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================= Details of the Military Report of the Feb. 24 Plot ================= ================= The February "Coup d'Etat" and the Left's Alliance with the Militay ================= Miriam Grace A, Go, Aries Rufo, Carmela Fonbuena, Newsbreak ================= Chronicle of the July and February Days in Manila ================= Coup de Main, Coup d'Etat or Coup de Theatre ================= ================= Intrigues, Kindness, Rock Music Wear Down Madalo Detainees ================= ================= ================= ================= ================= Coup VirusThrived in Flawed Democacy =================
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Senga Waited Two Hours Military Report Details Timeline of Feb. 24 Plot Dona Pazzibugan, Inquirer, July 12, 2006
The report did not say whether Senga immediately reported the plot to Ms Arroyo. The unsigned report confirmed earlier Inquirer accounts surrounding what Ms Arroyo described in her declaration of a national state of emergency on that fateful day as a leftist and rightist conspiracy to oust her. Senga had issued earlier denials of his reported vacillation and repeated yesterday his version of the meeting with Brigadier General Danilo Lim, commander of the crack First Scout Ranger Regiment, and Marine Colonel Ariel Querubin on the night of Feb. 23. “I already said that in our meeting, I told them that they should not push through with their plan,” Senga told the Inquirer. But Scout Rangers officers were reportedly sending text messages to Lim to ask about his meeting with Senga. Lim reportedly texted Major Jason Aquino, who was the Scout Rangers operations chief at the time, saying, “Nag-usap kami, maganda (We talked, it was good).” ‘OK na si Senga’ In an affidavit, Aquino said Captain Joey Fontiveros messaged him around 10 p.m. saying, “OK na si Senga.” When Aquino asked Lim to confirm this, Lim reportedly replied, “OK.” The panel report said it took Senga two hours before he called his service commanders to a meeting after hearing from Lim about the plan to disavow loyalty to Ms Arroyo to avert bloodshed. During that crucial interval -- between the time Senga met with Lim and Querubin and his emergency meeting with his commanders -- word reached other officers that Senga had agreed to lead the military in withdrawing support from Ms Arroyo. This timeline of the events of Feb. 23 and 24, which led Ms Arroyo to declare a weeklong state of emergency, is based on the draft report of the eight-man fact-finding panel headed by AFP Inspector General Rear Admiral Rufino Lopez. The military has not released its official timeline of the events leading to Feb. 24. Senga has also not given his version of the events, other than his denials. The Inquirer obtained a copy of the 33-page draft and unsigned Lopez report that was leaked last week, at the same time that a video of Lim’s declaration of withdrawal of support was shown over ABS-CBN. 38 officers, 27 EMs The draft report indicated that at most, 38 officers -- 20 from the Army’s Scout Rangers and 18 from the Marines -- and 27 enlisted personnel may be tried before a court-martial for plotting to oust Ms Arroyo by joining the EDSA protest rallies during the People Power anniversary on Feb. 24. Lopez submitted an official 43-page report to Senga on Friday. Senga said he would act on the board’s recommendations “as expeditiously as possible” but refused to release a copy of the report in the meantime. Palace caught flat-footed Based on Lopez’s findings, Malacañang was caught flat-footed by news that elite units in the military and police were poised to break away from their Commander in Chief. Ms Arroyo was scheduled to visit the Scout Rangers headquarters in Bulacan province on Feb. 25. Based on the timeline stated in the report, Lim and Querubin disclosed their plans to Major General Rodrigo Maclang, deputy chief of staff for Intelligence, around 6 p.m. of Feb. 23. Around 7 p.m., Maclang brought Lim and Querubin to see Senga at his office at the General Headquarters Building in Camp Aguinaldo. “They discussed the same things that they have disclosed earlier to Maj. Gen. Maclang; that there were junior officers who are planning to join the mass protest action on the following day, Feb. 24,” the report said. The report said Lim and Querubin planned to lead their officers and men who would march to EDSA in uniform but with their firearms’ muzzles down and while there declare a withdrawal of support. Lim and Querubin reportedly also mentioned that Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco, commander of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force and Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, then Marine commandant, were part of the plan. The report did not say how long the meeting lasted. But apparently Lim and Querubin stayed at the Office of the Chief of Staff while Senga went to the CSAFP Quarters. Senga set an emergency meeting with the commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force at the gazebo at the CSAFP Quarters at 9 p.m. Meeting delayed He reportedly called up Air Force chief Lieutenant General Jose Reyes around 7:45 p.m. and Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. at 8:30 