By Ronron
May 4, 2007
Opposition senatorial candidate Antonio Trillanes IV claimed on Friday that the leadership of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is planning again to cheat this May 14 polls to ensure the victory of the administration’s senatorial candidates.
In a court-approved interview at his detention facility at the Philippine Marine headquarters in Taguig City, the resigned Navy officer said he received information from military insiders that a radio message was issued by AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr., directing battalion commanders to make sure that all 12 senatorial candidates of the administration’s Team Unity win this election.
“If they push this through, then we will have another Hello Garci scandal before us,” Trillanes said, referring to the 2005 expose of the alleged vote-rigging activities of the camp of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the 2004 elections to ensure her victory over rival Presidential candidate Fernando Poe, Jr.
He alleged that the administration is bent on manipulating this coming elections because it is aware that the opposition is gaining more support from the electorate.
Trillanes said he got the information from four sources in the military, which apparently shows that the sympathy and loyalty of the soldiers lie not with the AFP leadership.
“Many AFP units are already protesting against the orders to them for this coming elections. They don’t want to be used anymore in any electoral fraud because they already saw the tragedy that hit the country after the Hello Garci scandal,” he said.
This is why his sources are revealing the said radio message, he said.
Trillanes said that at the proper time, his sources will expose their evidence to such claim to the public.
At the same time, he showed to the media a copy of an alleged radio message also from the Philippine Army leadership, which orders all soldiers to remove his campaign posters and materials that are posted near military camps.
A transcription of the radio message shows that the order was handed down last April 9.
It reads: “In connection with the ongoing campaign of various candidates for the forthcoming national and local election, it is expected that supporters of Lt. Senior Grade Trillanes will take advantage by posting his campaign posters near military detachments/units to show to the public that the AFP is supporting the bid of subject officer for senatorial post.”
“In this regard, destroy/remove all campaign posters of Lt. SG Trillanes that are posted near the unit bases under your command. This is to show the general public that the AFP is not supporting or endorsing the candidacy of subject officer,” it added.
Trillanes said such order only shows that the AFP is not really sincere in its pronouncement that it will remain apolitical by not campaigning for or against any political candidate.
AFP Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro and Philippine Army chief of staff Maj. Gen. Melchor Dilodilo denied Trillanes’ claim.
Both said there are no such radio messages as the AFP sticks to its non-partisan policy.
Bacarro challenged Trillanes to support his claim with an evidence.
But even with said order, Trillanes said he is confident he will win in the elections based on results of surveys his camp had been doing.
“I expect to win, regardless of, despite, and even if I know they will cheat,” Trillanes said.
He thanked his fellow candidates in the Genuine Opposition for supporting him, considering the situation he is in, and his other supporters, like from the entertainment industry.
Trillanes said so far, he has already shelled out more than P5 million for his senatorial bid, which he got from his personal and family’s pocket, and other supporters.
Asked how he will effect change if he wins, the former officer said he will push for the impeachment and conviction of Arroyo.
“The solution of everything is the removal of GMA (Arroyo’s initials). She is the sole person allowing all these injustices… We can never have a clean government with such President. If we have a new President, then we will have a new chief of staff, new cabinet secretaries,” Trillanes said.
He said the authority of Arroyo up to this day is still questionable because she has no mandate, as proven by the Hello Garci scandal.
And in fact, he said the gripes he raised when he led about 300 officers and soldiers in taking over Oakwood Hotel in Makati City last July 27, 2003 continues to these days, like the massive corruption.
Trillanes remains in detention because of an ongoing case he is facing before the Makati City court and the General Court Martial for said incident./DMS
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