Speculations on
a military junta

Of late, there have been speculations about a military junta or a special civilian-military junta taking over the government. Whatever it may be, there is ground for such fears.

Look at the sequence of events. First, you have Proclamation 1017. The President declares a state of national emergency and started exercising her powers under the Constitution as commander in chief. Then, followed the spate of arrests of known personalities involved in an alleged conspiracy to overthrow her administration.

Surprisingly, those who were taken in tow are people against whom charges could have earlier been filed and they could have been placed under arrest by order of the courts.

The state of emergency does not divest them of their right to be tried under due process. And thus there was no need to have them arrested en masse since they still have to undergo the usual procedures provided by law, which are, the preliminary investigation of the cases filed against them, then the prosecutors decide whether to file the charges in court, then the courts issue the warrants of arrest and determine whether they are entitled to bail or not.

But there were disturbing events, such as the standoff at the Marine Headquarters in Fort Bonifacio last Sunday. That was settled after a few hours and the civilians who had gone there to protect their favorite military officers from punitive action dispersed.

Then, there were the reliefs of top-ranking military officers. None of them was placed under arrest. Only confined to quarters or their movements restricted. All because of their alleged involvement in a coup plot.

What seems imminent is a civilian-military junta. Congress, itself, may be temporarily closed down or abolished depending on the outcome of the negotiations. But the mere fact that members of the House had been arrested even while Congress remains in session is, per se, an indicator that something is really amiss. And the Speaker Jose de Venecia seems to have acquiesced to the charade of taking custody of the arrested members.

The latter is a very troubling sign. Normally, congressional leaders would have invoked the constitutional guarantee that a member of Congress would be precluded from arrest while attending sessions, although that does not mean that he or she could not be arrested for rebellion or involvement in a coup plot. And that seems to be the Achilles heel of Speaker de Venecia.

But the point is that the warrants for such arrests could have been issued by the courts.

The funny thing is that they had to dredge up a long-time forgotten charge against Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran to justify his arrest. Naturally, Beltran was vociferously insistent that the charge against him had already been dropped by the court.

Now, that's beside the point. Beltran is in custody and the authorities do not seem willing to give him up or release him.

So, can we stop Bishop Vicente Navarra from speculating on the possibility of a military junta taking over the government?

It seems that a lot of people are suspecting a well-crafted scenario behind the dramatic events recently, including the relief of Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, plus the standoff at Fort Bonifacio among the Marines.

And the opposition seems to have played right into the hands of the administration. Those who rushed to the aid of the Marines are the same vocal group demanding for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. That only validates the suspicions that the group is to obsessed with her resignation, they just don't seem to have no other excuse for any activity except to push through with that.

In short, that's just digging their own graves and providing additional ammunition for the administration to justify the crackdown on them. And that includes the members of Hyatt 10.

That's why we should heed the appeal of Bishop Navarra for us to abide with our duty to contribute to all efforts to preserve human rights and to safeguard the people whom the government is supposed to protect, but to draw the line against violence. Instead, he rallied the population to "exert pressure on the Arroyo administration to respect human rights."

The issue, however, boils down to whether it will be a civilian-military junta or a military takeover of the government. The latter is very likely judging from the twists and turns of recent events. But who knows?

Suspicions, suspicions, my friends, remains the best aphrodisiac in the absence of any other stimulant.

****

Our sincere congratulations to the City of Escalante and Mayor Santiago Barcelona on the occasion of the city's 5th charter anniversary.

The affair was highlighted by the groundbreaking of the new two-storey Dr. Vicente Gustilo District Hospital and the blessing and turnover of the fire truck donated by the Taipei city government.

Of course, I am biased. I was born in Escalante City, although I grew up in Fabrica, Sagay City. Still, one can't help but be elated at the rapid development of the city under the stewardship of Mayor Barcelona.*

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