p.m. The report did not say what time he called up Navy chief Vice Adm. Mateo Mayuga, who was hosting a dinner party for his Indonesian counterpart at the time. When asked if the timeline indicated in the report was correct, whether he waited nearly two hours after he talked to Lim and Querubin before he held an emergency meeting with the service commanders, Senga said: “No, I called for a meeting immediately but they did not get there right away. And they did not come in at the same time so we had to wait for the others,” he said. Denials Senga earlier vehemently denied to the Inquirer that he ever agreed to the withdrawal of support and to lead the transition government that would replace the Arroyo administration. “That would never happen,” he had stressed. According to the report, Reyes arrived at 9 p.m., Maclang shortly later, and Esperon at 9:30 p.m. Mayuga did not come until 11 p.m. Then Senga broke the news about Lim and Querubin’s disclosure. “(Reyes) averred that the participation of the military and the police in the mass protest action should not be allowed as it might have a snowball effect on the military,” the report said. Options discussed “After they were briefed on the situation, options on how to prevent the plan from being executed were discussed. One of the options was to talk to BGen Lim and Col. Querubin and convince the two not to push through with their plans,” the report went on. Upon Esperon’s suggestion, Franco and Miranda were called into the meeting. Franco arrived at 10:30 p.m. and confirmed the SAF would move. He reportedly told the group “the success of the march will depend on the CSAFP (Senga)’s concurrence and that they too do not want bloodshed.” Mayuga and Miranda arrived at 11 p.m. Senga reportedly asked Miranda if he could stop his men, and Miranda replied he is “for the Constitution and for the chain of command but will follow the will of the people.” Senga’s order Senga reportedly called Lim and Querubin who arrived at 11:30 p.m. The two reportedly disclosed their plans. Lim reportedly also confirmed he had already made a taped message of his withdrawal of support. The report said Senga told Lim, Querubin, Miranda and Franco to stop their plans. Lim and Querubin however insisted they could no longer hold their men back. The following discussion reportedly took place: Lim to Senga: “Sir eto lahat, hindi ito magkakagulo kung maging solid tayo. Kung gusto nating solid e we might have to do it on our own and probably the CSAFP can provide the leadership.” Senga: “I don’t think so. Paano naman yan kung gagalaw kayo e di magkakagulo tayo?” Lim and Querubin: “Sir, hindi tayo magkakagulo kung magkakaisa tayong lahat. The Armed Forces will join together and make the unity move under the CSAFP. Kung magkaisa tayo, magkakasama tayo. You provide the leadership para wag tayong magkagulo.” Saving face Lim blurted out: “Sir, hindi na kami makakaatras. Mawawalan na kami ng mukha!” Esperon: “Bakit kayo lang ba ang may mukha?” Shortly past midnight, Senga reportedly gave his final warning to Lim, Querubin, Miranda and Franco. “Your plan must not push through. Tell the men of its repercussions while there is still time. If you do (push through), I will just give you one order, Go back to barracks. If not, you have drawn the lines of battle,” Senga reportedly said. The meeting adjourned around 12:30 a.m. of Feb. 24. Miranda, Lim and Querubin reportedly headed to the Marine headquarters in Fort Bonifacio where Miranda called all Marine officers to an emergency meeting at 1 a.m. Marine Col. Jonathan Martir reportedly heard Lim telling someone on the phone to consolidate at the Marine headquarters at 4 a.m. Martir also said he heard Querubin tell someone on the phone, “Wala talaga itong si Esperon. Okey na si Senga. Hawak na namin si Senga dumating si Esperon nagbago ang isip.” ‘Neutralize’ While the Marines were holding a meeting, Senga convened a meeting at the AFP War Room around 1:45 a.m. to check the troops “and prepare to suppress or neutralize the power grab.” At the meeting were Esperon, Mayuga, Reyes, Maclang, Maj. Gen. Pedro Ramboanga Jr., the deputy chief of staff for operations (J3), National Capital Region Command Lt. Gen. Alan Cabalquinto (retired) and Col. Gaudencio Pangilinan, head of AFP Counter-Intelligence Group. Lim in custody Without Senga’s support, the plan fizzled out. Miranda and Querubin failed to get the support of most of the other officers. Lim returned to his quarters that was surrounded by the Military Police. Around 4:30 p.m., Lim was placed under the custody of the CSAFP reportedly upon his request. He has been restricted to quarters since then. Shortly before dawn, news broke out in the media that the military had foiled a coup plot by Lim and Querubin. Querubin denied there was such a plot. Lim could no longer be interviewed at the time. With a report from Nikko Dizon =====================================
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ARMED
FORCES CHIEF of Staff General Generoso Senga waited nearly two hours before
he convened his top brass to deal with rebellious officers urging him to
join them in withdrawing support from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on
Feb. 24, a draft report of a military investigative panel said.