Honasan maps out campaign

Honasan maps out campaign

By Martin Abbugao

MANILA (AFP): Charismatic military rebel-turned-politician
Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan is facing what may be the toughest
battle of his life -- getting elected under the democratic system
he had tried to overthrow.

As he maps out his battle plan, teetering on the brink of a
senate seat in the recently concluded elections, he has ruled out
any use of force.

Honasan, a combat veteran in the campaign against Moslem
separatists and leader of failed coup attempts against former
president Corazon Aquino, was in the 12th spot Wednesday among
vote getters for a senate seat as votes from Monday's election
continued to be counted. The top 12 will win the seats.

But he had been out of the winning column until he alleged
that a deliberate effort was being made to convince the public
that administration candidates were winning by a landslide in the
senatorial contest.

Surrounded by aides -- some former fellow officers in the army
-- the 45-year-old cashiered lieutenant colonel told reporters
that unofficial counts by various groups, led by the independent
National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), deliberately
excluded votes from opposition bailiwicks to place them out of
the "magic 12" group of winners.

It was only after he insisted that votes from his stronghold
-- the Bicol region southeast of Manila -- be counted that he
climbed to 12th spot with 20 percent of the 170,000 precincts
counted, making him only the second opposition bet in the winning
column.

He said that based on his group's own count, he should be
number eight.

"We have no proof that President (Fidel) Ramos is involved in
this. But we are sure that those people around him, they have
something different in mind, " Honasan said. "It would be a waste
because these elections are supposed to be orderly."

Honasan said he chose to enter the contest and forgo armed
struggle because of his perception that even people without
"goons, guns and gold" would have a fair chance in the elections.

Three of Honasan's fellow rebel officers, who sought various
district-level posts, were not faring well, according to initial
results.

But despite the alleged manipulation, Honasan said he and his
supporters would not resort to violence and will continue to go
through the counting.

"Our plans now are to continue with the elections and to
continue checking these irregularities," said Honasan, once the
Philippines' most wanted man with a one-million-peso (38,000
dollars) prize for his capture. Ramos granted sweeping amnesty
ahead of peace talks with rightist rebels last year.

"We're not going to sound threatening again," Honasan said.
"We will go through with the elections. We will exhaust all legal
means."

For an independent candidate, Honasan has performed credibly,
banking on his immense popularity -- or notoriety -- spawned by
the publicity resulting from his attempted coups and a nationwide
network of active and former military officers under his group
called Revolutionary Alliance of the Masses (RAM).

Soldiers, grateful for salary increases as a result of the
coup attempts, had voluntarily ferried Honasan's campaign posters
to remote towns and were active campaigners.

His swasbuckling good looks also is an asset in this southeast
Asian country where personalities, not issues, are strong factors
in getting elected.

But some leaders of the dominant Roman Catholic church and a
group led by former Aquino government officials had campaigned
hard against Honasan's electoral bid.

Asked about his chances of winning, Honasan said: "It is not
so much whether we win or lose. The important thing is the
procedure was relatively fair."