Rebellion rap on Trillanes

December 18, 2007  --  Got something to say?
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Sen. Antonio Trillanes
MANILA Following the directive of President Gloria M. Arroyo to prosecute the military rebels without mercy and to the fullest extent of the law, the Department of Justice (DO) Dec. 3 dutifully filed non-bailable rebellion charges with the Makati City Regional Trial Court against Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, former vice president Teofisto Guingona and a handful of former military officers and their alleged civilian supporters in connection with their brief takeover of the Peninsula Hotel in Makati city Nov. 29.

The filing came after a weekend of marathon deliberation on the complaint against the accused submitted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group or CIDG. But in the DOJ case, the number of the accused was pared down from 50 to 36. The list does not include Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon, who is at large with a P1-million bounty on his head.
Prosecutors said 14 of the original accused were ordered released temporarily for further investigation on Dec. 17.
Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales has called on President Arroyo to personally and sincerely address the issues that were raised by the group of Sen. Trillanes IV.

Rosales said while he does not agree with the means used by the dissenters, it would be unwise for the administration to simply shrug off their complaints. The issues of justice and legitimate leadership that the protesters espouse must be heeded and addressed according to the laws of the land, Rosales said. He said the issues raised by the so-called Pen 50 should be addressed to avoid similar incidents from occurring.

What all long to see is a humble, honest, inspiring and compassionate leadership among public servants who are completely disposed to unity,” he said. (See other stories inside)

The accused, except Faeldon, were put on a hold-departure list. It was not immediately clear why Faeldon was not on the list.

Also charged with rebellion were Trillanes father Antonio III, former Scout Rangers chief Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, retired Bishop Julio Labayen, running priest Robert Reyes, Capt. Gary Alejano, Capt. Segundino Orfiano Jr., Ltsg Manuel Cabochan, Ltsg James Layug, Ltjg Arturo Pascua, Lt. Eugene Peralta, Lt. Andy Torrato, 1Lt. Billy Pascua, 1Lt Jonnel Sangalang, Ensign Armand Pontejos, lawyers JV Bautista and Argee Guevarra, former University of the Philippines President Francisco Nemenzo, Julius Mesa, Cezari Yassir Gonzales, Cpl. Clecarte Dahan, Pfc. Juanito Jilbury, Pfc. Emmanuel Tirador, Pfc. German Linde, Myrna Buendia, Dominador Rull Jr., Romeo Solis, Roel Gadon, Rommel Loreto, Julian Advincula, Francisco Bosi, Leodor dela Cruz, Sonny Madarang, actress Elizabeth Orteza Siguion-Reyna and Francisco Penaflor. Ordered released for further preliminary investigation were lawyer El Cid Fajardo, columnist Herman Tiu Laurel, Leonido Toledo Jr., Evangeline Mendoza, Jose Albert, Eduardo Castro, Ferdinand Sandoval, Julio Ancheta, Stella Guingona, Maamor Lanto, Romeo Dacles, Ryan Custodio, Edgardo Tulalay and Rey Linaac.

In a DOJ resolution that formed the basis for the filing of the court cases against the accused, rebellion was defined as an act of rising publicly and taking up arms against the government.

The accused are detained at Camp Crame, except for Guingona, Orteza, Labayen and Nemenzo who were allowed to leave detention on humanitarian grounds. They are required to appear before the court if summoned.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez told reporters that they were also trying to identify the financiers of the hotel siege. He added that aside from rebellion charges, the accused may also be facing additional charges for economic sabotage.
He said the prosecutors gave weight to the evidence police presented to them including video footage showing Trillanes, Guingona and their companions calling for a people power revolt against President Arroyo.

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) said it would provide legal and other necessary assistance to the 81-year-old Labayen.

CBCP president and Jaro, Iloilo Archbishop Angel Lagdameo has already appealed for a lenient treatment for Labayen. Bishop Labayen experienced in the hands of this military what he did not undergo even in the time of Marcos dictatorship. Bishop Labayen is already 81 years old, Lagdameo said.

The advocacy that Bishop Labayen had been doing is for the country to be restored to genuine democracy and justice, which is worth fighting for,” he added.

Labayen, one of the three spiritual leaders of opposition-leaning group Kilusang Makabansang Ekonomiya (KME), joined Trillanes at a press conference at the Peninsula and even called on the people to reject Mrs. Arroyo.
Two other prelates - Novaliches Bishop Antonio Tobias and Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani - also went to the hotel, but reportedly left before the government assault.

Before she left for the trip to Europe, Arroyo ordered the prosecutorial arms of government to ensure that the full force of the law will bear heavily, expeditiously but with due process, against those who were or are to be found responsible for disruptive and criminal acts.”

As for the fate of Sen. Trillanes, whom Arroyo supporter Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago wants ousted from the Senate, Malacanang said it was leaving his fate up to the senators. But the majority opposition senators were in no mood to oust Trillianes.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said even ordinary Filipinos were dismayed and outraged that an elected public official was using extra-constitutional means to ventilate his grievances against the government.”

Whether or not one supports President Arroyo, the rule of law remains paramount and sacrosanct. There are constitutional means and lawful structures for effecting change,” he said.

Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said he cannot blame Trillanes and company for planning to bring down the Arroyo government as it was also the same immoral government that initiated the prevailing socialunrest.

More than Trillanes and company, the GMA government is the problem and cause of the peoples resentment, that of the Magdalo soldiers included,” said Cruz, a former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

The DOJ said Trillanes and his group conspired to rise publicly and take arms against government to ultimately topple and replace it with a new government, when they walked out of the proceedings of the Makati RTC-branch 148 which was then hearing the coup detat case against leaders of the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

Trillanes and his group marched to the hotel after their walkout.

Walking out of the court in the midst of trial and having themselves surrounded by armed men in public does not only display respondents contumacious act of disrespect to the court but also shows their open hostility against the government,” the DOJ panel said.

The accused then marched to the hotel armed with high-powered firearms and exhorting the people to join them, declaring that (they) are making the step of removing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the presidency,” and took over the hotel by force and established a command center in that hotel, the panel said.

Military probers have established security lapses of military custodians that led to the incident. Trillanes group managed to smuggle firearms into the court, said Capt. Carlo Ferrer, spokesman of the National Capital Region Command (NCRcom), the militarys anti-coup force.

Ferrer said more than 100 officers and men, who were in charge of the route and area security during the trial, have been subjected to a probe.

Ferrer said a board of inquiry is determining the charges to be filed against the military custodians.
Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, chief of the AFP public information office, said the custodians did not stop the walkout and march because Trillanes group was armed. Stopping the group might have triggered a firefight, he said.


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