AFTER Sen. Miriam Santiago’s teaser last week about a coup plot brewing against President Noynoy Aquino, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV yesterday revealed one name among the plotters.
Trillanes was asked by reporters if Gonzales was among the plotters and the senator said “yes.” His “exact term”: “may mga nagpaplanong magpatalsik sa presidente.”
Not the usual coup plotters, as Trillanes admitted, but they hope to recruit active AFP members for the coup.
The military component in an illegal takeover is necessary as mere demand for PNoy to quit is not a coup plot. Two or three bishops are publicly calling for PNoy’s resignation but they’re not coup plotters.
Who is Norberto B. Gonzales?
Gonzales, 68 this coming April 17, of San Juan, Metro Manila, was twice defense secretary and served as national security adviser and director-general of the National Security Council during the Arroyo administration. He was chairperson of Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilippinas.
He and Jesuit Archie Intengan were suspected of being “architects” of a plan to extend Arroyo’s presidency. He was cited for contempt when he testified at the Senate hearing on the Venable contract involving millions of taxpayers money for a lobby in the U.S. Congress.
Gonzales was among the guests at the birthday party of Cardinal Ricardo Vidal in Cebu City last Feb. 13.
Coup financier not in Forbes list
BUT who’s the financier of the anti-PNoy coup plot who, Senator Miriam said, is the “richest” in the country. Surely not Gonzales who may be well-off enough to be “manggulo” but not to fund the enterprise/misadventure.
If one looks at the 2014 Forbes magazine list of 50 rich Filipinos, there’s no Gonzales there. Henry Sy, with $12.7 billion, tops the list. He’s 90 although old age hardly disqualifies a person from being a financier. But Santiago couldn’t be referring to him or any one of the top five richest (box).
Did Vidal seek PNoy resignation?
WHAT is it: Did Cardinal Vidal support the PNoy-resign movement or did he not?
He did, by reading during his birthday party last week a statement calling for PNoy’s ouster.
Is he at heart for PNoy’s quitting or not?
The archdiocese media liaison officer said Vidal is “a man of dialogue.” His spin: the cardinal was attempting at a dialogue, not calling for PNoy to leave.
If it was, the Feb. 13 statement didn’t say or even imply that. Whatever was truly in his heart didn’t show in the words said.
[bzzzzz@sunstar.com.ph or paseares@gmail.com]