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."