Clarification on coup punishment

We refer to Ana Marie Pamintuan’s column in the 20 July 2011 issue of the Philippine STAR particularly, her comment that the original “coup pals” were mellowed by 40 push-ups as punishment and then the hand of friendship (plus millions in rebel returnee funds) extended by Fidel Ramos during his presidency”.

It is unfortunate that after more than 20 years, despite availability of adequate reference materials, and ample time to verify the facts, many people’s knowledge and information on that event remain superficial and in some aspects, incorrect.

Please allow us to provide the facts to set the record straight on that important (although unfortunate) episode in recent history. These facts were verified by the (Fact-Finding) Davide Commission created under R.A. 6832 (January 12, 1990) and reflected in its Final Report.

1. The decision not to hold the Manila Hotel fiasco participants liable was not made by then General Fidel V. Ramos. On 07 July 1986, it was President Cory Aquino who issued an ultimatum to the rebels: “Surrender within 24 hours. No criminal charges will be filed if surrender is effected within this time limit.” This decision was arrived at after the President’s consultation with the Cabinet. (Then Secretary of National Defense Juan Ponce Enrile initially recommended a 72-hour time frame but the majority opted for a shorter period).

2. A few hours after the President issued her ultimatum, Marcos-era Vice President Arturo Tolentino and some of his companions began negotiating with government representatives at the Army and Navy Club, after which, realizing that theirs was a lost cause, they did not even bother to return to the Manila Hotel.

3. In the morning of 08 July 1986, at the Army gymnasium in Fort Bonifacio, Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Gen. Fidel V. Ramos formally accepted the surrender of the Marcos loyalist troops (four generals and 69 troopers). Minister Enrile said: “We are not going to humiliate, punish or embarrass any one of you. I stand on this even to the point of gambling my position to see to it that what we have promised you will be fulfilled. There will be no retaliation against you. We shall consider this as past.” FVR then ordered the troops to do the “Army dozen” (the military’s routine morning exercise consisting of sets of “push-ups” “squat jumps”, etc.). When a member of the print media asked what it was all about, Lt. Col. Jaime Canatoy of the AFP Civil Relations Service who was present, explained that FVR gave the order not as punishment to the surrenderees, but simply to defuse the tension in the highly-charged atmosphere at the time. It was also a practical way of getting the soldiers to take their fingers off the triggers and lay down their high-powered firearms — and, it worked.

4. Formal charges of rebellion were filed against some 26 civilians and 15 AFP personnel. However, then Justice Minister Neptali Gonzales drew up the conditions for the dropping of charges including: pledge of allegiance and maintenance of fidelity to the Republic of the Philippines; the recognition of the present government under the Freedom Constitution; and the renunciation of the use of force and violence for the overthrow of the government. These conditions were accepted and complied with, and the charges were eventually dropped.

5. The Davide Final Report noted that government’s “tolerant stance” was brought about by the following:

• Just a few hours after he took “oath” as “acting president”, Arturo Tolentino was already adopting a conciliatory stand when he publicly declared that he is urging Malacanang to call for early elections only because many people were “restless”. Tolentino added that: “We do not want the restoration of a constitutional government by violence or by force. That is farthest from our thoughts.”

• No shots were fired and no injury was inflicted upon anybody.

The foregoing details are also narrated in “Demokrasya at Kudeta” (p.336-341), a well-documented history book written by Col. (Ret.) Gaudencio “Ding” San Juan (August 2005).

6. May we also state that during the succeeding Ramos Administration, coup attempts were unheard of. Not even rumors of any activity connected to a coup.

We hope this clarification will merit space in your prestigious newspaper.