No May 1 coup, AFP rightists vow

A rightist group of military officers rejected government warnings of another coup attempt on Monday when the nation marks Labor Day.

The heavy security preparations "was just all for show" to discourage ordinary citizens from joining the annual street rallies and protests, said a member of the group, who declined to be identified for obvious reasons.

"There is no coup. If there is one on May 1, it will not come from the men in uniform," he said.

He refused to elaborate or discuss his group’s plans but hinted that they would make a move "if people want change."

The Philippine National Police (PNP) said yesterday it will go on full alert beginning today in preparation for tomorrow’s Labor Day celebration.

"I appeal to rally organizers not to violate he law and refrain from marching toward restricted areas," said National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Vidal Querol.

Querol called on rally organizers to police their own ranks to keep out troublemakers.

The military, meanwhile, will remain on standby and will go on full alert if the need arises. Hundreds of troops are standing by to help police if streets rallies turn violent.

Police said they will deploy about 5,000 officers to guard against any violence during the Labor Day observances after opposition groups vowed to hold rallies calling for the ouster of Mrs. Arroyo on allegations of corruption and vote-rigging.

PNP chief Director General Arturo Lomibao said police forces also were on alert for possible attempts by disgruntled troops to destabilize the government on Labor Day.

In February, President Arroyo declared a state of national emergency to quell a reported coup by rightist military officers in league with communist rebels and elements of the opposition.

Lt. Gen. Allan Cabalquinto, commander of military forces in Metro Manila, said the situation has been quiet.

Police disclosed last Friday that they had foiled a possible plot by Abu Sayyaf guerrillas to attack street rallies and crowds celebrating Labor Day with grenades and bombs.

Crack police officers, backed by bomb experts, raided a bungalow in Marikina City that was being used as a hideout and seized high-powered improvised bombs, grenades, blasting caps and other materials.

Abu Sayyaf guerrillas were monitored coming in and out of the area for months, said Senior Superintendant Asher Dolina. But the house was unoccupied during the raid and no arrests were made.

One of the guerrillas recently seen was Jojo Janjalani, a cousin of Abu Sayyaf chieftain Khaddafy Janjalani and a suspect in the 2001 kidnapping of 20 people, including three Americans, from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan, said Dolina, who led the raid.

"We’ve been monitoring them for months, but when we sensed that they were already storing grenades, we moved in because they could use that for an immediate attack," Dolina said, adding that "these were not intended for buildings."

"These were intended for the crowd. The grenades could easily be thrown at the protesters on May 1. That’s our analysis," he said.

Police found six grenades, including a rifle-fired grenade, beside what appeared to be a homemade bomb wrapped in a detonating cord with about a kilogram of suspected explosive chemical powder, concealed in a locker in one of the rooms, he said.

Renato Reyes, a left-wing protest organizer, suspected that authorities were linking terror threats to the planned anti-Arroyo protests to discourage a huge crowd.

"Malacañang is desperately resorting to all kinds of scare tactics to discourage people from joining the May 1 protests," he said. "Just the same, we would be closely guarding our ranks."

Dolina said about 12 suspected Abu Sayyaf members have used the house since February, posing as traders peddling pirated DVDs.

At least nine were photographed during covert surveillance and police were seeking the help of other law enforcement agencies in identifying them.

Intelligence information indicated that an Abu Sayyaf "sleeper cell" of 10 militants had occupied the house and was awaiting orders from Khadaffy Janjalani, Dolina said.

"Two to three days before the attack, they will receive instructions on how to carry out their plans," he said, but did not elaborate on how police came by the information.

He said police were also investigating whether the planned May Day attacks were to be carried out by the Abu Sayyaf in coordination with Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian arm of al-Qaeda.

A Singapore-based security analyst last week said Abu Sayyaf leader Janjalani had been closely working with Jemaah Islamiyah’s most wanted leader, Malaysian Noordin Mohammad Top.

Top is said to be one of the lead recruiters of militants across Southeast Asia to join the ranks of JI, which wants to create an Islamic caliphate comprising Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand.

Jemaah Islamiyah is blamed for the nightclub bombings in Bali, Indonesia in 2002 that killed 202 and a repeat attack last year that killed 20.

The Abu Sayyaf, like Jemaah Islamiyah, is on the US State Department’s list of foreign terrorist organizations and is responsible for high-profile kidnappings and attacks.

In 2004, the Abu Sayyaf bombed a passenger ferry on Manila Bay, killing more than 100 in what is believed to be the Philippines’ worst terrorist attack.

The Abu Sayyaf is estimated to have about 400 guerrillas, down from more than 1,000 at the height of its high-profile kidnapping spree in early 2000. — With Non Alquitran