Lawmakers seek bounty for escaped Oakwood mutineer

A bounty for the immediate capture of escaped mutineer Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon should be offered to prevent him from sowing any destabilization attempt against the government, lawmakers said yesterday.

The suggestion came a day after the escaped ringleader of a failed military mutiny in 2003 urged the public to wage a civil disobedience campaign to force President Arroyo out of office.

Representatives Isidro Real of Zamboanga del Sur and Eduardo Veloso of Leyte said Faeldon can now be considered a "rogue officer" who "totally turned his back on his sworn duty to serve the people and uphold the Constitution."

"Faeldon has managed to taunt our government under our very noses. Whatever happened to their promise to arrest him at any moment?" asked Real.

Veloso said Faeldon was "digging his grave deeper" after his civil disobedience call, which the military saw as the handiwork of unseen hands to destabilize the government.

"We’re sure it’s with the help of others. If not, others did it for him based on some of his account, kaya hindi accurate (that’s why it wasn’t accurate)," a senior military official said, adding the military is viewing this as plain anti-government propaganda.

Without naming names, the official claimed people giving Faeldon sanctuary could have been behind Faeldon’s statement which was posted on a website.

The official also said Faeldon, who escaped mid-December after appearing at a Makati City court, is now "moving from one to place to another in Metro Manila."

Malacañang meanwhile called on the citizenry to arrest Faeldon as soon as they can.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita urged the public to help authorities capture Faeldon, as he is a "fugitive from justice" and his call for civil disobedience proves he is part of an opposition plot to destabilize the government.

The law allows a citizen’s arrest but only under certain conditions, including when a crime is actually being committed.

"Who is Captain Faeldon anyway? You think a call of a captain should be heeded? That’s propaganda," Ermita said. "Let us arrest him. We should get the assistance of all the people. Wherever that captain is, (he) must be caught."

Exasperated, Ermita added: "We should not give any importance to his call for civil disobedience. Who does he think he is to make such a call? My God!"

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said Faeldon’s action confirmed authorities’ suspicion that he was a misguided soldier being "coddled and exploited" by a segment of the opposition out to destabilize the government.

"We are hoping that Captain Faeldon would still have some sense of professionalism to convince him to yield peaceably to his superiors before he becomes a total disgrace to the uniform," Bunye said.

According to Veloso, both the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) should redouble their efforts to track down the fugitive. He urged them to "show their seriousness" in capturing Faeldon.

"He should now be treated as a common outlaw, to serve as an example to others in the military who may have an adventurist and megalomaniac streak. The AFP and the PNP should show their strong resolve to find and arrest him," the lawmaker said.

Earlier, administration congressmen said the accomplices, benefactors or coddlers of Faeldon should likewise be held liable, just like the sacked military guard of the fugitive.

They added that those who found to have helped Faeldon slip from his escorts should also be investigated, as the accomplices even managed to produce and distribute a compact disc containing anti-government propaganda.

"We have reason to believe that the anti-Arroyo forces have emboldened Faeldon, and may have even aided him in planning his escape," Veloso observed. "They have even produced and disseminated a CD for maximum propaganda value."

There were earlier speculations that Faeldon may have already slipped out the country as he has a valid US visa. He escaped on Dec. 14 after attending a court hearing at the Makati City Regional Trial Court on charges of participating in an attempted coup d’état.

"We hope to catch up to him," said the military official whose unit is directly involved in the hunt for Faeldon.

A series of raids at known places where Faeldon might have fled have all yielded negative results.

Faeldon has also reportedly waged his war against the government through an Internet website, saying it was "time for the public to assert our rights."

However, AFP spokesman Col. Tristan Kison expressed belief that none of their officers or enlisted personnel would take up Faeldon’s call.

"Most of our men have learned (their) lesson. That they won’t join any call by their junior officers" to turn against the government, Kison said.

For his civil disobedience call, Faeldon could be found liable for inciting to sedition on top of the other cases he is now facing, Kison said, though he admitted they have yet to locate the fugitive.

When asked if the AFP would institute measures to shut down the Pilipino Website that Faeldon has been using to deliver his message since his escape, Kison said they have to consult military lawyers on the matter. — With Jaime Laude, Aurea Calica