More 'mutineers' avail of amnesty Wednesday

(Updated 1:05 p.m.) More military servicemen who figured in alleged destabilization plots in the last decade turned up at Camp Aguinaldo on Wednesday to avail of the amnesty President Benigno Aquino III has offered. As of Wednesday noon, one more officer and 11 other enlisted personnel filed their amnesty applications before the Department of National Defense (DND). Acceptance of applications on Wednesday will end at 4 p.m., and then a list of the names of all applicants for the day would be posted on bulletin boards inside the military headquarter. Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is expected to file his application Wednesday. His lawyer Rex Robles told GMANews.TV they plan to drop by the military headquarters "after lunch." Covered by the President's amnesty proclamation were all soldiers who participated in the Oakwood mutiny in 2003, the Marine standoff in 2006, and the Peninsula Manila siege in 2007. Last Tuesday, 19 soldiers including four officers showed up at the DND office in Quezon City to apply for amnesty. The DND opened its doors to amnesty applicants on Monday. Based on a list provided by the DND to GMANews.TV, the four military officers were 2Lt. Filmore Rull, 2Lt. Larry Cendana, Ens. Ronald Diso, and Ens. Arjohn Elumba. The 15 enlisted personnel who also showed up on Tuesday were:

Cpl. Paul Paner;

Cpl. Roderick Bayubay;

Cpl. Jolie Boston;

TSg. Noel Aggalut;

Sgt. Monchito Lusterio;

Cpl. Dante Santos;

Private 1st Class Teddy Antonio;

Cpl. Charlie Elegores;

Col. Reymond Pastera;

Cpl Jerson Labilles;

Cpl. Florante Rosete;

Cpl. Jeffrey Bolalin;

Cpl. Cesar Padilla;

Cpl. Christopher Perez; and

Private 1st Class Gerry Calingacion No regrets Bayubay, who was among the more than 300 soldiers who took over the Oakwood Premiere Hotel (now Ascott Hotel) in Makati City in July 2003 said he does not regret what they did almost eight years ago. “For a soldier, repentance is an ugly word. I am standing by it (Oakwood seize), we are standing by it... We did it because we saw anomalies in the previous administration and we just let out our sentiments in the field," he said. Bayubay was demoted by two ranks, from corporal to private, in May 2005 when they pleaded guilty to lesser offenses in exchange for the dropping of the graver mutiny case. Over the past five years, he got promoted to private first class and corporal. Bayubay said he only wanted to apply for an amnesty to clear his records and have his two-rank demotion recalled. “There is no regret on my part. This (amnesty) is for myself, I am doing this so the ranks stripped from me will be returned," he said. Despite his insistence, Bayubay still admitted in his application that he violated the Constitution, criminal laws, and the Articles of War, which was a requirement under the amnesty proclamation’s implementing rules and regulations (IRR). [See: Guilty plea required for amnesty of applicants] He also had to narrate how they went from Davao to Makati City to take part in what is now known as the Oakwood mutiny. “If [admission of guilt] is the process, we’ll go by the process… But we are not repenting (over our actuation)," insisted Bayubay. Defense undersecretary Honorio Azcueta, chair of the amnesty committee, said they would first wait for 15 days for any objection to the amnesty application before processing them. The names of the applicants will be published on the websites and bulletin boards of the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines. The applications without any objection would then be forwarded to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, who will then forward it to President Benigno Aquino III for the final approval. No admission to coup, rebellion charges Meanwhile, Trillanes' lawyer Robles said the senator will not admit to his participation in coup d’etat and rebellion even when applying for amnesty. Robles said Trillanes and other alleged mutineers would maintain that they were just voicing out their grievances against then President Arroyo during the supposed uprisings in 2003 and 2007. “These are highly intelligent people. They knew that. It’s just something they had to do," Robles told GMANews.TV in a phone interview Tuesday. Robles said Trillanes and the others are only willing to admit to violating certain provisions of the law. “They never pretended that what they were doing was something ordinary. They’re men enough to make such an admission," he said. - with Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMANews.TV