Magdalo member escapes from ISAFP escort

One of the participants in the failed Oakwood mutiny in July 2003 escaped after attending a court hearing in Makati City yesterday.

Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon, dressed in full military uniform, disappeared after excusing himself from his military escort ostensibly to buy fruits at a stall near the courthouse.

Faeldon later told reporters in a brief secret meeting that he decided to escape because the political situation had not changed since he participated in the failed mutiny in 2003.

"Events have proven me right. She (President Arroyo) is corrupt and ruthless and will do everything to stay in power," Faeldon said in a CD recording he distributed to reporters, apparently indicating that his escape had been planned well in advance.

Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) chief Brig. Gen. Marlu Quevedo confirmed Faeldon had planned the escape.

Quevedo said a letter was also recovered from Faeldon’s belongings at his detention cell inside the ISAFP compound.

Hours after the escape, Faeldon contacted his lawyer Roel Pulido explaining his action.

"This is his way to remind the world that the AFP hierarchy is acting as if it is above the law," Pulido said.

It was gathered that Faeldon had already paid his P200,000 bail bond before the Makati City regional trial court where he is facing charges of coup d’état along with six other Magdalo officials but the AFP ordered his continued detention.

"So he (Faeldon) made this dramatic move to prove a point," Pulido said of his client’s escape.

Faeldon also decried before Pulido the government’s failure to address the issues raised at Oakwood.

"The government, instead of addressing them, is covering (it) up," Pulido said in quoting Faeldon.

Quevedo, however, claimed Faeldon did not need to escape since he was out on bail.

But he admitted the Marine captain is still under military restrictions along with Navy LtSg. Antonio Trillanes and other Magdalo ringleaders because of a pending case before the military court.

Quevedo said he learned of Faeldon’s escape after being informed by co-accused Trillanes, Marine Captains Gary Alejano and James Layug.

"They were sorry for what happened. They apologized for the incident," he said.

Quevedo added a manhunt for Faeldon is now underway.

The Marine captain was among six ringleaders of the Magdalo faction, along with Trillanes acting as their spokesman, in initiating the failed July 27, 2003 mutiny in seizing the Oakwood Premier Ayala Cnter in Makati City’s central business district.

The mutiny was crushed after 22 hours and some 300 officers and enlisted men were detained. The mutineers in September the following year made a public apology to President Arroyo, saying their actions were triggered by their "honest, though naive, desire for change."

Mrs. Arroyo accepted their apology, suggesting they would be shown leniency. However, the ringleaders still face a court martial for conduct unbecoming military officers as well as a civilian court on separate charges of mounting a coup attempt.

Among the things left by Faeldon inside his detention cell was a handwritten note addressed to Trillanes, Alejano, and Layug.

In the letter, Faeldon declared his escape "is the best thing I can do, as far as I am concerned, in achieving a transition government."

Faeldon said he had prayed for months asking for "divine guidance," claiming his escape "was God’s will."

"I’ll pray that you will understand me. I believe in your sincerity and desire to achieve our vision, a vision I believe shared by most Filipinos," Faeldon wrote.

In a separate letter contained in a CD, Faeldon declared that for more than two years, he had hoped for a change in the Arroyo government.

Instead, the events have proven him right — that the President is still corrupt and ruthless and will do everything to stay in power, he claimed in a separate letter distributed to reporters.

"This early I swear: I will not accept my position in government, either in this one or the next. There is no reward for me in this fight except the knowledge that should I die, I die in peace, for I am fighting for our people and country," Faeldon declared.

Pulido, for his part, said he was "kept in the dark" by his client over the escape plans. "I think it’s a wrong move," he said. — With Michael Punongbayan, AFP