DOJ: Miriam, Gringo, Lacson not yet off the hook

Despite the safe conduct pass given them by the government, Sen. Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan and former Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Panfilo Lacson are not yet off the hook insofar as the rebellion charges against them are concerned.

Justice Undersecretary Manuel Teehankee said yesterday that a team of investigators will be formed as soon as the evidence has been submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ) preparatory to the filing of the cases.

He said the courts would subsequently issue the warrants of arrest against those cited in the charges.

Teehankee did not say, however, when the charges could be formally lodged against Honasan, Lacson and opposition Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago.

Similar charges were filed earlier against Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and former Ambassador to Washington Ernesto Maceda who had been arrested without warrants following President Arroyo’s declaration of a state of rebellion in Metro Manila on May 1.

Enrile, Honasan, and Santiago are seeking another term at the Senate with Lacson as one of their running mates under the opposition coalition Puwersa ng Masa-Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (PnM-LDP).

Officials claimed that these opposition leaders instigated the pro-Estrada rallyists at the EDSA Shrine in Mandaluyong City to march to Malacañang in a bid to topple the Arroyo administration and reinstall jailed former President Joseph Estrada.

The officials later said they discovered evidence indicating a coup plot that involved assassination of both Mrs. Arroyo and Estrada to set the stage for the installation of a civilian-military junta.

Voting 8-3, the Supreme Court (SC) junked on Thursday petitions filed by Santiago, Honasan and Lacson questioning the legality of the declaration of a state of rebellion in the metropolis.

"It (SC decision) affirmed the prudence and circumspect manner by which the government exercised the prerogatives of the President and that the government’s action was carefully implemented and calibrated to meet the situation," Teehankee said.

The tribunal mainly based its ruling on the DOJ’s assurance that no more warrantless arrests will be made after the President lifted the state of rebellion last Sunday.

At Malacañang, Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao said appropriate charges will be filed against Honasan and Lacson, as well as other leaders of the political opposition who took part in an alleged coup plot against the government.

"We are very confident of the evidence, including testimonies, that they are involved in the attempted power grab," Tiglao said.

He dismissed as "major propaganda push" the claims by Honasan, Lacson, Enrile and Maceda that they had nothing to do with the failed power grab.

"Why is it only now that they are making these denials," Tiglao noted.

Presidential Legal Counsel Avelino Cruz said the evidence against the suspected coup plotters included videotapes and testimonies of witnesses.

Mrs. Arroyo said the government stopped the warrantless arrests "to show goodwill to the opposition."

Cruz also clarified that the declaration of a state of rebellion was merely a statement of fact and that the arrest of Enrile and Maceda without any warrants was "a self-defense mechanism" to protect the government.

He said the objective of warrantless arrest is to disable a rebellion, not to prosecute suspected rebels.

"Now that the threat is down, we can go through normal court procedures," Cruz said.