Military officers under surveillance on suspicion of coup against Arroyo

Xinhuanet
Jan. 26, 2006

MANILA, Jan. 26 (Xinhuanet) -- The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Thursday said that it has placed a number of individuals under surveillance on suspicion that they are recruiting junior military officers to overthrow President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's administration.

Army Col. Tristan Kison, chief of the military's public information office, would not reveal the identity of those who are under watch but hinted that some of them are from within the uniformed service.

"The intelligence and counter intelligence units of the AFP are doing something to monitor all these activity, whether these recruiters are junior officers, middle level officers, or generals, civilians, it is included in what we are doing," Kison said.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Generoso Senga confirmed on Monday, days after the escape of the four military officers who were detained for participating a failed mutiny in July 2003 from their detention cell, that there are indeed threats to unseat the president.

Kison clarified that there has been no positive identification of the recruiters yet although the junior officers have already mentioned some names.

He noted that recruitment could be done in many forms, including pamphlets and text messages.

The spokesman assured that once the military establishment produces evidence against these people that they are indeed recruiting military personnel for a destabilization move, they would be immediately arrested.

In a statement released a day after their disappearance, escaped mutineers vowed to topple government by saying that President Arroyo has failed to prove herself as a good leader, and noting the problems including corruption. Enditem