Mutineers raring to tell all in inquiry

An incarcerated but still defiant Navy Ltsg. Antonio Trillanes IV is eager to spill the beans to lawmakers — and back his statements up with evidence — when legislative inquiries into the July 27 mutiny begin.

Trillanes said this in a telephone interview with broadcast journalist Pia Hontiveros late Tuesday night on ANC’s Strictly Politics talk show.

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are holding separate inquiries into the failed July 27 siege of the Oakwood Premier luxury apartments in Makati City’s commercial and business district by over 300 junior officers and enlisted men of the AFP, who called themselves the Magdalo group.

The President has formed an independent fact-finding commission to look into the roots of the mutiny.

"We’re prepared. We are raring to tell everyone what really transpired there and what prompted us to go to Oakwood," he said.

Trillanes said his group has "written directives and some other documents" that implicate the AFP brass in anomalous purchases and sale of military equipment.

He said they also have "actual witness accounts and direct personal knowledge" that buttress their allegations that high-ranking military officials masterminded the bombings in Mindanao earlier this year and "other similar incidents... We are talking about (affidavits) by the hundreds."

Responding to queries of whether the Magdalo group’s evidence against the AFP hierarchy pinpoints AFP chief of staff Gen. Narciso Abaya, Trillanes admitted that they do not have "direct information" linking the "higher AFP leadership" to these allegations. "But we are talking about (what is) going on under their noses... So it’s a case of incompetence."

When asked to confirm whether or not he attended a meeting on June 4 that allegedly focused on the coup plot, Trillanes replied: "No, I am not aware of that."

Trillanes’ interview was cut short after Hontiveros asked him if another meeting on the coup plot took place on June 12 and whether a blood compact was held at the meeting reportedly presided by Sen. Gregorio Honasan, as alleged by military intelligence.

"I’m sorry," Trillanes said. "I have been instructed by the ISAFP (Intelligence Service of the AFP) to put down the phone, okay?"

Former ISAFP chief Brig. Gen. Victor Corpus said the Arroyo administration first discovered in early June a "rampant recruitment of junior officers" detected by the intelligence community.

Two of the meetings, he said, were attended by Honasan, the highest-ranking public figure implicated in the mutiny.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to subpoena Honasan within the week so he can answer the charges against him.

Meanwhile, Speaker Jose de Venecia said he is "prepared to sign a subpoena the moment it is proven that the invitations of the committee on national defense (for the appearance of the five mutiny leaders) are completely ignored by the Department of National Defense (DND) and the AFP."

He will also consult with Senate President Franklin Drilon towards putting together a "synchronized and coordinated position in dealing with the issue."

A joint inquiry, De Venecia said, will allow both chambers of Congress, as well as the DND and AFP, to attend to their respective tasks.

Meanwhile, The STAR publisher Max Soliven, a negotiator in the Magdalo group’s surrender, said he was "much disturbed" by the filing of criminal charges against the mutineers.

"They surrendered on the understanding that they would be placed under military (jurisdiction)," Soliven said on Strictly Politics.

The Magdalo group decided to lay down their arms and return to barracks "on the basis of the word of honor of government negotiators."

"I can’t claim to read hearts and minds, but it will resonate very badly among all members of the armed forces. I thought a deal is a deal," Soliven said. — With Mike Frialde