‘Kawal’ lawyer tags Saycon

Fearing for his life, the spokesman for "Kawal Pilipino," a group of rebellious Army officers, surrendered yesterday to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and accused civil society leader Pastor "Boy" Saycon of being behind a plot to destabilize the government.

Lawyer Baltazar Asadon, 33, who hid behind the alias "Captain Gabay," told NBI Assistant Regional Director Marianito Panganiban, chief of the agency’s special task force that is handling the case, that he was ready to tell the truth about Saycon’s involvement in last week’s supposed coup attempt.

"I’m going against an influential person, a monster," Asadon said. "I don’t know what will happen to me but I’ll face this as a man and I’ll stand by the truth."

At a clandestine press conference last Jan. 28, Asadon — who identified himself as Captain Gabay — read the statement of the group Kawal, which had demanded the resignation of Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

The military officers went before television cameras — with their bodies and faces hidden behind two joined Philippine flags emblazoned with the word "Kawal" — in Saycon’s house in Ayala-Alabang in Muntinlupa City.

Saycon has admitted allowing his house to be used for the press conference.

In surrendering, Asadon brought with him the two joined Philippine flags.

Panganiban said the flags and the statement of Asadon will give the government an airtight case against Saycon inciting to sedition against Saycon and his civilian and military associates.

"The fact that we now have the flag and Asadon, it would surely strengthen the government case against them," he said.

In his statement, Asadon said one of the suspects, Capt. Peter Edwin Navarro. met with him at a gasoline station at EDSA and Ayala Avenue in Makati on Jan. 28.

Asadon said he and Navarro, along with Captains Marcos Serafica, Mohammad Yusop Hasan, Rembert Baylosis, and Philip Esmeralda later went to the Glorietta foodcourt, where they met Saycon.

After a brief talk, Saycon and the group walked to the mall’s carpark where they boarded Saycon’s Pajero and a Nissan and then they traveled via the South Luzon Expressway, he added.

Asadon said Saycon guided them to a well-guarded house undergoing construction, which they later learned was Saycon’s safehouse.

Saycon later handed them military uniforms and instructed them to change clothes, he added.

Asadon said he initially resisted as the uniform given to him was undersized, but that Navarro advised him to stop complaining.

"Huwag ka nang magreklamo, wala nang urungan ito," he quoted Navarro as saying.

Asadon said when Saycon overheard the conversation, he butted in and told him to put on the uniform as he would have to face the media and read an anti-government statement.

"Basta huwag ka nang mag-reklamo kung gusto mo pang makauwi ng buhay," he quoted Saycon as having told him.

He had no choice but to obey Saycon, he added.

Asadon said shortly before the press conference, Saycon handed them the joined flags, and instructed him to read the statement.

When reporters asked for his name, somebody from behind coached him to reply "Captain Gabay," he added.

Asadon said "Gabay" was the call sign of the junior Army officers whenever they contacted Saycon, whose call sign was "Pag-asa."

Originally, Saycon’s call sign was "Umaasa" (hopeful) and that of the soldiers was "Kawal" (soldiers), but when they sensed that information about their group started to leak, they changed the call signs to "Gabay" and "Pag-asa," he added.

Panganiban said the NBI is now readying charges of inciting to sedition against Saycon, Baylosis and Esmeralda.

Investigators may use Baltazar, Serafica and Hasan as state witnesses to bolster the links of the three to the coup attempt, he added.

Panganiban also said NBI agents are awaiting the statements of Army Captains Clemente and Lobitania who were recruited by Kawal to attend meetings on the plan to destabilize the government.

Meanwhile, Armed Forces vice chief Lt. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia defended yesterday Brig. Gen. Victor Corpus, military civil relations chief, against allegations that he had gone overboard in accusing opposition vice-presidential candidate Loren Legarda of being a "political prostitute."

Garcia said Corpus has been meted a "strong reprimand" by the Armed Forces leadership for using "foul language" against an elective official.

"There are no double standards in punishing erring military officers," he said.

Garcia said Corpus is not engaged in an "agenda of political destabilization" as compared to the junior military officers belonging to so-called Kawal Filipino.

"The Kawal engaging in politics is towards a political and a bigger agenda of political destabilization," he said.

"The one against General Corpus does not have that bigger political agenda as what the Kawal captains had in mind together with Boy Saycon."

Garcia said Corpus has been reprimanded under Article of War 105, which gives authority to a commanding officer to initiate disciplinary action against a subordinate.

"A reprimand against a general of the Armed Forces is one of the strongest censures against a general or an officer of the AFP, it entails suspension within one year of promotion to a particular officer once a reprimand is given," he said.

However, Garcia said the Armed Forces leadership cannot force Corpus to apologize to Legarda because a public apology should "come from the heart."

The Armed Forces is evaluating the documents submitted by Corpus to back up his allegations that Legarda is a "political prostitute," he added.