GMA guilty of rebellion against Erap — ‘Batasan Five’

If there’s anyone guilty of rebellion, it’s President Arroyo, said three of the so-called "Batasan Five," pointing out that she had met with five military generals a year before the ouster of her predecessor President Joseph Estrada back in January 2001.

"The most guilty of rebellion is GMA (the President’s initials). It’s on record that she talked to five generals. It was not rebellion before, why is it rebellion now? I was one hair away from then Vice President Arroyo (when we were holding the meetings)," Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño told reporters.

Casiño and his colleague Rep. Satur Ocampo revealed in the weekly "Espresso sa Kongreso" forum that their party-list organization met with then Vice President Arroyo from November to December in 2000 after she resigned as Estrada’s social welfare secretary.

"She (President Arroyo) is happy now that she benefited from that. We held meetings at St. Theresa’s College in Quezon City," Ocampo narrated.

"This is just to show you how hypocritical she is. She never stopped us then and she never said that it was against the law for us to do that," said Casiño.

The meeting was held in anticipation of a post-Estrada presidency. A 20-point agenda was laid out which included the release of political prisoners, resumption of peace talks and the compensation of human rights victims.

"Eh di kasama rin siya (Arroyo) sa rebellion (So she is also guilty of rebellion)," Ocampo claimed.

Casiño said he was "willing to testify" that Mrs. Arroyo met with several military figures at the time.

Ocampo and Casiño along with other militant lawmakers Joel Virador, Rafael Mariano and Liza Maza are facing rebellion charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ) for the failed coup bid last Feb. 24. All have denied allegations that they conspired with rebel soldiers to oust Mrs. Arroyo.

Mariano of the party-list Anakpawis quipped there was a "glow" in Mrs. Arroyo’s eyes, given the shaky political career of Estrada at the time.

"Makikita mo sa kanyang mga mata (You could just see it in her eyes)," he said chuckling, prompting the audience to burst into laughter.

The lawmakers also assailed the testimony of Jaime Beltran Fuentes, the government’s star witness, for being selective in the statement he gave to prosecutors as he had concealed that they also met in late 2000 with Mrs. Arroyo, who was catapulted to the presidency after Estrada’s ouster.

As for Ocampo, he said the alleged former bodyguard of leftist Vic Ladlad did not include in his testimony their meetings with Mrs. Arroyo between November and December 2000.

The "Batasan Five" have been seeking refuge in the House of Representatives since Feb. 27, invoking parliamentary immunity, although this only covers offenses punishable by imprisonment of less than six years.

They have not been arrested out of "courtesy" even though the offense is non-bailable. And the militant lawmakers still couldn’t say whether they would leave the House premises once session ends on April 8 for the Lenten break.

"We’re studying the extension of the protective custody. Our legal team is studying all the options. April 7, the Lenten recess, is drawing near. By April 8, that protective custody may no longer be effective," Ocampo told the forum.

"By April 7, it will be the day that this question will be resolved. This will test the theory of the Philippine National Police that we can be arrested anytime, anywhere," Casiño said. They remained mum, however, when informed that they could be arrested without a warrant.

Bugged phones?

Meanwhile, Niñez Cacho-Olivares, publisher and editor-in-chief of The Daily Tribune, claimed yesterday that their phones were bugged by the government after policemen raided their office in Manila and confiscated several important documents during the weeklong implementation of Proclamation 1017 which declared a state of national emergency.

"Two or three days after our office was raided (on Feb. 24), we discovered that our phones were bugged," Olivares said at the same forum where she was the guest. She only discovered this, she said, when using the landlines a few days after the state of national emergency was declared.

"Apparently, something fell. And I heard somebody say, ‘Shh!’ There were mumblings of voices on the other line. It could not have been the other line obviously because the handset had not yet been lifted," she said. — Delon Porcalla