PNP: Abat’s arrest ‘justified’

The Philippine National Police (PNP) did not err in arresting retired general Fortunato Abat and charging him with inciting to sedition for declaring a "revolutionary transition government" to oust President Arroyo, PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Leopoldo Bataoil said yesterday.

Bataoil said they had to take action to discourage others from following in Abat’s footsteps and to prevent the situation from worsening at a time when coup rumors are again circulating.

"Ang pag establish ng transition government ay ’di dapat. (Establishing a transition government is illegal). So we maintained that there is only one government and to establish another one is a violation of the law," he told a media forum.

Last Thursday, the police took the 80-year-old Abat in for questioning and charged him the following day.

"In the process, we have to make arrests on the basis of evidence and because there was an ongoing investigation," Bataoil said.

Wilson Gamboa, who served as undersecretary during Abat’s stint as defense secretary in the administration of Fidel Ramos, said Abat should not have been arrested.

"To me, it should have stopped at an invitation and consultation should have been made with the Department of Justice since it involved sovereignty," he said.

Bataoil maintained they had enough evidence to warrant charges against Abat. "We believe that we filed the correct cases and we have the evidence."

If convicted, Abat and his co-accused face a jail term of six months to six years and a fine of P2,000. They immediately posted bail of P12,000 each and were released from custoday.

Also charged with Abat last Friday were former budget secretary Salvador Enriquez, former diplomat Roy Señeres and lawyer Carlos Serapio and others identified only as "Jane and John Does."

Enriquez and Señeres are members of Abat’s "cabinet."

Filing the case in court, Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco said Abat and his co-accused "did not commit any violence but they still violated the law by establishing a government of their own."

Their statements were "conducive to the destruction of the government itself," the prosecutors’ 10-page statement to the San Juan Metropolitan Trial Court read.

Velasco said the statements from Abat’s group "tended to overthrow or undermine the security of the government or to weaken the confidence of the people in the government."