Administration hiring and arming goons — Tatad

The camp of Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP) standard bearer Fernando Poe Jr. accused yesterday the administration of mustering and arming several hundred men in Central Luzon to sow terror in Metro Manila and blame the violence on the opposition.

In a statement, KNP senior political advisor Francisco Tatad said the reported recruitment is particularly heavy in Pampanga, the home province of President Arroyo, as he called on the Philippine National Police (PNP) to check and act on the report.

Tatad however was not clear on how and where he got the reports, only calling them "intelligence reports."

"The reported plan is to infiltrate these armed men into Metro Manila during the presidential canvass and to blame their lawless activity on the KNP," Tatad said. "It is a mindless scheme and probably the brainchild of some low-level functionary, but it shows the level of desperation that has afflicted the minds of the powers that be."

He said "intelligence reports" have also revealed that the same related elements behind the recruitment have been scouting for a warehouse in San Juan for the purpose of planting firearms, which they could later blame on Mayor Joseph Victor Ejercito or senator-elect Jinggoy Estrada.

He said the opposition does not want to take seriously such a report but they also do not want to take any chances.

"We are dealing with power-driven individuals to whom power is everything," Tatad said. - Paolo Romero