July 2003.
But Esperon said Langkit was cleared of any charge in the Oakwood mutiny because he was not around during the actual siege.
Records showed that Langkit, of the Army's Special Operations Command, went Awol (absent without official leave) after four Oakwood mutineers - Captain Nathaniel Rabonza and First Lieutenants Lawrence San Juan, Patricio Bumidang and Sonny Sarmiento - escaped from military detention in Fort Bonifacio last January 17.
Esperon said when Langkit went Awol, he was reportedly recruiting some soldiers to join "Oplan Gemstone" wherein he was supposed to head forces that would attack and take over the Army headquarters. "But since they (Langkit's group) did not have the forces to execute their plan, we were able to preempt it," he said.
He also said a company commander from Central Luzon whom Langkit tried to recruit would testify against the junior officer.
Esperon said sometime in September 2003, Langkit also met with communist personalities in San Fernando, Pampanga wherein the rebels vowed to launch sympathy attacks. He said Langkit wanted to revitalize and reorganize junior officers who joined the mutiny through the Makabayang Kawal Pilipino (MKP).
He also said Langkit's activities also confirmed the existence of a "parallel of destabilizers" called the Para Sa Bayan, which is said to be headed by relieved Scout Ranger commander Danilo Lim.
Lim was allegedly about to lead some soldiers to a march at the Edsa Shrine last February 24 but he was restricted to his quarters hours earlier. He however denied the allegation.
Esperon said Langkit "played a major role in the recruitment activities and in planning destabilization" moves. He said Langkit was actively with the Para Sa Bayan (PSB), a group of disgruntled officers and men.
Langkit represented the PSB in a meeting with MKP officers at the Legend hotel in Manila where they discussed a document titled New Order and the National Recovery Program.
Aside from Rabonza, Sarmiento and Bumidang, the military is also hunting two more junior officers who were affiliated with the Magdalo Group.
They were First Lieutenants Engelbert Gay and Adrin Baldonado, who have also gone Awol in January. (JFF/Sunnex)
(April 6, 2006 issue)
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