Detained general calls on AFP to act vs con-ass

MANILA, Philippines - Former Scout Ranger chief Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim on Thursday called on the military to “do what is right" against what he called as a “brazen" attempt to extend President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's term beyond 2010. Lim, currently facing charges for leading two failed attempts to overthrow the Arroyo administration, issued the statement two days after the House of Representatives approved a resolution seeking to convene Congress into a constituent assembly that would amend the 1987 Constitution. Lim said the “railroading" of the resolution “has erased whatever doubts we have about GMA’s [Arroyo's initials] true intention of holding on to power beyond 2010." “I, therefore, call on every officer and enlisted man to follow your conscience and do what is right – protect the people and the state. God bless us all," he said. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), meanwhile, dismissed Lim’s statement, saying the former Scout Ranger chief is “entitled to his own opinion." “The AFP will remain apolitical and professional and it will not allow itself to be used by any individual’s political ambition. We will be professional and will just do our job. The chief of staff said let us remain focused on our job," said AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. Lim is reportedly being eyed by the opposition as one of its senatorial bets in the 2010 national elections. He is currently detained at Camp Crame for a charge of rebellion in connection with the November 2007 siege of the Manila Peninsula Hotel. In February 2006, Lim and Col. Ariel Querubin supposedly planned to lead a march at the EDSA Shrine, join anti-government protests, and subsequently withdraw their support from President Arroyo. - GMANews.TV