Loyalty check under way, Palace exec says

Contrary to the claims of the military top brass, a Malacañang official said Thursday an "automatic" loyalty check is now ongoing in the ranks of the Armed Forces and the police as well. "Automatically yan (that's automatic)," said deputy presidential spokesman Maria Lorelie Fajardo in the interview on the height of tensions at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City. Asked if a failure of intelligence may have allowed the walkout and protest march of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brigadier Gen. Danilo Lim, Fajardo said that, "It's possible, and we will make sure whoever is responsible and accountable will be given appropriate action after this." She added that, "The important thing is to control the situation. Whoever is punishable, we will take appropriate action against them." Fajardo said President Arroyo, during an emergency Cabinet meeting at Malacañang at noon, gave instructions to make sure government forces control the area. "The full force of the law should be applied," she said. Earlier in the day, military chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr, in a separate interview at the Villamor Air Base, said a loyalty check is not needed. "I don't need to do a loyalty check. What I need to do is give out orders. We have all the major service commanders," he said. - GMANews.TV