More troops arrested, senator blamed for RP 'coup'

More troops arrested, senator blamed for RP 'coup'

Agence France-Presse, Manila

The Philippine government launched criminal action on Monday
against an opposition senator linked to an alleged coup attempt
against President Gloria Arroyo, as more soldiers were arrested
over the failed rebellion.

Arroyo's government on Monday filed a criminal complaint
against Gregorio Honasan, accusing the opposition senator of
leading an alleged coup attempt against her.

Interior Secretary Jose Lina lodged the complaint before the
Justice Department against Honasan and six others belonging to a
civilian group that had allegedly helped rogue soldiers carry out
the July 27 mutiny at the Makati financial district.

Under the Philippine justice system, state prosecutors
determine whether there is sufficient evidence to file criminal
charges in court.

"Definitely, he is one of the leaders. There are other
politicians and some other financiers whom we are gathering
evidence against," Lina said of Honasan, a former army colonel
who led several coup attempts in the 1980s.

Honasan, who was pardoned in 1995, was the first senior
political figure publicly implicated by the government in the
coup attempt. He denies the allegation.

The government last week also arrested Ramon Cardenas, a
member of the cabinet of deposed Filipino leader Joseph Estrada,
for his alleged role in the coup.

The complaint included a deposition by a military intelligence
officer, Major Perfecto Ragil, who alleged that he met with
Honasan and the other plotters at a suburban Manila house on June
4 where the senator allegedly discussed the power grab.

"The discussion concluded that we must use force, violence and
armed struggle to achieve the vision" of Honasan's political
platform, called the National Recovery Program, the sworn
statement said.

Ragil alleged that Honasan vowed that "colleagues who would be
traitors" to the cause would be killed.

The senator also presided over a bizarre ceremony wherein he
and the other conspirators cut themselves with a knife and then
used their own blood to imprint their thumbmarks on documents and
flags used by the group, Ragil said.

In a telephone interview on Monday Honasan, who has not been
seen in public for a week, told reporters: "I was never in any
secret meeting where there was a blood compact where the plot to
launch the Makati incident took place. I categorically deny
that."

The military said on Monday nearly three dozen more officers
and men had been arrested in connection with the mutiny, raising
the total in detention to 348. Two other officers and five
enlisted men remain at large.

Armed forces chief of staff Gen. Narciso Abaya said that while
most of the known conspirators had been arrested, he could not
guarantee those still at large would not attempt another
rebellion.

"There are no overt acts right now on their part, but again we
are still checking to determine whether silence means something
else," he said.