MANILA (Zamboanga Journal / 23 Apr) Philippine authorities have stepped up its hunt for former senator Gregorio Honasan, but officials admitted they were having difficulties tracking down one of the elusive leader of the failed February coup.
The Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation, backed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, have ordered a nationwide manhunt for Honasan since he was linked to the foiled coup attempt February 24," said Army spokesman Major Bartolome Baccaro.
"There is an ongoing operation to track down and arrest Honasan," Bacarro told the Zamboanga Journal.
But some soldiers regard Honasan as their messiah of hope who promises reforms in the government and in the military and society. His charisma won him the loyalty of the rebel soldiers, who see him as a potent leader to lead the country.
"He is good, many still support him because of his idealisn," said soldiers at the Southern Command in Zamboanga City.
But for many military officials, Honasan is a disgrace to the institution he once served and a power grabber that will try to topple the government and install himself in power.
For some of his fellow members in the defunct Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), Honasan was a defeated fighter who failed to introduce reforms and the many changes he was previously espousing when he was still senator.
Many civilians also look at Honasan as their hero, some sort of a man who fights for the oppressed, who stands up for the truth and justice. "He is popular alright, but one man cannot fight for the truth alone, Honasan needs all the support he can get or else nothing would ever happen," said Justin Reyes, a trader.
And this was also the reason why Honasan, a member of the Philippine Military Class 1971, was looked up by rightist soldiers -- who staged a failed coup in
Makati City's financial district in 2003 or the so-called Oakwood mutiny.
The Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation, backed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, have ordered a nationwide manhunt for Honasan since he was linked to the foiled coup attempt February 24," said Army spokesman Major Bartolome Baccaro.
"There is an ongoing operation to track down and arrest Honasan," Bacarro told the Zamboanga Journal.
But some soldiers regard Honasan as their messiah of hope who promises reforms in the government and in the military and society. His charisma won him the loyalty of the rebel soldiers, who see him as a potent leader to lead the country.
"He is good, many still support him because of his idealisn," said soldiers at the Southern Command in Zamboanga City.
But for many military officials, Honasan is a disgrace to the institution he once served and a power grabber that will try to topple the government and install himself in power.
For some of his fellow members in the defunct Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), Honasan was a defeated fighter who failed to introduce reforms and the many changes he was previously espousing when he was still senator.
Many civilians also look at Honasan as their hero, some sort of a man who fights for the oppressed, who stands up for the truth and justice. "He is popular alright, but one man cannot fight for the truth alone, Honasan needs all the support he can get or else nothing would ever happen," said Justin Reyes, a trader.
And this was also the reason why Honasan, a member of the Philippine Military Class 1971, was looked up by rightist soldiers -- who staged a failed coup in
Makati City's financial district in 2003 or the so-called Oakwood mutiny.
Some 300 renegade soldiers seized a shopping mall and the Oakwood Hotel, but later surrendered peacefully.
Bacarro said the former army colonel who led several coups in the past has no support in the military.
"It is a wrong perception. Honasan is not popular as what others would think him to be. He has very little or no more support anymore, even those who were with him in the past coup d'états, have abandoned him because there is no valid reason to grab power from a democratic government, except to serve his own vested interests," Bacarro said.
Baccaro said soldiers remain non-partisan and strictly follow the chain of command. "The soldiers are united and loyal to the chain of command and the Constitution," he said.
Honasan was linked to a conspiracy to topple the Arroyo government and install a 15-member junta, but strangely, no charges were filed against him.
He denied backing the coup soldiers, who were advocating a mix of vague proposals to fix endemic problems like corruption and terrorism, and to reform the judiciary and trade agreements and were espousing the national recovery program, whose author was Honasan himself -- a former army colonel -- that also figured in several coup attempts against President Corazon Aquino in the late 1980s.
Top army officials said politicians opposed to Arroyo's rule allegedly provided P300 million to fund the failed Oakwood mutiny to force her out of office.
