MANILA, Philippines – Nine junior officers convicted for taking part in the 2003 Oakwood mutiny apologized to the public and the government yesterday and asked President Arroyo to grant pardon for their misdeeds.
The most senior among them, Army Capt. Gerardo Gambala, read a joint statement admitting their error in launching a day-long mutiny in which they took over Oakwood Premier apartments in Makati City and rigged it with explosives to highlight their grievances against President Arroyo and other government officials whom they accused of corruption.
After a nine-hour standoff, they surrendered peacefully and were subsequently charged and detained.
Last Tuesday, the Makati Regional Trial Court sentenced the nine officers to prison terms of six years to life for the crime of coup d’etat.
“Actually, to tell you the truth, I am applying for pardon, personally I’m applying for pardon, we are applying for pardon, as you can see I am sentenced to 20 to 40 years, there is nothing more I can do. I have accepted my verdict, the only thing I can do right now is to ask for mercy and grace from God and the authority, that’s the only thing I can do right now,” a tearful Gambala said.
He said they have already asked their lawyers to work on their application for executive clemency which, according to him, is the next step following the public admission of their mistakes.
“We undoubtedly made a mistake,” Gambala told reporters. “We apologize to the people. We ask for your forgiveness for our rebellion.”
“What I am asking for is mercy, and I cannot give anything but the purest intent, pure intention to ask for mercy... if we will be given pardon, I will gladly accept it, not only for myself but for my family as well,” he said.
Gambala vowed to seek clemency “even if he has to do it everyday” until he is set free.
Gambala also denied reports that they negotiated with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to change their plea to guilty to open avenues for possible executive clemency.
He simply said there is no reason for them to do so.
“We are not in a position to make a deal because we have nothing to offer,” Gambala said. “We can only offer government our purity of heart, our intention to ask for forgiveness... we do not have a bargaining chip to negotiate.”
Gambala stressed the reason for their guilty plea was simply to admit their mistakes.
This was also the reason why they decided to break away from the Magdalo group in 2005 which, according to them, had been in tactical alliance with the political opposition and leftist forces, he said.
According to Gambala, even his “mistah,” detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV who is also among those charged for the Oakwood mutiny, has respected their decision to plead guilty.
Gambala read the prepared statement which was also signed by Captains Milo Maestrecampo, Alvin Ebreo, Laurence Luis Somera, Albert Baloloy, John Andres, First Lieutenants Cleo Donga-as, Florentino Somera Jr. and 2Lt. Kristoffer Bryan Yasay.
Andres was not able to attend since he was still sick, according to Gambala.
Gambala also read the statement extending their apology to the Filipino people and the AFP, “the institution we have severely damaged.”
Maestrecampo, a seasoned Scout Rangers officer, said he felt his knees shake while the sentence was handed down by Makati RTC Judge Oscar Pimentel.
“I felt my knees shake, but I had to accept the consequences of my actions,” he said.
The nine convicted officers said that while they believe the Oakwood mutiny was unjustifiable, they have not abandoned their cause for reforms, which according to them, could still be achieved within the legal framework.
In Gambala’s statement he asked fellow officers “not to emulate our action. What we did can never be justified.”
Gambala and Maestrecampo were among four identified ringleaders who publicly apologized to President Arroyo months after their coup attempt.
Yesterday was the second time for Gambala to apologize to the President.
Other officers in the Magdalo group, led by then Navy Lt. senior grade Trillanes and Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon, who has escaped from detention, have remained defiant and criticized their comrades for expressing support for Mrs. Arroyo.
No shortcuts
Malacañang, for its part, said the nine convicts would have to go through the normal process to apply for pardon.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Anthony Golez said the issue of pardoning the nine soldiers is still premature since they have to make the formal request before the Office of the President.
“Our laws dictate that such request must go through the process before any considerations can be initiated,” Golez said.
The other deputy spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo said the nine convicted soldiers have every right to seek pardon “subject to existing rules and regulations as provided for by law.”
Fajardo said the public apology made by Gambala and the eight other officers is best addressed to the people who were affected by their misadventures that also had a negative impact on the economy.
Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Sergio Apostol, for his part, noted the nine officers were sincere and showed remorse for their mistakes.
Apostol said their public apology could very well be considered when they apply for pardon before the Board of Pardons and Parole.
Apostol said it is highly possible for the nine to secure their pardon considering that they pleaded guilty and publicly admitted their crime.
Apostol said the public apology could be a factor in the evaluation of their application for pardon.
“It’s not impossible. It would depend on the evaluation of the Board of Pardons and Parole. But they have to go through the process,” he said.
Once the conviction becomes final and executory, Apostol said the nine could become eligible for pardon.
He pointed out the nine officers have been detained for five years and they appeared to be genuinely remorseful.
“That (detention) could be considered. What’s important is that they first apply for pardon and from there we’ll see,” he stressed.
Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said he will personally recommend to President Arroyo to extend clemency to the nine convicted officers.
“If there is an open expression of contrition on their part, I am in favor of granting the pardon,” he said.
Puno however clarified the official recommendation of pardon should come from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
On the other hand, Army chief Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano said the conviction of the nine officers spelled the end of their careers in the military.
“They could no longer rejoin the AFP,” Yano said, as he declined to comment on the issue of pardon.
Lawmakers, however, lauded the nine officers for publicly owning up to their misdeeds, even if this means the end of their promising careers in the AFP.
“I think they should be decorated for bravely owing up to their mistake unlike the others who continue to deny their participation in a caper that was well covered by the media,” Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella said.
Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III shared the same view. “These guys (convicted mutineers) did the honorable thing and admitted failure unlike the others who are concocting so many alibis.”
Puentevella said the other accused military officers involved in the failed July 2003 mutiny “should be man enough to take full responsibility for your actions and not to take refuge in a legal foxhole when you fail.”
For his part, La Union Rep. Thomas Dumpit Jr., who used to be an intelligence officer of the elite Presidential Security Group and commandant of the PSG Training School, also hailed the nine military officers for admitting their sins.
“It is an act of humility and courage for accepting their mistakes,” Dumpit said. -With Marvin Sy, Jaime Laude, Delon Porcalla, Edith Regalado, AP