2 senior military officers, police commander sacked

Two decorated senior military officers and a commander of an elite police unit were relieved and placed under restriction yesterday for their reported role in the latest coup plot against President Arroyo.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Generoso Senga ordered the relief of Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, commander of the Army’s elite 1st Scout Ranger Regiment based in San Miguel, Bulacan.

Lim, along with Col. Ariel Querubin, commanding officer of the 1st Marine Brigade based in Marawi City, were ordered confined to AFP headquarters at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City for their involvement in the coup plot.

Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco, commander of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), was also relieved and placed under investigation in the latest power grab attempt.

Senga said Lim, one of the founders of the Young Officers Union (YOU) which led anti-government forces in the nine-day siege of Makati City in the bloody 1989 coup attempt, was picked up for questioning and has been under investigation since 3 a.m. yesterday.

Querubin, on the other hand, denied any involvement in the plot. He claimed he was neither arrested nor detained for his alleged involvement in the coup plot.

Querubin said he was ordered to report back at the Marine headquarters at Fort Bonifacio in Makati for new orders when the coup attempt broke out.

"That’s not true," Querubin said. "I am awaiting word if I would indeed be investigated."

Querubin stressed he fully supports the chain of command.

Brig. Gen. Jaime Buenaflor, commanding officer of the AFP Civil Relations Service, earlier released a statement tagging Lim and Querubin as among the "misguided officers" in the latest power grab.

Buenaflor later qualified the statement, pointing out Querubin has not been relieved. "He (Querubin) is still with the Marines," he said.

Buenaflor, however, did not make any statement on the fate of Franco, former Northern Police District (NPD) director and classmate of Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class ’74.

Along with Franco, four other ranking SAF officers were ordered relieved by PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomibao.

Also relieved were Chief Superintendent Louie Palmera, Senior Superintendent Benjie Magalong, and two others identified only as Chief Inspector Dilag and Inspector Paloma.

"Franco is at the SAF headquarters and I told him to report to me (later in the) afternoon. He is relieved because he will be investigated. There are persistent reports of recruitment in his unit and I’d like to investigate him and to validate this report," Lomibao said.

Franco was replaced by Chief Superintendent Silverio Alarcio Jr. as officer-in charge of SAF, an elite unit of the PNP.

Franco earlier denied rumors that some members of the SAF were involved in the brewing coup plot.

But Lomibao said the relief was due to persistent rumors of recruitment despite Franco’s denials.

Plans

Senga said Lim and Querubin were about to participate in yesterday’s street actions marking the 20th anniversary of EDSA 1.

Militant groups and the opposition had marched to the streets to the EDSA Shrine calling for the resignation of President Arroyo.

Senga said the two military officers were planning to speak out before the crowd to announce their withdrawal of support from Mrs. Arroyo, which was to signal the start of the coup.

"Yes… they were the same plotters then (in 1989) and the same (coup) plotters now," a ranking military official confirmed when asked if Lim and Querubin were indeed involved in the latest plot.

Lim is the highest-ranking military officer to be linked so far in the reported coup attempt.

Senga said Lim has been placed under his custody and will undergo investigation while Querubin has yet to be restrained and put under investigation.

"There will be no withdrawal (of support for the President)… We remain steadfast in adhering to the Constitution," Senga declared.

He said the AFP’s three major service commanders have expressed their assurance that their men "will abide strictly to the chain of command."

The Marine Corps, on the other hand, stood by Querubin in denying the allegations linking one of their own to the coup plot.

A statement made by Maj. Melquaides Ordiales declared that Querubin was not involved in any way in the supposed coup plot to remove the President.

"We were puzzled how his name was dragged (in)… I saw him (last Thursday) and as far as the Marine Corps is concerned, he is not involved in anything," Ordiales said.

Ordiales claimed Querubin was not relieved of his post but went to Manila "for rest and recreation."

Even Navy chief Vice Adm. Mateo Mayuga and Marines commandant Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda vouched for Querubin’s innocence in the coup plot before Senga, he said.

Marine Brig. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino, Task Force Ranao and Southcom deputy chief for operations, also vouched for Querubin.

Dolofino said Querubin sought permission to visit Manila to attend to family matters.

"His travel to Manila was personal but not related to any so-called coup," Dolorfino said.

It was not the same for Lim, however, and nobody vouched for him. Some officers even pointed out his questionable military record and background.

Lim was one of the rebel officers who availed himself of the amnesty program under former President Fidel Ramos.

He was also given the right to return to active service and was eventually promoted with little consideration given to his earlier mutinous acts.

Despite his questionable service record, Lim was appointed commander of the Army’s elite fighting force, much to the chagrin of other senior military officers.

"If you look closely at the career path of Lim, you would see that his years in prison and fighting the government are actually longer than his military service," one officer pointed out.

Another official said that Lim was promoted to star rank because of supposed political connections.

"Remember he was out of service for more than six years while in prison and yet, he was promoted ahead of everyone of us," said another official.

Recruitment

Senga confirmed there was recruitment going on among uniformed personnel to join the coup plot but stressed "it is just small and concentrated only in elements near Metro Manila."

Senior military officials based in Mindanao, however, said recruitment had been going on in southern Mindanao as well.

Southern Command (Southcom) chief Maj. Gen. Gabriel Habacon said the recruitment failed to convince most officers and servicemen who expressed their loyalty to the chain of command.

"There were recruitment attempts by soldiers on soldiers coming from Mindanao but none has succeeded," Habacon said.

Habacon said the recruitment was prevented as Southcom had already anticipated the movements of officers identified with the Magdalo group formerly assigned to Mindanao.

"We are monitoring their movement and logically they will come to these camps which they formerly served," he said.

The Zamboanga City-based Southcom has placed all its forces on red alert status and canceled all the leaves of servicemen.

"We are solid and united with the constitution and adhere strictly to the chain of command," Habacon declared.

Sources from the intelligence community also disclosed that some members of President Arroyo’s Praetorian Guards were also being watched.

Sources said the Presidential Security Group (PSG) is closely watching some of its officers and men who were suspected of being members of the so-called "fifth column" of coup plotters right inside Malacañang.

Other Palace sources said some "rebel materials" — including armbands, countersigns, and propaganda documents — were discovered hidden in some parts of Malacañang following a massive sweep by the PSG of the complex yesterday.

The disclosures came after an explosion that rocked Malacañang last Monday, which PSG later attributed to "chemical reactions" inside a trash bin. 

The blast, however, was followed by warnings delivered through the media by shadowy groups that warned of more bombs hidden in the Palace complex waiting to be triggered.

"They’re (possible sympathizers) being closely watched and if they move, they are really going to be slaughtered," the Palace official said.

At least two junior officers are being closely watched and would be immediately arrested once they make any obvious moves, the source said.

Among the officers being monitored are the PMA classmates of some of the suspected rightists.

Presidential Chief of Staff Michael Defensor said the sweep of the Palace complex would be ongoing and continuous but as of yesterday, no bombs or unauthorized weapons had been found.

A PSG official, however, strongly denied claims of rebel materials being found at the Palace complex.

He said such searches are "standard operating procedure" in the seat of government.

"Except that in recent days, our checks have been more intensified but we found nothing," the official said.

PSG chief Brig. Gen. Delfin Bangit, meanwhile, refused to comment on the disclosures.

"We are going to make a statement in the coming days," he said.

A military official said the PSG officers had been wooed by rightist elements to join their cause. — With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Non Alquitran, Edith Regalado, Paolo Romero, Roel Pareño, Ding Cervantes, Eva Visperas, Christina Mendez, Lino de la Cruz, Ed Amoroso