Many military officials said Honasan brainwashed and tricked young soldiers involved in the failed coup to advance his own political agenda and interests in the guise of fighting for democracy.
Army Major General Romeo Tolentino, commander of the military's Northen Luzon Command, described Honasan as a "problem" of the Philippine economy and a "pain in the neck" of the Filipino people.
Bacarro said the former army colonel who led several coups in the past has no support in the military.
"It is a wrong perception. Honasan is not popular as what others would think him to be. He has very little or no more support anymore, even those who were with him in the past coup d'états, have abandoned him because there is no valid reason to grab power from a democratic government, except to serve his own vested interests," Bacarro said.
Baccaro said soldiers remain non-partisan and strictly follow the chain of command. "The soldiers are united and loyal to the chain of command and the Constitution," he said.
Honasan was linked to a conspiracy to topple the Arroyo government and install a 15-member junta, but strangely, no charges were filed against him.
He denied backing the coup soldiers, who were advocating a mix of vague proposals to fix endemic problems like corruption and terrorism, and to reform the judiciary and trade agreements and were espousing the national recovery program, whose author was Honasan himself -- a former army colonel -- that also figured in several coup attempts against President Corazon Aquino in the late 1980s.
Top army officials said politicians opposed to Arroyo's rule allegedly provided P300 million to fund the failed Oakwood mutiny to force her out of office.
Many military officials said Honasan brainwashed and tricked young soldiers involved in the failed coup to advance his own political agenda and interests in the guise of fighting for democracy.
Army Major General Romeo Tolentino, commander of the military's Northen Luzon Command, described Honasan as a "problem" of the Philippine economy and a "pain in the neck" of the Filipino people.
"Because of all the things and destabilization Honasan and his group did, the Filipino people are now suffering. Every time they tried to mount a coup or grab power from the legitimate government, our economy is greatly affected and the people suffer most. Every time he launches a coup, the economy suffers."
"Honasan is one problem our country and he is a pain in the neck of the Filipino people and a misery to the Philippines. He has his own selfish interest and is fighting for his own political agenda," Tolentino said in a separate interview.
He said Honasan cannot hide for long. "The people are tired of you and your antics. The public are helping authorities track down Honasan, and sooner or later, he will be arrested and pay for his crimes," he said.
Tolentino doubted Honasan's real motive in his latest attempt to grab power. "I suspect Honasan is all motivated by money. He had no qualm or problems about the government when he was still a senator, so why destabilize the government and mount a coup, especially at a time the Filipinos are enjoying democracy?," he said.
He said civilians and politicians were believed sheltering Honasan, who went into hiding after he was implicated in the crushed coup attempt in February.
"Without that support, Honasan is behind bars by now. But his time will surely come and he will be arrested," Tolentino said. "Honasan has no influence over the military nor he has military support and nobody in the military will ever support his agenda to overthrow the government."
An army captain, Manuel Darius Ressuello, who confessed to joining the renegade soldiers, implicated Honasan in a failed attempt to overthrow the government.
Police have filed rebellion charges against him and 15 others, including 5 members of the House of Representatives, who were accused of forging an alliance with communist rebels to overthrow the government in February.
But authorities are facing a blank wall on Honasan's whereabouts. He was reported hiding as far as Surigao del Norte and Basilan island in the southern Philippines, and in Negros Occidental in central Philippines and up to Cagayan Valley in northern Philippines.
Police earlier said Honasan was almost arrested following a raid on his hideout, but officials would not give details of the operation, saying, it could jeopardize the hunt for the fugitive.
It said the police cell phone text hotline 2920 had been flooded with calls and leads from civilians after the government put up this month a five million-peso reward for the arrest of the former senator. He was arrested in 1987, but escaped from a navy ship anchored off Manila with his jail guards and pardoned after President Fidel Ramos came into power and signed a peace agreement with rebel soldiers.
