AFP, PNP step up search for Honasan

The military and the police are stepping up the hunt for fugitive former senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan in the wake of a warning by one of his followers that their group may soon launch moves to bring down the government.

Now in hiding, Honasan carries a P5-million bounty for his capture after government security forces tagged him as the "godfather" of the Magdalo group, consisting of some 300 junior military officers and enlisted personnel who staged the short-lived July 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

The Makati City regional trial court (RTC), which is trying Honasan on coup d’état charges, has issued a warrant for his arrest.

"Honasan is still a fugitive from the law and the warrant of arrest is still (pending) against him. He’s still hiding," Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Maj. Gen. Jose Angel Honrado said.

He added that while Honasan’s arrest has been delegated to police and other law enforcement agencies like the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the military is also doing its part to catch him.

According to reports, the AFP has devoted teams of military trackers to go after Honasan and his colleagues, who have also gone into hiding with him.

Honrado said the hunt is still on, and pointed out that 1Lt. Lawrence San Juan was arrested on Feb. 21 in Padre Garcia, Batangas while Capt. Dante Langkit was arrested at Banawe street and Quezon Avenue in Quezon City a few days before the start of the Holy Week.

Both Langkit and San Juan are now detained at the detention facility of the Army’s Intelligence Service Group (ISG) at Fort Bonifacio.

Fugitive Magdalo Army 1Lt. Sonny Sarmiento, in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN’s "Probe" news show, said Honasan is a model and inspiration to the Magdalo group, now known as Makabayang Kawal Pilipino (MKP).

Sarmiento also told "Probe" host Che-Che Lazaro that once they have succeeded in toppling the government, they would include Honasan in the transition council to be installed by their group.

Honasan’s name was mentioned by Sarmiento after he issued a warning that their group would "make their presence felt" in the near future.

As a renegade Army colonel, Honasan, also the reputed godfather of the defunct Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), led a series of coups against then President Corazon Aquino.

In one of these military misadventures, Honasan and his group — including the defunct Young Officers Union (YOU) — almost succeeded in ousting Aquino in a bloody 1989 coup.

When he was linked to the Oakwood uprising, Honasan denied any involvement and said he even acted as one of the negotiators to help resolve the standoff at Makati City’s central business district.

Despite his repeated denials, he was subsequently indicted, along with key leaders of the Magdalo group. The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a case of coup d’état against them before the Makati City court.

Honasan disappeared shortly after the failed Feb. 24, when President Arroyo declared a state of national emergency in the wake of a reported attempt to grab power. By then the Makati City RTC had issued a warrant for his arrest.

There were reports that Honasan went into hiding in Western Visayas but this proved to be false. Military and police agents dispatched to track him down in Mindanao also failed to catch him.

Malacañang has put on hold the release of posters informing the public of the P5-million reward for Honasan’s capture, saying that the government was giving the former senator a chance to surrender peacefully and submit himself to authorities. — With Aurea Calica