PAF, Marine brass: No to power grab

With coup rumors refusing to die down, the commanders of the Philippine Air Force (PAF) and the Marines dismissed yesterday any possibility that a power grab would succeed.

Air Force chief Lt. Gen. Benjamin Defensor said no coup attempt could succeed without the PAF, and its officers were unlikely to participate in a coup because of the Air Force’s "total quality commandership."

Philippine Marines commandant Maj. Gen. Librado Ladia said any effort to topple the nine-month-old Arroyo administration would fail and the Marines would not be part of any such attempt.

Meanwhile, Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command chief Maj. Gen. Rodolfo Garcia also expressed support for the Arroyo administration and pledged to defend the duly constituted political leadership against any coup attempt.

Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesman Crescencio Maralit also stressed anew that the police organization remains solidly behind the Arroyo administration although officials were disturbed at ongoing political intramurals.

The intramurals are between the supporters of PNP Director General Leandro Mendoza and Deputy Director General Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., who will apparently be named PNP chief when Mendoza retires in March next year.

The "polarization of forces" in the police has fueled speculation that an armed uprising, supposedly set for the weekend just past, was afoot and military officials are now being recruited to the plot.

Among the ranking military officials supposedly being recruited was Ladia but the Marine commandant denied that members of a military and police fraternity are trying to convince him to lead an armed uprising against the Arroyo administration.

Ladia made the denial as rumors spread around police and military camps that a faction of the Guardians Brotherhood has been trying to convince him to lead a coup attempt.

"That is not true. It’s impossible," Ladia said. "So far, nobody has approached me. No amount of money could make me change my mind. What is important for us is our name and dignity."

He pointed out that stories of a coup plot are only rumors and lamented that his name has been linked to such rumors.

"I think these coup plot stories are plain rumors. I don’t know why some people are floating my name but they won’t succeed," the Marine commandant said.

Coup jitters were further stirred yesterday after the unannounced deployment of fully equipped troops at the Army and Marine headquarters at Fort Bonifacio in Makati City.

In full battle gear, Army troopers took positions around the camp in the early morning hours, alarming passers-by, but Army officials quickly told them the deployment was just a "routine exercise" after which the troopers returned to the their barracks.

In the Air Force, Defensor said the deterrent to coup plotters is "total quality commandership" on the part of military officials.

"The best way to prevent it is good leadership, good command and TQC, or total quality commandership," Defensor told The STAR, modifying a management buzzword for "total quality control."

"If my men will stick to their roles — and I see to it that they do — it’s no ballgame for a coup," the PAF chief added. He was at the Baguio City Loakan Airport waiting for the President who was to fly back to Manila after a two-day break.

PAF spokesman Col. Horacio Lapinid also stressed that any attempt to recruit pilots to any coup attempt would be frustrated and belittled the capability of any group to stage a coup.

Lapinid also said PAF consists of professional soldiers who would follow the chain of command against any armed uprising.

"We will follow the chain of command. We are professional soldiers and won’t join any coup plot," Lapinid said.

He also belittled the Young Officers Union’s (YOU) capacity to stage a successful coup as they have no resources.

"They are mostly majors and captains (and) they don’t have the capability to stage a coup plot. They have no resources," he said.

Lapinid, however, refused to confirm or deny that YOU members are recruiting two PAF pilots for the purported coup plot.

In Tarlac City, Nolcom chief Garcia vowed to defend the Arroyo administration but dismissed reports of a coup plot are simple rumors and not worthy of undue attention.

"We will crush any coup attempt if there will be one," Garcia said. "But nobody in the military is even thinking along that line. It doesn’t even make sense to declare we would crush any coup attempt since I don’t think there will be any."

"There is no moral issue against the Arroyo administration unlike before," he said, adding that the administration now has the "right attitude and work ethic." - With reports from Aurora Alambra, Ding Cervantes