Police earlier said Honasan was almost arrested following a raid on his hideout, but officials would not give details of the operation, saying, it could jeopardize the hunt for the fugitive.
It said the police cell phone text hotline 2920 had been flooded with calls and leads from civilians after the government put up this month a five million-peso reward for the arrest of the former senator. He was arrested in 1987, but escaped from a navy ship anchored off Manila with his jail guards and pardoned after President Fidel Ramos came into power and signed a peace agreement with rebel soldiers.
Honasan, who served twice as senators -- in 1995 and 2001 -- also worked as chief campaign security officer for Arroyo's rival, Fernando Poe Jr., during the May 2004 Presidential elections. Poe, who died of stroke in December 2004, was a close associate of deposed President Joseph Estrada.
Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said the greed for power and money drove Honasan to forge an alliance with the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines which is fighting to overthrow the government and install a Maoist state.
"I believe the greed for power and money drove Honasan to ally himself with the enemies and government 'destabilizers' to grab power. He brainwashed and tricked the (Oakwood mutineers) soldiers to rebel against the government and to support his cause and then abandoned them, just as he did in previous coups," Esperon told the Zamboanga Journal.
He suspected Honasan was suffering from delusional fantasies of power. "He is some what of a megalomaniac," Esperon said.
Esperon said the AFP is helping the police track down Honasan. "He should surrender peacefully and answer the charges against him. Honasan can run, but he cannot hide forever," he said.
Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon said the greed for power and money drove Honasan to forge an alliance with the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines which is fighting to overthrow the government and install a Maoist state.
"I believe the greed for power and money drove Honasan to ally himself with the enemies and government 'destabilizers' to grab power. He brainwashed and tricked the (Oakwood mutineers) soldiers to rebel against the government and to support his cause and then abandoned them, just as he did in previous coups," Esperon told the Zamboanga Journal.
He suspected Honasan was suffering from delusional fantasies of power. "He is some what of a megalomaniac," Esperon said.
Esperon said the AFP is helping the police track down Honasan. "He should surrender peacefully and answer the charges against him. Honasan can run, but he cannot hide forever," he said.
A government film documentary entitled, "Sabwatan sa Kataksilan," released April 10 tagged Army Brigadier General Danilo Lim, commander of the elite Scout Regiment and Honasan as leaders the armed putschists.
The film showed that the people behind "OPLAN 4G," codename of a plan to oust Arroyo, were continuing their recruitment of followers, hoping to meet their target of about 500,000 people to join their final push to force the President out of Malacanang on May 1.
OPLAN 4G was patterned after the successful People Power 1 Revolution that ousted then President Ferdinand Marcos. The anti-government campaign last February, which coincided with the celebration of the 20th anniversary of People Power I Revolution, was supposed to be only the start of an increasingly violent movement to topple the Arroyo administration.The destabilization drive was supposed to hit its high point on May 1, 2006, Labor Day, ostensibly with the overthrow of Arroyo.
However, the planned rebellion unraveled when Arroyo declared a national state of emergency and ordered the military and the police to quell any threat to national security and stability.
The film showed that the people behind "OPLAN 4G," codename of a plan to oust Arroyo, were continuing their recruitment of followers, hoping to meet their target of about 500,000 people to join their final push to force the President out of Malacanang on May 1.
OPLAN 4G was patterned after the successful People Power 1 Revolution that ousted then President Ferdinand Marcos. The anti-government campaign last February, which coincided with the celebration of the 20th anniversary of People Power I Revolution, was supposed to be only the start of an increasingly violent movement to topple the Arroyo administration.The destabilization drive was supposed to hit its high point on May 1, 2006, Labor Day, ostensibly with the overthrow of Arroyo.
However, the planned rebellion unraveled when Arroyo declared a national state of emergency and ordered the military and the police to quell any threat to national security and stability.
No comments:
Post a Comment