IT was a visibly relieved President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo who gave the annual State of the Nation address to the people of Philippines on July 28. Her government had just convinced a band of military mutineers to surrender, after a 19-hour-long standoff. Around 300 soldiers, including 70 officers, had barricaded themselves inside an upmarket residential-cum-shopping complex in Manila's financial district.
Rumours of a possible coup attempt were sweeping Manila days before Arroyo was scheduled to address the nation. One of the mutineers had told reporters during the siege that their aim was not to seize power but to express their grievances. Before storming the complex, the rebels released a statement calling for the resignation of "our leaders in the current regime".
Since the ouster of President Ferdinand Marcos in 1985, there have been several coup attempts. Military officers, complaining of corruption by President Corazon Aquino, had occupied the same complex for several days in 1989 before surrendering. In fact, Arroyo herself was manoeuvred into the presidency with the active support of the Army. The Philippine Constitution was given short shrift as the country's elite teamed up with the Catholic Church and the Army to send President Joseph Estrada packing.
Estrada, who is still popular among the underprivileged, has refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Arroyo government. Among those arrested after the latest crisis was Ramon Cardenas, a member of the Estrada Cabinet. He has been accused of allowing the mutineers to use his house as a "staging area".
The Arroyo government also plans to question Senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan about his suspected role in the military plot. The flamboyant Honasan, as a young army officer, was involved in many coup attempts in the 1980s.
It was almost a case of the chickens coming home to roost for Arroyo. Luckily for her, the mutineers could mobilise little public support. However, the charges they have levelled against her cannot be ignored. The officers who led the mutiny accused the government of selling arms and ammunition to Muslim separatists and Communist rebels, staging bomb blasts in Davao and in other parts of southern Philippines to attract more aid from the United States, and preparing to declare martial law in order to enable the President to extend her rule.
Soon after the bomb attacks, the Bush administration had rushed in with financial and military aid for the Philippine government in the fight against "global terrorism". Special forces of the U.S. Army now assist Filipino soldiers fight Muslim separatists and Communists. The government is now seriously considering the leasing of the Clark and Subic military bases to the U.S. military again.
President Arroyo has promised to set up an independent commission to look into some of the allegations made by the mutineers. Arroyo's credibility had taken a beating when two Abu Sayyaf members, held in a top security prison in Manila, escaped two weeks ago. They were apparently allowed to walk out. The mutineers had alleged corruption and misconduct by senior government officials and Ministers.
John Cherian
