By Ronron
August 27, 2007
Government security forces are preparing for a possible repeat of the May 1, 2001 siege of Malacañang Palace by supporters of deposed President Joseph Estrada when the Sandiganbayan issues its verdict on the latter’s plunder case in the coming days.
Outgoing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) National Capital Region Command (NCRCOM) chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino told reporters Monday that his unit has been holding meetings for a month now with the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to plan for contingency measures.
“The worst case scenario could be situation like what happened on May 1, 2001 when a mob went to Malacañang… It is anticipated that there will be mass actions,” Dolorfino said when asked of their projections when the anti-graft court promulgates its decision on the Estrada plunder case.
“Guilty or not guilty, I’m sure there will be mass action although it will very in magnitude. If guilty, maybe or it is expected that a bigger mass action will take place,” he added.
Dolorfino said the situation may even be taken advantage of by the “communist terrorist movement … just to ride on the issue.”
During the 2001 Labor Day, thousands of supporters of Estrada trooped to Malacañang and sowed violence in the streets in protest of the arrest of the former President, who was ousted earlier in January due to allegations of corruption.
Then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took over the Presidency on January 20, 2001. Since her assumption to power, several calls for her ouster continue to ring as its legitimacy was always questioned.
Dolorfino said included in their security preparations is close coordination with the Presidential Security Group (PSG) for the security of the Malacañang Palace.
“We have conducted table top exercise last week trying to run our contingency plans. This week, we will be having communication exercise and we will be testing corresponding actions of units in reaction to scenarios that will be given to them,” he said, referring to their meetings with the NCRPO and the PSG.
The military commander said they are expecting the verdict of the Estrada case from August 31 until the first week of September. “For sure, the Sandiganbayan will inform us way ahead of the schedule of the judgment day.”
When the day comes, Dolorfino said about a thousand NCRPO elements will be mobilized and another thousand from the NCRCOM will be placed on standby for support.
“We have been preparing contingency plans for this and by now, what I can say is that we are prepared for any eventualities that may happen relative to the handing of the verdict,” Dolorfino said.
He said they have to make sure that “peace and stability in the National Capital Region” is preserved on that day “so that normal government functions will continue and the people can engage in their daily lives freely.”
Asked if military elements are being lured into joining activities to sow violence on the promulgation day, Dolorfino said: “We cannot really say categorically that there will be (AFP members) who will also take advantage. It remains to be seen and it can be a focus of our intelligence efforts to prevent such thing from happening.”
In a separate interview, AFP Public Information Officer Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said there are rumors of fresh destabilization plots against the Arroyo administration but he could not say if it is linked to the upcoming release of the decision on the Estrada plunder case.
Bacarro said the “interest groups or individuals” who are behind the alleged destabilization plots are just banking on the alleged low morale of the soldiers in the field due to the operations in Basilan and Sulu so their intention of bringing down the Arroyo government will be realized.
“These (low morale claims) are all figment of their imagination. Every opportunity that they can create an issue regarding the divisiveness of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, they will take advantage of that,” Bacarro said.
To the question if the alleged destabilization is connected with the upcoming Sandiganbayan ruling on the Estrada case, Bacarro replied: “We cannot say if that is part of a grand plan. I really can’t say.”
Nonetheless, he assured that no soldiers are joining the said plot, although “we continue to conduct counter-intelligence gathering.”
“I think we are solid behind the chain of command and with the past coup experiences, I think it will be very hard to recruit from the military now, compared to before,” Dolorfino said for his part.
But Dolorfino acknowledged that if the masses reach a critical number on the promulgation day, agitators could use various issues like the revived “Hello Garci” scandal and the deaths of government soldiers in Sulu and Basilan to pursue their objectives of grabbing power from the current administration, particularly the “revolutionary objectives” of the “communist terrorist movement.”
“It’s an opportunity. It’s an event that can unify different groups,” he said./DMS
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