Military officers involved in last year’s coup plot ordered detained

By Jaime Laude

The Philippine Star 02/28/2007

CAMP CAPINPIN, Tanay, Rizal — Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. ordered the detention here of all the military officers involved in last year’s foiled coup attempt.

Esperon effectively wanted all those implicated in the power grab detained in one facility, directing the various commands to relinquish custody of the 28 officers charged before the General Court Martial to effectively acquire jurisdiction over them.

The announcement came after the arraignment of the 28 accused officers was rescheduled after defense lawyers demanded to see a copy of the pre-trial investigation.

The head of the courts martial, Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano agreed to the demand and set the next hearing on March 16, where the accused will have a chance to respond to the investigation’s findings.

Esperon’s order of transfer effectively barred the return of the officers to their mother units.

Among the officers who will be detained here are former Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, Colonels Ariel Querubin and Orlando de Leon, Lt. Cols. Armando Banez, Custodio Parcon and Achilles Segumalian, Maj. Francisco Fernandez and 1Lt. Belinda Ferrer.

Querubin, De Leon, Segumalian and Banez, along with Col. Januario Caringal, were ordered detained at the Fort San Felipe Naval base in Cavite City, while Miranda, Ferrer and Fernandez were restrained at the Marine custodial center at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig.

Caringal is presently confined at the Fort Bonifacio Naval Hospital.

Also included in the order is Army Capt. Dante Langkit, detained at the Army’s Intelligence Service Group (ISG) at Fort Bonifacio.

Prior to their final "checking in" at the AFP’s Joint Task Force Custodian detention center yesterday afternoon, the accused officers were temporarily housed at a military grandstand here under heavy guard.

They will be "lumped" with their Scout Ranger counterparts led by Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, who have been detained here for some time.

"I don’t like it," Segumalian was overheard telling his co-accused fellow officer.

Esperon’s order was not only opposed by the accused officers but also their respective families, blaming the Navy for failing to protect their own men.

Perfecto Yasay, as defense counsel of Querubin, said Esperon’s transfer order is a constitutional violation.

AFP Public Information Office chief Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro said the decision where to detain the accused officers is the prerogative of the Armed Forces chief.

"From here on, all the 28 accused officers would be restrained at the AFP’s Joint Task Force Custodian in Tanay," Bacarro said.

He said the AFP Joint Task Force Custodian detention facility was specifically constructed to restrain or detain erring military personnel from the three major services.

The new detention cell is located just across the Tanay rest house of former President Joseph Estrada where the deposed leader is under house arrest awaiting the verdict on his plunder cases at the Sandiganbayan.

All the accused officers are facing various charges before the military courts in connection with their reported participation in the failed Feb. 24 coup attempt.

The group reportedly conspired to topple President Arroyo by withdrawing their support for the government on the eve of the celebration of the 20th EDSA People Power anniversary celebration last year.

The plot was discovered before it could be implemented and the key suspects were held.

This also forced Mrs. Arroyo to declare a week-long state of emergency. -AFP