Another destab suspect released as military chief reveals there is continuing recruitment among active soldiers to join coup plot against government

By Ronron
January 18, 2008

One of the five alleged destabilizers arrested last Tuesday in Quezon City was released on Friday upon the orders of the Department of Justice (DOJ) due to lack of evidence for the crime of illegal possession of firearm.

The release of Ex-Corporal Ramon Perania, a former Army Scout Ranger, from the custody of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) in Camp Aguinaldo came a day after Ex-Sgt. Orlando Valencia was also freed for the same reason.

Perania was supposed to have been released together with Valencia last Thursday, but the release order for Perania bore Valencia’s name too. Their lawyer, Atty. Trixie Angeles, said it was an inadvertent typographical error on the part of the DOJ.

Angeles and co-defense counsel Argee Guevarra personally brought the release order for Perania at the ISAFP compound yesterday afternoon.

The release order for Perania, which was signed by the panel of DOJ prosecutors and Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuño, reads that the latter should be released because there “exists no probable cause on the basis of the evidence presented.”

Angeles explained that like Valencia, the DOJ was convinced that Perania was not also in possession of a firearm when they were accosted last Tuesday afternoon in Galas, Quezon City because there were only three firearms seized.

The three other accused, who have since been charged also with illegal possession of firearms, are ex-Cpl. Redante Maranan, ex-Cpl. Walter Franciso, and Kim Agas. Yesterday afternoon, Agas’ wife, Josephine, told reporters that her husband is not and was not a soldier, as alleged by the Philippine National Police (PNP).

All three remain inside the ISAFP compound.

According to the PNP complaint filed before the DOJ, Maranan was in possession of an AK47, Francisco of an M16, and Agas of another M16 when military intelligence operatives apprehended them.

The police alleged that the firearms were to be used in a destabilization plot against the government.

But Valencia and Agas, so far, have issued denials about the alleged plot.

Josephine said her husband is just a family driver who was in the company of Valencia last Tuesday. Both work for a certain Atty. Arcenas, a private civilian.

Josephine said her husband has been working as Arcenas’ driver since October 2007, while Valencia serves as bodyguard of Arcenas since two weeks ago. At the time of the arrest, the two were aboard Arcenas’ Honda civic.

“My husband and Valencia were supposed to pick up a child of Atty. Arcenas at UST campus (in Manila City). But Valencia asked my husband if they could drop by first in Galas so he could send money to his wife through a friend. When they arrived in Galas, they were immediately pushed down to the floor, blindfolded, and they did not know where they were taken,” Josephine narrated, quoting her husband whom she visited for the first time yesterday morning since the arrests were effected.

Quoting Valencia, Angeles said Maranan, Francisco and Perania were inside their boarding house at that time located at No. 94 N. Ramirez Street in Galas. Angeles said the four are renting together a room or two at said house while they were looking for job following their (except Maranan who has been on absence-without-official-leave since February 2006) dismissal from the service last year.

Josephine insisted that her husband is innocent of the charges both on illegal possession of firearm and about the destabilization plot. She said her husband is not even a part of the group of the four ex-soldiers as he is a stay-in driver of the Arcenas family.

“I just hope that the next time they arrest people, they make sure they have evidence against people. What they did to these people was a frame-up. It’s not true they have firearms… There is no destabilization plot,” Josephine said when asked of her message to the government.

Josephine sought the help of Angeles for her husband’s release.

Angeles said Agas was mistaken to be a former soldier because when they were being apprehended, the four ex-soldiers identified themselves as Scout Rangers personnel. He said this prompted Agas to also claim as a former Marine personnel.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, particularly the Philippine Marine Corps, has yet to clarify if Agas is indeed a former Marine soldier or not.

The four others have been discharged from the service because of their alleged involvement in the alleged February 2006 coup plot that was supposed to be led by then Scout Rangers commander Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim.

Earlier in the day, AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, Jr. revealed that there is a continuing recruitment within the organization for soldiers to join destabilization efforts against the government.

“Indeed, there is already an evidence that firearms are being transported, some recruitments are ongoing, including inside the chain,” Esperon told reporters in a chance interview at Camp Aguinaldo.

He refused to say where the recruitment is happening, but hinted of some units like the Scout Rangers when he said “there are some favorite units.” The Scout Rangers regiment, which is based in Bulacan, had been implicated in past coup incidents and attempts.

While he said that they are not doing any loyalty check among soldiers, Esperon expressed confidence that the alleged destabilizers will not get any support from the military.

“I can assure you is our soldiers have learned some lessons. They are being recruited to join these activities but they know they will just be abandoned later,” Esperon said.

“What we can assure you is that we have always been ready for these kinds of activities. We can put down destabilization moves. After all, as you have noticed in the November 29 attempt in the Manila Peninsula, no one from the active soldiers joined them, nor did they see civilian support. So I can say, they can only keep on dreaming,” he added.

Esperon said the apparent lack of support makes destabilization attempts these days “weak.”

The military chief said that the arrest of the alleged destabilizers last Tuesday “is a major part of the accomplishment,” but it will not let down their guard.

When asked about the alleged financiers of the arrested persons, Esperon said the matter is yet to be established, but he raised questions on the capability of the group to pay for P15,000 for their monthly rent on their boarding house.

“It has been rented for sometime and so I don’t think some people out of job would have that kind of money to rent that kind of, to spend 15,000 pesos for apartment rental,” he said.

Esperon said the military is still investigating if the arrested persons have links with fugitive Marine Captain Nicanor Faeldon, or with Lim.

Meanwhile, Esperon admitted that Army Cpl. Jaime Dumagpi, the soldier who allegedly provided the police with information about the movement of the five, remains under military custody even if no charges have been filed against him yet.

“We are asking him some questions,” Esperon said of the soldier who serves as driver of detained rebel officer Capt. Montano Almodovar.

Asked if Dumagpi is a suspect or a witness, Esperon said: “It can work both ways.”

Angeles said if the military will not file charges against Dumagpi within 72 hours since his apprehension last Monday night inside Camp Aguinaldo, they will assume that the soldier will be used a witness by the military against the five.

On Angeles claim that the arrest of the five is just to substantiate the need to extend his term, who will reach the mandatory retirement age of 56 on February 9, the military chief said: “They will always say that but can we keep quiet when we are indeed discovering caches or some plans to transport or preposition some firearms? It’s not us doing that.”/DMS