Gambala paid P48,000 for Oakwood stay

Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala, the acknowledged leader of the July 27 failed coup, checked in at the Oakwood Premier a week before he and nearly 300 soldiers took over the luxury apartment in Makati.

He told a Senate hearing yesterday that he chose to hide in the hotel because military agents who had been checking coup reports were hunting him down.

"I thought Oakwood was the safest place for me. Hindi po ako kayang sundan ng mga intelligence agents doon," he said.

Asked by Senate President Franklin Drilon why he chose a five-star hotel as his hiding place, Gambala shot back with a question: "Why? Can’t I check in at a five-star hotel, sir?"

"Very well. Why not the nearby Makati Shangri-La (also a five-star hotel)?" came another question from the Senate boss.

"Oakwood is my preference, sir," answered the Army officer, who later said it was his first time to enter and enjoy the facilities of the luxurious apartment-hotel complex.

In the course of the hearing, Navy Lt. (sg) Antonio Trillanes IV, the mutineers’ spokesman, admitted that he joined Gambala in his Oakwood unit on July 24 and stayed there until July 27.

Responding later to questions raised by Sen. Juan Flavier, Gambala said he paid between P45,000 and P48,000 for his week-long Oakwood stay.

He denied information brought out by Flavier that the mutineers spent about P500,000 for occupying several hotel units days before the failed mutiny.

It was Drilon’s turn again to put questions to Gambala, who answered that he is receiving a gross monthly salary of more than P20,000 a month and a net take-home pay of about P15,000.

"So, the amount you spent in Oakwood is your take-home pay for three months," the Senate head told the Army officer.

Sensing the thrust of Drilon’s statement, Gambala said he could afford to spend such an amount because "I have accumulated savings of up to P700,000 during my eight years in combat areas in Mindanao."

The government is using the fact that some mutiny leaders checked in at Oakwood days before the July 27 failed coup as an argument to support their contention that the mutiny was not spontaneous as Trillanes claims, but a pre-planned, deliberate move.

Toward the end of yesterday’s hearing, opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. told the mutiny leaders that so far, they have spoken of corruption and evils in the bureaucracy and in society in very general terms.

Pimentel said there are only two specific cases of possible irregularities that have been exposed that validate the complaints of the mutineers.

These are the sale of ammunition to Muslim rebels and anomalies in road and hospital projects in a Marine base in Ternate, Cavite, which were exposed by Marine Captains Danilo Luna and Yuri Pesigan, who are not among the mutineers.

"I hope you can bring out more specific cases of irregularities," Pimentel urged the group of Trillanes. – Jess Diaz