Esperon surprised by Trillanes’s good showing in counting of votes, but says his victory could mean no more coup

By Ronron
May 18, 2007

Defense officials on Friday expressed surprise by the good showing of resigned Navy officer Antonio Trillanes IV in the counting of votes for the senatorial race.

In an ambush interview Friday at Camp Aguinaldo, Defense Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane, Jr. said Trillanes, a leader of the 2003 Oakwood Mutiny who ran for Senator under the Genuine Opposition ticket, may have gotten sympathy votes from people based on the “good media coverage” he got.

“It’s really a surprise. But if you look at the situation, it could have come from people who sympathize with him, just like what happened to Gringo before,” Ebdane said, referring to independent senatorial candidate and former coup leader Gregorio Honasan who had already served some terms at the Senate within the last decade.

Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. acknowledged that Trillanes “indeed has strong showing right now,” making it to the last few slots in the Magic 12 in any of the countings, official or unofficial.

“If indeed he becomes a Senator, probably, wouldn’t it be also good because instead of resorting to unconstitutional ways, now he is (in the) mainstream. So, he will no longer launch coup d’ etat,” Esperon said.

Trillanes is facing a coup d’ etat case at the Makati Regional Trial Court for his participation in the takeover of Oakwood Hotel in Makati City in July 2003, together with some 300 junior officers and enlisted personnel, in protest to the alleged massive corruption in government.

The same incident brought him another case now being heard at the General Court Martial of the AFP.

Esperon said that should Trillanes win, “there will no longer be destabilization from his (Trillanes) side. That’s one way of looking at it.”

“I hope if he becomes a Senator, he performs well,” the military chief said.

During the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, Trillanes and his fellow mutineers had called for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and then Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita due to alleged corruption and ill-governance.

Trillanes became more pronounced about said call after the “Hello Garci” audio recordings allegedly of Arroyo hinted of a massive electoral fraud in the 2004 national elections to her favor.

In a recent interview with him at his detention cell at the Philippine Marines headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, Trillanes said he would actively push for the impeachment of Arroyo once he lands in the Senate.

Trillanes said Arroyo should never be in Malacanang in the first place because she has no mandate from the Filipino people in the 2004 polls.

Asked if he would address Trillanes as the Honorable Senator, Esperon said: “Why not? Why not, if he wins?”

But Esperon said should Trillanes win, his victory will not exonerate him from his liabilities in the military and civilian courts.

“That (cases of Trillanes) is not erased by the victory in election… He could be given punishments that could include confinements,” Esperon said./DMS