Manipulators

Now the nation is fully distracted by Capt. Nicanor Faeldon. Not by his nuggets of wisdom about the state of the nation, but by his reported love affair with a military prosecutor, Capt. Candelaria Rivas.

Everybody loves a lover, but military justice, if applied with full force, is going to be unkind to Candy Rivas.

Apparently realizing this, Faeldon’s camp was trying yesterday to reduce her culpability in several laws that she might have broken, including broad rules governing military officers’ conduct. They were not lovers, Faeldon said through his lawyer. Not very convincing, though. If the lovers believe they are fighting for a just cause, they should just take responsibility for their actions and face the music.

We’ve seen the woman behind the man. It would be interesting to see who are the civilians behind Faeldon and the four other Oakwood mutineers who escaped from detention at the Philippine Army headquarters. They have to have some political support; they can’t be demanding regime change without someone in mind to take over Malacañang. It certainly isn’t going to be Faeldon, with Rivas as his first lady, or any of the four other escaped mutineers, or even any of the Oakwood ringleaders who remain in detention.

It can’t be the New People’s Army’s Gregorio Rosal — if we are to believe reports of a tactical alliance between the fugitives and the communists. How soon before they start murdering each other?

No, there has to be someone from the political mainstream who is again manipulating discontent in the military in hopes of taking a short cut to power.

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It would be interesting to find out who the manipulator(s) might be, because it would be a good gauge of the justness of Faeldon’s cause.

These politicians are doing the nation a disservice. They are no better than those in power who are using the military for personal political purposes.

This administration has brought many of its troubles upon itself. It is hounded by so many unresolved scandals that constitutional change might actually gain greater public support if one of its key consequences is the end of this administration.

But a coup, especially one backed by sinister characters, is the last thing this weak republic needs. It can only be espoused by people who are throwbacks to the martial law years, who see the military as an instrument of political power.

Anyone who professes to love democracy cannot embrace this mindset. Anyone who professes to love democracy should be working to create a professional military, one that is depoliticized and is loyal to the flag, the country and institutions rather than personalities.

After the collapse of the Marcos regime, we should have worked to create a professional, depoliticized military. It never happened, however; the politicians saw to that. And military officers who basked in the glory of people power could no longer shake off the virus of political intervention. A Cabinet appointment they did not like, or an alliance forged by the government could trigger a coup attempt.

Throughout the Aquino administration, politicians on both sides of the political fence wooed military officers for coup attempts or counter-coups.

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We’ve been down that road before, and we saw how it set back national development. This can’t be the answer we want to the current political crisis. Yet try telling that to the coup plotters and their political patrons.

Last week I talked with a key military player in one of the two EDSA revolts. Since their action succeeded, no one calls him a "coup pal" or a "coup-mag" — the derisive Pinoy slang terms for failed coup plotters.

He is sympathetic to the gripes of the escaped mutineers. Soldiers around the world have gripes against their organization and their leadership, and there certainly are more reasons for discontent in the AFP, one of the most poorly equipped armies in the world. In a land where accusations of lying, cheating and stealing remain unresolved, the temptation to intervene in political affairs also becomes stronger for soldiers.

The EDSA player says if disgruntled soldiers can face death constantly while on duty in combat areas, they will believe they have nothing to lose by staging a coup or another mutiny.

The EDSA player, now retired from the military, does not discount the possibility that the fugitives will find sympathy among a significant number of soldiers. But translating that sympathy into participation in another coup or mutiny is another story.

Any sensible coup plotter will have to take into account Filipinos’ people power fatigue, the likely reaction of the international community to a coup, and the possibility that any regime installed through extraconstitutional means will be replaced the same way. It’s a recipe for national disaster.

Disgruntled military elements and their shadowy political patrons can grab power, the EDSA player said, but how long can they hold on to it?

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This continuing agitation for military intervention emphasizes the need for reforms not just among AFP members but also among politicians.

The coup culture has been nurtured not just by misguided idealists with a messianic complex in the AFP, but also by opportunist politicians.

It won’t be too bad if the support is limited to rhetoric of the sort we hear from politicians still unhappy that they were not picked by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as her vice president, or from those dreaming of becoming vice president-cum-executive secretary.

The greater threat comes from politicians who actually provide logistics support to the coup pals — lodging, transportation and communications facilities, money.

President Arroyo has not made it easy for Filipinos to like her or want to keep her in power. Even Filipinos who worry that her ouster could further weaken fragile democratic institutions are wondering if the nation can survive five more years of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

There are ways of effecting regime change, however, without corrupting the military with the idea that power comes from the barrel of a gun.

If we want our democracy to work, politicians must learn to leave the military alone. When that happens, we can be sure the Filipino soldier will be professional enough to leave politics to the politicians.