Danny Lim wants Arroyo punished for ‘sins vs. Filipinos’

Former Army general and senatorial bet Danilo Lim on Thursday said the Arroyo administration must be punished for the "sins" it has committed against Filipinos, adding that a "day of reckoning is near." "This government must be made accountable for the transgressions it committed against the people," Lim said in a prepared speech he was supposed to deliver at a University of the Philippines Diliman political forum but was instead read by his spokesperson Belle Enriquez. Despite the court’s permission for the detained candidate to attend the forum, he could not leave his cell at the Custodial Center inside Camp Crame because the Philippine National Police (PNP) could not provide enough security, according to Enriquez. [See: Danny Lim not allowed to go to UP forum] In his speech, the former commander of the elite First Scout Ranger Regiment said the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) was used as a "private army" by the Arroyo administration during the 2004 national elections, an event allegedly marred by massive cheating. Mrs. Arroyo's 2004 electoral victory was widely questioned after the "Hello Garci?" tapes emerged, containing wiretapped phone conversations between a poll official named “Garci" and a woman, believed to be Mrs. Arroyo, who allegedly discussed with the poll official about rigging the vote. Lim said that justice must be served to bring back the dignity and humanity of the people "deprived and oppressed by Mrs. Arroyo and her cabal of corrupt leaders." "We must put an end to electoral misconduct, grand-scale fraud, and vote padding-shaving by introducing important electoral reform laws to democratize the electoral process and insulate it from the machinations of traditional politicians and elite families," Lim said. He stressed that the military must remain "insulated from politics—that is, partisan politics of politicians who knock on our barracks for armed support." Lim is currently facing rebellion charges before a Makati court for the 2007 armed occupation of the Manila Peninsula Hotel, which he led together with then Navy Lt. SG Antonio Trillanes IV and other rebellious military officers, and where he called Arroyo a "bogus president." Lim was also charged before a military tribunal for his role in what the Arroyo administration claims was an attempt at coup d'etat in February 2006. Private armies The detained former Army officer also expressed his opposition against private armies and urged that they be dismantled. "While these are primarily regarded as the AFP's allies in promoting peace and in counter-insurgency, thruth is, they are obstacles if not enemies of democracy, peace and the rule of law," he said. President Arroyo recently formed the Zeñarosa Commission to lead in the task of dismantling private armies. As of last count, the Commission has identified a total of 117 partisan private armed groups in the country, majority of which are found in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Government authorities insist on not disclosing the identities of these private armies, saying it might compromise efforts to dismantle the said armed groups. Afraid? Enriquez delivered the detained senatorial bet’s speech before faculty members and college students gathered at the Bulwagang Rizal in UP Diliman for a political forum that also included AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner, former UP president Francisco Nemenzo, and UP Prof. Clarita Carlos as the speakers. Enriquez branded PNP's refusal to let him leave his cell and attend the forum as "pure and simple harassment." She said it was not the first time that the PNP had tried defying a court order. Just last month, she recalled, Lim's communication and advertising team was reportedly prevented from meeting with him to finish an infomercial. "We cannot understand how the PNP can blatantly refuse to comply with the order, which is tantamount to contempt of court," Enriquez said. She suspected that Lim was not allowed to attend the UP forum particularly because of the strong anti-Arroyo content of his speech. “Is the government afraid the people will hear the truth—that is, this administration must be punished for its sins? If that is the case, then it should be very afraid. Gen. Lim is correct, the day of reckoning is near," Enriquez concluded.—JV, GMANews.TV