Senate won’t suspend probe

Asserting its independence, the Senate refused yesterday to suspend its inquiry into the failed July 27 mutiny and insisted on resuming public hearings at an undetermined date "this week."

The House committee on defense is also set to resume its own probe into the mutiny today although committee members were divided on whether to suspend the hearing or push through with it despite the likely absence of the mutiny leaders.

President Arroyo, in an official statement, said the mutineers and their supporters should not be allowed to take advantage of the country’s democratic space to continue their destabilization activities.

"Once and for all, let us stop the wanton exploitation of the open space offered by our democracy to destroy it. Let us uphold the ascendancy of the republic and the people over dictatorship," the presidential statement read.

The President also told a gathering of mayors in Pasay City that "the prime suspects are being kept in safe quarters with full access to lawyers and legislative inquiries in their place of detention," she said.

At the same time, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said that due to security concerns, the five junior officers who led more than 300 soldiers in taking over part of Makati City’s commercial district will only be allowed to testify before any congressional hearings at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City .

Bunye said the government will also ask Congress to suspend its public inquiry into the mutiny after the Senate rejected the move of five pro-administration senators to suspend the probe.

Senate President Franklin Drilon, however, said the Senate will subpoena Armed Forces chief Gen. Narciso Abaya to produce the mutiny leaders "in the next hearing that will be set within the week."

Drilon announced the decision after a closed door caucus attended by 16 senators, including some pro-administration senators who earlier filed a resolution seeking a suspension of the probe.

"We agreed that we should provide the venue through which these soldiers can air their grievances and the root causes of such grievances consistent with our oversight function over the (AFP) and the Department of National Defense (DND)," Drilon said.

He said the concerns raised by the country’s security managers "can be sufficiently addressed by the (AFP)."

Drilon dismissed such concerns, saying the mutiny leaders were already on their way to a similar House probe on the mutiny when AFP officials ordered the security detail to return the mutineers to their detention cells.

He said the hearing will be open to the public unless Mrs. Arroyo requests that it be held behind closed doors and certifies that an open session could jeopardize national security.

Opposition Sen. Edgardo Angara said senators agreed during the caucus to authorize Drilon to set the date of the hearing within this week, stressing that suspending the inquiry would be "an insult to the independence of the Senate."

"There would be no suspension, much less a cancellation. We and our people want to hear the grievances of our soldiers," Angara said.

‘Let’s Do It In Camp Aguinaldo’

But Bunye insisted that the government was only concerned about national security and was not trying to silence the mutineers.

"There is no attempt to muzzle them," Bunye said. "Our officials have offered to our senators and congressmen to do the investigation... inside Camp Aguinaldo so we will not have a big problem with this security threat," Bunye said over dzBB radio.

"If they decide to pursue the congressional investigation, the request of the government is to have this investigation conducted inside the camps so that there would be less trouble moving the officers to and from the Senate and the House," Bunye said.

He said the lawmakers should allow the seven-member independent commission, headed by retired Supreme Court justice Florentino Feliciano, to carry out the probe before they start their own investigation.

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano said last week that "too many cooks spoil the broth" and urged a postponement of the hearing.

House defense committee chairman Rep. Prospero Pichay (Lakas, Surigao del Sur) also expressed concern over security threats but stressed that the committee had voted to push through with its hearing today.

"Sen. (Gregorio) Honasan is the most experienced in coups. If we do not consider him a threat, we might be careless," Pichay said.

Pichay said among those invited to appear in today’s hearing are former deputy executive secretary Ramon Cardenas, who was arrested for alleged involvement in the mutiny, and the five mutiny leaders.

Vice President Teofisto Guingona also urged Congress to defer their separate inquiries and allow the Feliciano Commission to fulfill its task.

"Everyone should help the fact-finding body... in piecing together not only the circumstances behind the mutiny and the grievances aired by the junior military officers but also examine and recommend actions and reforms needed to bring stability to our military establishment and society," Guingona said.

The Vice President, a frequent critic of the Arroyo administration policy, lauded Feliciano’s appointment to the commission.

"No one can cast any doubt upon the integrity, independence and qualifications of retired Supreme Court justices Feliciano and Minerva Gonzaga-Reyes and the five other members of the commission," Guingona said.

The other members of the Feliciano Commission are University of the Philippines professor Carolina Hernandez, lawyer-priest Rev. Joaquin Bernas S.J., former rebels retired Navy Commodore Rex Robles, Navy Capt. Rex Bumanlag and Air Force Capt. Roland Narciso. — With Marichu Villanueva, Sammy Santos