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A
MILITARY court martial formally arraigned on Tuesday the
28 senior and junior military officers on charges of
mutiny that were brought by their alleged attempt to
overthrow the government in 2006.
The
Special General Court Martial 2 headed by Major. Gen.
Jogy Leo Fojas arraigned the soldiers from the
Philippine Marines and Army Scout Rangers in day-long
proceedings at the
Daza
Park
in Camp Aguinaldo.
The
officers, headed by former Marine Commandant Major Gen.
Renato Miranda and former Scout Ranger commander Brig.
Gen. Danilo Lim, entered a special plea, meaning it was
the military tribunal that entered the plea of not
guilty for them.
Aside
from Miranda and Lim, those who went through the
proceedings were Marine Cols. Ariel Querubin, Januario
Caringal and Orlando de Leon; Marine Lt. Cols. Armando
Banez, Custodio Parcon and Achilles Segumalian; Army Lt.
Cols. Nestor Flordeliza and Edmundo Malabanjot; Marine
Major Francisco Domingo Fernandez; Army Majors Jason
Aquino and Jose Leomar Doctolero; Capts. Isagani Criste,
Montano Almodovar, James Sababan, Ruben Guinolbay,
Frederick Sales, Joey Fontiveros, William Upano, Dante
Langkit and Allan Aurino; First Lts. Ervin Divinagracia,
Jacon Cordero, Homer Estolas, Sandro Sereno and Belinda
Ferrer and 2nd Lt. Ritchiemel Caballes.
According to the amended charge sheet, all of the
officers violated Article of War 67 (Attempting to
create or begin, excite, cause or join a mutiny).
Military
lawyer Capt. Armando Paredes claimed that the senior and
junior military officers attempted or caused a mutiny by
withdrawing their support from President Arroyo, who is
their commander-in-chief, on February 23, 2006.
During
the arraignment, some of the accused soldiers, through
their lawyers, informed the military court that they
would go to the Supreme Court as the allegations in the
charges does not constitute a punishable act.
Trixie
Angeles, lawyer for Guinolbay, explained that the
withdrawal of support from Arroyo does not constitute an
offense under the charges that were filed by the office
of the military judge advocate.
She said
mutiny is “disobedience to the order of a direct
superior.”
Angeles
explained that Arroyo was not a direct superior, but a
“remote authority.”
Before
the charges were to be read on him, but which he decided
to just dispense with, Guinolbay appealed to the members
of the court to ensure that the military justice system
will work impartially.
He said
he was not asking for mercy from them, but only wanted
that they look into the case as it is.
He said
the military has already incarcerated them for two years
and has taken away their lives, and they do not deserve
to be continuously “unjustly jailed.”
Guinolbay remembered that just seven days before they
were jailed, Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes
Esperon Jr. ensured them that the military system will
take its due course. |
