Palace, NSA admit intel lapse in Trillanes caper

Failure in intelligence apparently left Malacañang and top security officials scratching their heads wondering how detained Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim pulled off another destabilization attempt last week with the help of rebel soldiers.

This developed as Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita revealed the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) are currently reviewing all the intelligence reports gathered before Trillanes and Lim led the seizure of The Peninsula Manila hotel in Makati City calling for popular support for the ouster of President Arroyo.

National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales admitted “lapses in judgment” over the government’s failure to anticipate Trillanes and his group.

“The AFP and the PNP and other intelligence agencies for that matter are looking at the antecedents before the march (of Trillanes and Lim) at the Manila Peninsula Hotel,” Ermita said.

Trillanes and Lim, both of whom are on trial for various coup attempts, led the Magdalo group of junior officers in walking out of a court hearing and seized the Peninsula hotel and appealed for public support to overthrow Mrs. Arroyo.

The rebels later surrendered after a tense six-hour standoff and were re-arrested.

Ermita admitted authorities were in possession of reports of a possible uprising but had difficulty in verifying some of the raw information.

He said government security agencies are swamped with intelligence reports from coming from all over the country and it is not easy task to sift through all of them on time.

“You cannot fault intelligence agencies because they receive voluminous reports about things that are happening all over the country and one of the things happening is the effort of some members of the opposition to destabilize the government,” Ermita said.

Gonzales earlier admitted the intelligence community has not taken seriously previous reports of a new destabilization effort.

He said the intelligence reports had not been specific on the new plot.

“I have to admit I may have committed a lapse in judgment,” Gonzales said.

Gonzales admitted he became overconfident in dismissing the intelligence reports of another power grab since the country’s political situation has been stabilized. He noted that major political parties have been holding their conventions in preparation for the 2010 presidential elections.

Gonzales said it was farfetched that Trillanes and his group is capable of pulling off another Oakwood stunt.

Trillanes led the same group of officers and men in seizing the Oakwood Premier hotel in Makati City in a daylong uprising on July 27, 2003, pressing their demands for Mrs. Arroyo to step down.

Gonzales said the new intelligence information revealed  about 15 to 20 persons and organizations believed to be involved in the November 29 Peninsula siege to topple the government.

He said the information revealed names of some businessmen but authorities are wary that they might have been listed as possible financial sources.