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Friday, July 07, 2006
6 mutineers, lawyer arrested in raid
MANILA (Updated 12:20 p.m.) -- Joint operatives of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police arrested Friday dawn six fugitive officers linked to the 2003 failed mutiny against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in a subdivision in Quezon City.
Authorities also arrested lawyer Christopher Belmonte, an unnamed civilian and seized a wide array of firearms, explosives, documents and laptops.
AFP Chief of Staff Generoso Senga identified the fugitive officers as Captain Nathaniel Rabonza, 1st Lieutenants Patricio Bomidang and Sonny Sarmiento, 2nd Lieutenants Aldrin Baldonado and Anglebert Gay and a Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade Hiram Sadava.
Rabonza, Bomidang and Sarmiento earlier escaped from their detention cell last February 21.
Police said each of the three officers carry a P500,000 reward for their arrest.
"With the arrest of these officers and Atty. Belmonte we believe that we have prevented possible conduct of terroristic actions as revealed by their plans that we have unmasked earlier in pursuit of continuing efforts to destabilize the government," Senga said.
The arrests came in the wake of an alleged coup plot in February that Arroyo blamed on military adventurers, communist rebels and their political backers, and which prompted her to declare a weeklong state of emergency.
"Today, a big blow to the said adventurism was delivered by joint elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police," Senga said.
Earlier this week, ABS-CBN television showed a videotaped message from one of the alleged coup plotters, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, who has been in detention since February. He said he was withdrawing support from Arroyo over alleged corruption and called her a "bogus" president.
Lim headed the elite army Scout Rangers, many of whose officers were involved in the 2003 mutiny. The tape was made in February, but on Thursday, ABS-CBN reported that a military rebel group had renewed support for Lim.
The fugitive officers, along with a lawyer and another civilian, were seized from a house in suburban Quezon City and close to the Philippine Congress compound, the military said.
The military paraded the handcuffed officers during the news conference. They did not speak.
"At this point we asked political opportunists to stop exploiting our young officers and men and soldiers to attain their desperate scheme to grab power for themselves from the duly constituted authorities through illegal means," Senga said.
"Have pity on these young officers you're destroying not only their careers but their lives as well. We asked the support of concerned community and civic leaders and the entire Filipino citizenry to help us in our desire to insulate the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the PNP from adventurism and politics," Senga further said.
Senga said the military recovered explosives, including C-4 and grenades, high-powered firearms, ammunition, military uniforms, cell phones, documents and laptop computers.
Philippine National Police chief Oscar Calderon said the documents included a blueprint of Congress. Senga said it was too early to say if the group planned any action during Arroyo's July 24 state-of-the-nation address there.
Calderon said the officers would be charged with illegal possession of firearms, obstruction of justice, rebellion and conspiracy to commit rebellion.
Senga said one of the officers was injured when he tried to escape by jumping from a second-floor window. He said three of the officers had escaped from military detention in January.
Young officers, mostly captains and lieutenants from elite special forces units, led about 300 soldiers who occupied a ritzy hotel and a nearby shopping mall in Manila's Makati financial district on July 27, 2003. They demanded the resignation of Arroyo and other officials, claiming her government and the military were corrupt. They surrendered after a 19-hour standoff.
The government has charged 30 officers and two enlisted men with staging a coup in a civilian court and 66 others have been undergoing military trial for mutiny, disobedience and other offenses, said Roberto Pulido, a lawyer for some of the accused.
A civilian fact-finding commission concluded the mutiny was part of a larger plot to seize power and appoint a 15-member junta. (AP/Mildred V. Galarpe/Sunnex)
(July 7, 2006 issue)
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