The Hindu : International : Filipino military confident of quelling "coup bid"

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Sunday, Jun 12, 2005

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International

Filipino military confident of quelling "coup bid"

P. S. Suryanarayana

Plotters have only ex-generals among their ranks: Army chief

— PHOTO: AP

RALLYING OPINION: Senator Jinggoy Estrada, son of ousted President Joseph Estrada, addresses a gathering against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in Manila on Saturday.

SINGAPORE: Even as the Philippine National Police (PNP) went on "full alert to ensure a peaceful celebration" of the 107th anniversary of independence on Sunday, the military authorities downplayed the possibility of a "destabilisation plot" by some dissidents within the armed forces with the support of the civilian Opposition.

As the authorities braced themselves for possible protest rallies against the rule of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief General Efren Abu said the suspicion of a plot "is not that serious".

"When you talk of the armed forces, the chain of command is very much intact and, in every destabilisation, the armed forces can handle it very well; we are very confident about that," Gen. Abu said in Manila.

The suspected anti-Government plotters, according to him, had only retired generals among their ranks.

Signs of crisis

The concerns of the authorities over the perceived signs of a brewing political crisis relate directly to the Opposition's sense of anticipation in regard to the Senate investigation of allegations that the President's husband, eldest son and brother-in-law had benefited from the slush funds generated by "underground lottery."

A similar allegation against Ms. Arroyo's predecessor, Joseph Estrada, had led to his political downfall in 2001, as his opponents, including those in the armed forces, staged mass demonstrations in the name and style of "People Power Mark II." The original Filipino version of "People Power" had ended the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos about a decade and a half earlier .

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