Palace willing to give advice on thwarting destabilization

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang officials yesterday offered to give presidential frontrunner Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III some advice on how to thwart power grab attempts.

Though the tips could be helpful, Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza, chairman of the Presidential Transition Coordination Committee (PTCC), said the sensitive political and security matter will not be part of the transition report that would be submitted to Aquino.

Presidential Management Staff chief and PTCC co-chair Elena Bautista-Horn, on the other hand, said the body is in the thick of preparations for the peaceful transition of power and drafting a report to Aquino.

Bautista-Horn said the report details many issues, such as inventory of government assets and the status of projects, as well as recommendations to pursue ongoing government programs.

She said the report would also detail how the Arroyo administration had survived difficult situations.

“I think it’s (report) really a sharing of experience – like we are narrating how we survived difficult times –because there were really trying times in our administration and how we saw through all of these,” Bautista-Horn told a news briefing.

“We also want to relate our experiences and hopefully they can pick up a few bits and pieces that can also help them and equip them in running the bureaucracy,” she added.

Mendoza, however, said the issue of President Arroyo having survived several destabilization attempts is not included in the report.

“It’s not part of that (report) but if we’ll be asked for some advice, then we will give them some advice,” Mendoza said.

“We’re a veteran of that (destabilization and coup attempts),” he quipped.

Mrs. Arroyo experienced the first such attempt less than four months after she assumed the presidency following the ouster of former President Joseph Estrada in the second people power revolution in January 2001.

On May 1, 2001, riots broke out when supporters of the ousted president tried to storm Malacañang but were later repelled by security forces.

In July 2003, junior military officers took over a posh hotel in the central business district in Makati City and demanded the resignation of Mrs. Arroyo, whom they accused of high-level corruption.

There were similar attempts in 2005 and 2006 and at one point, Mrs. Arroyo was forced to declare a state of emergency.

Aquino’s mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, was also no stranger to such power grab attempts and survived nine coup attempts.

Noynoy himself, who was then a young adult, was almost killed during one of the coup attempts.

There are fears that Noynoy would be facing the same power grab attempts since he was not widely supported by the military and the police in the last elections.

But the military downplayed any possibility of another power grab against Aquino.

Army chief Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu said the military is behind Aquino and any coup rumors against the incoming president are a “non-issue.”

There were reports of a possible coup that would be mounted against Aquino stemming from possible scuttling of appointments of key officials in the Armed Forces of the Philippines, including AFP chief Gen. Delfin Bangit, an appointee of Mrs. Arroyo.

“I think non-issue ‘yan (coup rumors), because he (Aquino) will be our next president when he will be declared, we will give him the full support of the Philippine Army. There’s no doubt about it,” Mapagu said.

Mapagu stressed the AFP would follow the chain of command whoever will sit as the next president.

He said the military respects the outcome of the May 10 elections, even with Aquino emerging as the possible next president.

“Credible naman ang resulta (the election results were credible),” Mapagu said. –With Roel Pareño