Rebellion raps filed vs Metro bomb scare suspects

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed rebellion charges yesterday against lawyer and dismissed police officer Roberto Camarista and several other people for attempts to destabilize the government through assassinations and bombings in Metro Manila.

Camarista was indicted before the Quezon City regional trial court (RTC) along with Benjamin Sim, Dante Fuertes and Antonio Mercader. They are all detained at the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group jail at Camp Crame.

Others charged were Fred Diamante, William Ramos, certain people with aliases Soggy, Jun Budoy, Buknoy, Ranger, Lord, Rotsen, Nelson and several John and Jane Does. They are all at large.

Meanwhile, the DOJ summoned People’s Consultative Assembly secretary-general Linda Montayre to appear at the department on Friday and answer charges that she masterminded the alleged rebellious acts along with Camarista and Sim, who supposedly financed the plans.

Montayre, a staunch critic of President Arroyo, was warned that her failure to comply with the subpoena would be considered a waiver on her part to file a counter-affidavit and controverting evidence.

In the complaint, State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco said Montayre conspired "to rise publicly and take arms against the Philippine government" with the assassination plot, particularly on Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., and planting of bombs near the interior and defense departments, both in Quezon City, and outside a church in Makati City. The improvised explosive devices had been found and disarmed.

"That the purpose of said public armed uprising is to deprive the Chief Executive or Congress, wholly or partially, of any of their powers or prerogative and eventually to topple the present Macapagal-Arroyo presidency and install another form of government," the complaint stated.

Camarista and the others were charged based on the information filed by the PNP-CIDG, which raided his house in Cainta, Rizal on June 22.

Police found bombing devices and high-powered firearms and ammunition in Camarista’s residence. His househelpers and another occupant said all the items seized belonged to Camarista.

Fuertes also told authorities that more explosive materials could be found in another house in Taytay, Rizal, where Rolly Pillado surrendered a homemade shotgun hidden in a plastic pail. Pillado was included in the information filed by the PNP-CIDG but not in the DOJ’s charge sheet filed before the Quezon City courts.

In a statement, Fuertes admitted Camarista, Pillado, Mercader, Sim, Sagi and Lord with five other unidentified men took part in the manufacturing of bombs and their actual planting to disrupt the proclamation of Mrs. Arroyo.

Camarista, a dismissed police officer, surrendered to Assistant Defense Secretary Ricardo Blancaflor in Malolos City in Bulacan last wekend while Sim was arrested by authorities with an unlicensed pistol.

In an extra-judicial confession, Camarista tagged Montayre and Sim as the ones who tapped his group to carry out the assassination of De Venecia to prevent him from proclaiming Mrs. Arroyo.

However, Camarista said the plan fizzled out since nobody knew how to operate a rocket-propelled grenade that could match the speaker’s bullet-proof vehicle.

He revealed that his group was composed of several former policemen and soldiers and they were recruited because of their known expertise in this type of operation.

Camarista further confessed that Montayre and Sim agreed to provide them with high-powered firearms for the assassination plot and other devices to undertake bombings in different government offices and private establishments within Metro Manila, such as the Commission on Elections and a shopping mall, to further derail Mrs. Arroyo’s proclamation.

"That the ultimate aim of their actions was to topple the present government because of what they perceived as massive corruption being committed by the present dispensation and the massive cheating during the just recently held national elections, among other things," the DOJ information read.

Rebellion is punishable under Article 134 of the Revised Penal Code with a maximum penalty of up to 40 years in prison. No bail was recommended.

"Under our laws, it is not necessary that one has engaged the government in a clash of arms to commit the crime of rebellion. If the accused knowingly identified himself with an organization that was openly fighting to overthrow the government, he is liable for the crime of rebellion and as principal where he actually prosecuted and directed armed activities aimed at overthrowing the government," the DOJ said.