No more destab threat from AFP, says official

By Ronron
February 26, 2007

A year after some of its officers allegedly attempted to initiate moves to overthrow the Arroyo government, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was confident on Monday that similar plans are no longer being entertained by the soldiers.

“The Armed Forces of the Philippines is getting stronger. We continue to be united,” AFP Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro told reporters yesterday at Camp Aguinaldo.

He said the AFP leadership has been consolidating its forces after last year’s alleged coup plot of the group of Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim to dissuade them from believing alleged destabilizers of the government.

“One of the ways to make the organization stronger is by informing our soldiers down to the lowest level of what is really happening because otherwise, they can be easily lured by some groups to undertake actions, which, we can say as beyond the job of the soldiers,” Bacarro explained.

In an earlier interview, AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. had categorically denied any emerging rumor of a coup d’ etat similar to what happened last year.

“A coup d’ etat? Let me think? I think I haven’t received any report (about it). Let me think again. There’s really none,” he animatedly told reporters in a press conference last week.

But, seriously, he added: “It appears we are in very different situation now compared to that of February 2006… The changes have really been great.”

Aside from implementing the military justice system against those who allegedly participated in the supposed coup plot, Esperon credited the absence of another military uprising to the preoccupation of officers and soldiers in their jobs, among them, in the upcoming elections.

Bacarro said that if the military remains united and committed to its mandate, then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, their commander-in-chief, will be able to finish her term until 2010.

He said even Esperon has committed to Arroyo that he will see to it there will be no coup plot against the government while he is the AFP chief of staff. Esperon will retire in February 2008.

And the commanders of the AFP will contribute to this commitment, Bacarro said, out of “respect” to Esperon, even if the latter was mentioned in the “Hello Garci” tape that accused Arroyo of rigging the 2004 election results to her favor.

Bacarro acknowledged that the earlier the “Hello Garci” scandal will be resolved, the better it would be for Esperon so his name will be cleared of any irregularities even if he had consistently denied any involvement to such.

In an earlier interview with Manila Shimbun, political analysts Benito Lim and Jose Almonte, former National Security Adviser, said the gripes within the military will remain until the “Hello Garci” scandal is addressed, since it pertains to the legitimacy of Arroyo.

The AFP is expected to arraign today (Tuesday) the 28 officers, led by Miranda and Lim, for their alleged coup plot last year during court martial proceedings at Tanay, Rizal./DMS