Palace: All quiet for now

Although the reported coup threat against President Arroyo has eased, the government will keep its guard up despite the lifting of the state of national emergency because threats remain against the administration, Malacañang said yesterday.

Troops sent to secure television stations and a government-run power transmission facility were pulled out after Mrs. Arroyo lifted Proclamation 1017 last Friday.

"The threats remain so continuous vigilance is in order," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said.

"What is tragic here is that misguided elements in the military even connive with communist groups that are traditionally the mortal enemies of the Armed Forces of the Philippines," he said.

He added last week’s coup had distracted Mrs. Arroyo from her job and the country was fortunate that the economy remained strong enough to withstand its impact.

Bunye said "the arrests and prosecution of those believed to have violated the law, with or without the proclamation, must be done by our concerned government agencies because it is important that we uphold the rule of law."

Authorities have filed criminal charges against at least 51 opposition members, military personnel and other personalities allegedly involved in the plot to overthrow Mrs. Arroyo.

Police are investigating the extent of the alleged coup attempt and trying to find out if more people are involved.

"There are laws that we are implementing against sedition, inciting to sedition, inciting to rebellion. These must be followed," Bunye said.

It would take time before threats to the Arroyo administration were declared over, Bunye said, although Mrs. Arroyo’s security advisers recommended lifting the emergency declaration last Thursday.

Bunye defended Proclamation 1017 and added the government would continue taking action against threats.

"This means that you don’t have to wait for your opponent to be able to draw his gun… What is important is that once you see the other party reach for his gun, you take the necessary action," he said.

In a televised address last Friday, Mrs. Arroyo lifted the week-old state of national emergency declared through Proclamation 1017 after Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and Philippine National Police chief Director General Arturo Lomibao assured her that the reported coup threat had eased and the security situation had normalized.

Mrs. Arroyo said she was confident that "law and order have returned" and that it was time for her administration "to get back to the real business of governing."

However, she sternly warned that any future attempt against the government would meet with strong action.

Yesterday, Mrs. Arroyo visited the Dagonoy public market in San Andres, Manila to inspect prices of basic goods and ensure that they remained at normal levels in the wake of the reported coup attempt.

"I believe the President’s schedule will normalize soon. She will have to continue monitoring the government’s primary projects to improve social services such as education, health, infrastructure and the promotion of small and medium enterprises to create jobs for the people," Bunye said.

Palace security to remain tight

Security at Malacañang will remain tight as part of the government’s precautions against further possible moves to undermine the government, he said.

Gonzalez claimed yesterday the government had quelled yet another threat to the administration last Friday that could have prevented Mrs. Arroyo from lifting the emergency declaration.

He refused to give details. "We had to quell it. But I do not want to discuss that on air," Gonzales told an interview on Vice President Noli de Castro’s weekly public service radio program.

He may have been referring to the explosion of two small bombs in Metro Manila about 75 minutes before Mrs. Arroyo’s taped announcement was broadcast, briefly raising fears that the emergency declaration would be extended.

There were no casualties or major damage from the blasts near a police headquarters and a shopping area. Police said the explosions were caused by crude devices and were not a cause for alarm.

Gonzalez rejected the Integrated Bar of the Philippines’ view that Proclamation 1017 violated civil rights in its crackdown on opposition groups, saying the government had a right to defend itself.

"It is just fair for the government to protect itself. That is in fact the specific requirement of the Constitution. The defense of the state is the primary duty of the government," he said.

IBP president Joel Cadiz had warned the lifting of the state of national emergency was only "on paper" and that the threat still existed through warrantless arrests, bans on rallies and intimidation of the media.

Many analysts saw Mrs. Arroyo’s Feb. 24 proclamation as excessive and suspected her of ramping up the alleged coup to allow the military and the police to clamp down on her opponents.

In a move that raised international concerns about freedom of expression, authorities stationed police at The Daily Tribune, a small newspaper critical of the government, and placed troops outside broadcast giant ABS-CBN and other stations.

Authorities are investigating allegations that the reported coup attempt was hatched by former President Aquino’s brother, Philippine Olympic Committee chief Jose Cojuangco, Arroyo critic Pastor Saycon. They denied any involvement.

The National Bureau of Investigation wants to question Time magazine reporter Nelly Sindayen, who claimed to have witnessed a meeting in which Cojuangco and Saycon drew up the coup plot with over a dozen mid-level officials and businessmen at Cojuangco’s residence.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. suspects that the probe is actually aimed at linking Aquino to the alleged coup plot.

"The real target there is not Cojuangco and Saycon but Cory," Pimentel said. "Perhaps by linking her to the coup, the administration thinks it may cow Mrs. Aquino into giving up her efforts to persuade President Arroyo to step down."

Last year, Aquino withdrew support from Mrs. Arroyo over allegations that Mrs. Arroyo had cheated her way to victory in the 2004 presidential election.

Four petitions questioning Proclamation 1017’s legality have been filed with the Supreme Court, which set oral arguments for this Tuesday.

The hearing will push through despite the lifting of the emergency declaration.

"The Supreme Court considers the issue involved as, in this case, a matter of high priority since they pertain to the freedom of speech and expression. As stated by Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, any alleged violation of the people’s civil rights would require the court’s urgent attention. This is evident with the unprecedented procedure adopted by the Court to have the matter resolved at the soonest possible time," the High Tribunal said in a statement.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Lomibao were given until tomorrow to submit their comments on the petitions, which accuse Mrs. Arroyo of virtually imposing martial law.

It said that "contrary to some media reports, the court did not junk or deny the issuance of a temporary restraining order since it regards as of utmost importance that all affected parties are afforded equal opportunities to be heard before the court takes official actions or ruling — an indispensable requirement of due process."

The Supreme Court said it is taking up the issue "to prevent similar questions from reemerging. We see this (as an) opportunity to finally liberate the validity of the declaration of state of rebellion and the exercise of the President’s calling out power, the mootness of the petition notwithstanding." — With Jaime Laude, Pia Lee-Brago, Marvin Sy, Jose Rodel Clapano, Evelyn Macairan