Military officer sowing dissension in ranks – Aguirre

For the first time, the government acknowledged yesterday that there is an attempt within the military to oppose the President.

A senior military officer was found encouraging his comrades to take a mass leave to force President Estrada to resign over the jueteng bribery scandal, National Security Adviser Alexander Aguirre revealed yesterday.

"We have received a report about a person or a military officer close to a high official in position to be the one doing the rounds and making agitation," Aguirre said. However, he refused to identify the officer.

Aguirre added only that the officer is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), and has been egging his former classmates to go on leave.

"Fortunately, he was voted down by his classmates," he said. Aguirre said his information on the officer came from the officer’s former classmates who decided to remain neutral in the current political crisis gripping the nation.

But the government will not yet take action because the officer is not committing an act that can be considered as treason or sedition, Aguirre said.

"Only a proposal to commit sedition, treason and rebellion is punishable. Proposing to take a mass leave cannot fall under treason or sedition," he explained.

There were reports earlier that military and police officers belonging to the PMA classes of 1976 and 1978 plan to go on mass leave.

Aguirre said they have not received any leave applications so far.

A group of retired military and police officers, led by former army general Fortunato Abat, earlier urged their comrades in the active service to take action and persuade Mr. Estrada, their own commander-in-chief, to step down.

They made it clear that they are opposed to any attempt to take over the government by force.

Despite that, Defense Secretary Orlando Mercado accused Abat’s group of trying to trigger a military takeover of the government.

"That does not make their statements any less irresponsible," Mercado said. "Military intervention and the option to use force always go together. To ask for one without the other is inconsistent. Our soldiers are trained in the use of force. That is their profession. We do not train our soldiers just so they can wear uniforms and march around."

Mercado said they could have avoided fueling "political hysteria" by simply airing their sentiments to him or Gen. Angelo Reyes,the armed forces chief.

"Let’s face it, everything’s about politics here. These retired generals are politicians," he said. Mercado warned that they can be criminally charged for inciting the military to be disloyal to the government or a duly-elected president.

"Unless he issues patently illegal orders to them, our military is bound to obey the President and follow the chain of command," he said. He is confident that the military will remain neutral during the political crisis.

Aside from Abat’s group, a group of active military officers recently put out an open letter to Mr. Estrada in the form of a newspaper advertisement.

They accused Mr. Estrada of playing favorites by promoting two officers perceived to be loyal to him.

They suspected it to be an attempt to place the military under his political control. They vowed not to allow themselves to be used to muzzle the anti-Estrada protests clamoring for the President’s resignation over the jueteng scandal.

Mercado denied that the group existed, saying that the military is solidly behind the President. Malacañang accused the political opposition of placing the advertisement to create a false impression that the military’s support for Mr. Estrada is cracking.

The opposition denied the accusation and said that the group of military officers does exist.