4 senior SAF officers charged with misconduct, face dismissal

Four officers of the elite police Special Action Force (SAF) commando unit linked to an alleged coup plot against President Arroyo have been charged with misconduct and could face dismissal, officials said yesterday.

SAF head Chief Superintendent Marcelino Franco and three of his senior aides were relieved and detained last month after they were linked to the coup plot, which Mrs. Arroyo said was a conspiracy between disgruntled officers and communist rebels.

The President declared a weeklong state of emergency after the plot was uncovered.

Besides the four SAF officers, up to 30 senior military officers are also under investigation and have been restricted to quarters.

Philippine National Police (PNP) investigation chief Director Marcelo Ele said investigation showed that the three aides to Franco were "recruited by destabilization forces."

"General Franco, on the other hand, failed to stop the recruitment," Ele said. "If, during the course of proceedings, their criminal liabilities will be uncovered, we will file additional charges."

Franco, who retired shortly after the coup attempt, stands to lose his retirement benefits while the three could face dismissal from the force as well as criminal charges separate from the administrative cases. He has refused to comment on the charges against him.

Franco’s co-accused were identified by Ele as Superintendent Benjamin Magalong, SAF 1st battalion commanding officer Chief Inspector Eric Dilag and Light Reaction Unit commander Senior Inspector Ryan Paloma.

The SAF chief was slapped with administrative charges for simple negligence as a result of reports that destabilization forces engaged in recruitment of SAF personnel.

"All these constitute probable cause, which has prompted the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) to submit the four officials to summary hearings," Ele said. "These proceedings are equivalent to court-martial proceedings in the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines)."

The three were charged with grave misconduct for allegedly participating in destabilization efforts and attempting to recruit men to beef up the main destabilization force.

Ele said 12 other senior police officers implicated in the foiled Feb. 24 coup d’état were cleared of the charges against them due to lack of material evidence.

"Most of the 12 officers were from national headquarters support units with ranks ranging from inspector to senior superintendent," Ele said. "They were allegedly approached and wooed by destabilization forces."

He said the 12 denied allegations they were approached by "recruiters and, at the end of their statements, reportedly volunteered to renew their allegiance to the Constitution to prove their loyalty.

"In fairness to them, they were cleared that same week," he said of the 12 police officers. "Upon verification of the reports, we found them baseless and unfounded."

Ele refused to name the senior police officers, saying there is no longer any case against them, adding that the DIDM will not disclose specific participation of police officers in the foiled power grab.

Mrs. Arroyo’s troubles began when the opposition last year accused her of rigging the May 2004 vote. She had admitted impropriety for calling an election official, but has repeatedly denied she cheated. — With AFP