Denial Kings

From the Tribune Editorial:

Coup conspiracy

EDITORIAL

06/02/2006

Try as they might, those who conspired to oust a democratically elected President of the Republic cannot credibly deny their role in the unconstitutional power grab, which illegal move will forever haunt them.

They can lie about it, as they have always done, but the record shows that they had in fact admitted their role in the conspiracy to depose then sitting President Joseph Estrada.

Documented proof? Gloria Arroyo, flushed with success a few weeks after the coup d’etat staged by her and the elite mob, publicly confessed before a group of her supporters, the Council on Philippine Affairs (Copa) which was covered by the media, that she had been plotting Estrada’s ouster with religious, business, military and leftist leaders, since January 2000, or a year before Estrada’s actual ouster. This report was carried in the newspapers a day after her admission.

More proof? Presidential spouse Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo, in a March 2001 Graphic magazine article written by Nick Joaquin, National Artist, quoted Mike as saying he and his armed group were ready to fight fire with fire, even boasting that for every troop formation Estrada would have, they had the men and the firearms to shoot them down because Gloria will have Malacañang at all cost — and never mind blood being shed. Mike spoke of this as Plan B, later saying Plan A, which was Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Angelo Reyes’ withdrawal of support from the constitutional Commander-in-Chief.

Reyes claims he was not part of the conspiracy. That’s Grade A bull. The fact that it was his aide who was identified by Gloria as attending these coup-plotting sessions with her is enough proof of his role in the conspiracy, apart from the fact that he had even summoned his service commanders falsely, claiming that there was to be a meeting of the board of generals, when the agenda was to tell them that they were going to withdraw their support, even bragging, saying “Gentlemen, you realize that we are committing mutiny?” That’s been recorded too.

And yet when he was asked by his Commander-in-Chief about his Army chief then meeting with Gloria, the treacherous Reyes lied, saying it was just a courtesy call the Army chief made on Gloria.

Some more proof? Another newspaper printed an interview done with Marine Gen. Ernesto Espinosa, quoting him as saying there was the planned coup, and he, his troops and Chavit Singson were ready to stage it against Estrada. Espinosa et. al were with the Peping Cojuangco-Chavit-Saycon-Espinosa Copa gang. This was also confirmed by Mike Arroyo.

More documented proof of the conspiracy exists in the book Reforming the Judiciary authored by then Supreme Court Associate Justice Artemio Panganiban, where he narrates the roles he and then Chief Justice and presiding justice of the impeachment court, Hilario Davide Jr., played in the ouster of Estrada, which was to swear in Gloria as President, despite their knowledge that Estrada had not resigned, which meant that there was no constitutional justification for swearing in Gloria Arroyo as President — and not in an acting capacity. There is the proof of the official letters delivered to Congress leaders of Estrada’s decision to take a temporary leave of absence.

That they all knew Estrada had not resigned is substantiated by the fact that at least three times, Gloria and her emissaries, such as then Justice Secretary Hernando Perez, offered Estrada exile then threatened him with the filing of plunder charges if he refused. He did, and he was slapped with plunder.

There is too that documented proof of the Edsa II conspiracy that can be found in Amando Doronila’s book, the roles played by the now deceased Jaime Cardinal Sin, along with former President Corazon Aquino in the conspiracy to oust Estrada.

As for former President Fidel V. Ramos and his cabal of retired generals, documented proof also exists on their conspiratorial role in the Edsa II coup d’etat. Also flushed with success at kicking out Estrada, FVR and his generals, among whom were Fortunato Abat, police Supt. Reynaldo Berroya and Edgardo Abenina, among others, they bragged to the media that their planned coup was a success. The Philippine Star has that account.

Today of course, they all deny their hand in the coup conspiracy, with Eduardo Ermita, Executive Secretary, insisting Estrada was impeached; that Gloria never spoke to the congressmen about impeaching Estrada and that she stepped into the presidency because she was the constitutional successor. How blatantly they lie.

Even the House prosecutors’ walkout was staged-managed and there is proof of this too. The Tribune, a month or so before the actual walkout, quoted then House prosecutor now Solicitor-General Eduardo Nachura, announcing in a media forum, that the House prosecutors will be staging a walkout soon.

They can lie, but they can’t hide the proof of their conspiratorial power grab.