Gringo, retired officials got millions using Magdalo, says San Juan

Fugitive former senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan and other retired military officers collected millions of pesos from "concerned groups" while they were on the run to sustain efforts to overthrow the government, repentant rebel leader Army 1st Lt. Lawrence San Juan disclosed yesterday.

San Juan signed a 13-page statement detailing how Honasan and other coup ringleaders, acting as "elders," were able to collect money from sympathizers and groups to sustain the efforts for a power grab.

San Juan named three of the elders as retired Col. Marcelino "Jake" Malajacan, Rafael Galvez and Felix Turingan.

Roel Pulido, a lawyer for the detained "Magdalo" junior officers, was also named by San Juan as a ringleader along with another lawyer, Jose Christopher Belmonte.

Honasan, along with Malajacan and Turingan, is still in hiding after being charged for leading the Oakwood mutiny on July 27, 2003.

San Juan said the Magdalo officers and the Makabayang Kawal Pilipino (MKP) had called Honasan and the rest of the retired military officers as their "elders."

"In a hearing after my capture (March 2006), Lt. Sg. (Antonio) Trillanes told me that the elders were able to collect P3 million using our escape as a fund raiser," San Juan said in his affidavit.

San Juan was among the Magdalo junior officers facing charges of coup d’etat before the Makati City regional trial court.

Trillanes, on the other hand, is one the six leaders of the short-lived Oakwood mutiny but he later apologized to President Arroyo.

San Juan recalled overhearing Trillanes talking about a P28-million fund to someone on a mobile phone.

"Hindi kami dapat magkaroon ng utang na loob sa iyo dahil ginastos talaga namin sa operational requirements ang binigay mong P28 million (We should not be morally indebted to you for we spent the P28 million you gave us for our operational requirements)," San Juan quoted Trillanes as saying to an unknown party over the phone.

His statement bolstered suspicions that still unknown parties financially supported the Magdalo officers in the effort to overthrow the government.

San Juan had expressed willingness to cooperate with the government in pursuing and prosecuting personalities behind the effort to overthrow the government.

Authorities said the Magdalo received around P3.5 million in fund support while they were on the run and until the capture of its key leaders last July 7 at a safehouse in Quezon City, which they rented for P35,000 a month.

The six junior officers were arrested for allegedly planning to seize control of the House of Representatives and take legislators hostage next week.

On top of cash allowances, San Juan claimed he was also provided a laptop computer and a Seiko wristwatch.

He claimed Malajacan told him the laptop came from opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson and the watch was a gift from Honasan.

"I received money from Malajacan and (accepted) it without question. As far as I can remember, I received a collective amount of about P40,000 to P50,000 for the whole period of 13 months,"San Juan said.

The self-confessed mutineer claimed he had no idea where the money came from.

"Once, the enlisted personnel were given P6,600 each as Christmas gifts, which according to Pulido was donation from various concerned groups," he said.

In the early part of his affidavit, San Juan said he received P5,000 from Malajacan to "recompense" his travel expenses from Mindanao to Manila during his recruitment mission for Magdalo as early as 2002.

San Juan was then assigned as platoon leader of an Army unit in Isabela, Basilan.

San Juan, along with Capt. Nathaniel Rabonza, First Lts. Patricio Bumidang and Sonny Sarmiento, escaped detention on Jan. 17. All four were recaptured.

Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region (CIDG-NCR) director Senior Superintendent Asher Dolina added Pulido has been soliciting money from various groups without authorization from Magdalo.

CIDG chief Director Jesus Versoza said they have been trying to identify people and personalities behind the continuing coup effort.

The CIDG has summoned several personalities suspected of giving financial assistance to the coup plotters.

Among them is Manuel "Beaver" Lopez, a son-in-law of jailed former President Joseph Estrada; former Ambassador to Baghdad Reynaldo Parungao and businessman Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco.

Lopez, president of Estrada’s Saludo sa Kawal Pilipino Foundation Inc., denied allegations of funding the Magdalo but had admitted having donated P2 million for the welfare of the rebel soldiers.

Parungao, for his part, admitted to have allowed a gathering of a group of military officers at his house in Parañaque City but maintained he was not aware of their agenda.

Cojuangco also denied having anything to do with the coup plot and maintained that as "a businessman, I will not support illegal activities that disregard constitutional processes as these can only lead to economic difficulties for the entire country."

Meanwhile, San Juan’s classmates at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1997 expressed their support for the repentant Army officer. — With Jaime Laude, Evelyn Macairan, James Mananghaya, Freeman News Service, AFP