Honasan: No coup rumblings

There are no rumblings in the military for a coup, Sen. Gregorio Honasan said yesterday after visiting numerous military camps the past two weeks.

This came as Director General Panfilo Lacson, chief of the Philippine National Police, denied claims that he would lead his "mistahs" from the Philippine Military Academy Class 1971 in mounting a coup.

Honasan, a former military officer and a classmate of Lacson, said he visited military camps in Rizal, Pampanga, Bulacan, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija, and could not discern any rumblings within the military strong enough for them to mount a coup.

"I visited the headquarters of the Special Forces, the unit that led previous coup attempts, and there are no signs of any coup," he said.

Honasan expressed the belief that rumors of a coup were again rife because there was no semblance of direction in terms of national security and even the peace process.

"This is complicated further by our admitted inability to confirm and verify or validate information, which is part of (an) effort to come up with a national security strategy," he added.

He contended that the military would not mount a coup at this time because the people have not yet lost hope that things would eventually improve.

"The single ingredient that accounts for the operationalization of any plan for a coup attempt is when we deprive our people of hope. As of now, there is still hope, although a flickering one," Honasan said.

He added that when all hope is lost, then the situation would change.

Meanwhile, Lacson branded as mere "intrigue" and "ridiculous" rumors that he would lead a coup against the Estrada administration.

He said that the rumor sought to drive a wedge between him and the President.

"It will not happen. It will never happen," he stressed.

He said that the coup rumors were not worth investigating by the PNP.

"These are just rumors and do not go beyond the realm of speculation. To react to something imaginary, we need to imagine reactions," Lacson said.

Lacson pointed out that the entire officers corps of the PNP was solidly behind him and the government. --