Ex-rebel: Pardon for 9 mutineers a cover-up
04/16/2008 | 03:36 PM
MANILA, Philippines - The pardon issue on the nine Army officers involved in the short-lived Oakwood mutiny in July 2003 could be part of a cover-up for the government’s refusal to implement the agreement it entered into with the mutineers.
This was according to retired Navy Commodore Rex Robles, a member of the fact-finding committee that looked into the Oakwood mutiny and himself a participant in several failed coup attempts in the past.
“It (pardon) is just part of a cover-up which started when the Arroyo government turned their backs on the agreement in Oakwood," Robles said.
He was referring to the agreement reached between former Armed Forces chief and now special envoy to the Middle East Roy Cimatu with the core leaders of the mutineers, collectively known as the Magdalo group.
The said agreement, which led to the surrender of the mutineers, specified that only the Magdalo leaders would be tried and detained over the incident while the rest would be freed and allowed to return to their respective units.
Cimatu claimed the agreement was approved by Malacañang.
“General Cimatu said this (agreement) was approved by Malacañang. The President approved it. There was an agreement. That’s why they (Magdalo) surrendered. But the government turned its back on it," Robles said.
Robles added that despite the Magdalo leaders’ apology to President Arroyo, which he said was part of the agreement to pave the way of the release of the other participants in the Oakwood mutiny, the government continues to execute their part of the bargain.
“They sacrificed self-respect for the freedom of their companions. It’s self-respect in exchange for the freedom of those who were with them in Oakwood. These people, rightly or wrongly, chose to look stupid because they wanted the other people whom they thought do not deserve to be punished to be set free," Robles said.
Another part of the agreement that the government has not acted upon, according to Robles, is the establishment of an independent Inspector General of the Armed Forces.
Robles said that while it is the President’s prerogative to grant pardon, “she might just be making up for her sins when she turned her back (on the agreement)… You can connect it to the betrayal (on the agreement)."
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr and AFP chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr had recommended to President Arroyo the granting of a conditional pardon to the nine Magdalo mutineers who were sentenced recently for their involvement in the Oakwood incident.
Two of the nine officers, Captains Gerardo Gambala and Milo Maestrecampo, were meted with 20 to 40 years imprisonment, while the seven others were given a lighter punishment of six to 12 years of imprisonment.
Teodoro, meanwhile, brushed aside the opposition of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to the possible pardon of the nine mutineers, saying it is all a matter of personal viewpoint.
“Well, perhaps that is their (CBCP) viewpoint, such is their view. But on our viewpoint the pardon is what we recommended and it is up to the president to weight the pros and cons of these different views before making a decision," Teodoro said.
As of posting time, there was still no action from President Arroyo regarding the proposal to pardon the nine officers.
"We have submitted it to the office of the President and we are waiting for the President's final determination," the Defense chief said.- GMANews.TV
This was according to retired Navy Commodore Rex Robles, a member of the fact-finding committee that looked into the Oakwood mutiny and himself a participant in several failed coup attempts in the past.
“It (pardon) is just part of a cover-up which started when the Arroyo government turned their backs on the agreement in Oakwood," Robles said.
He was referring to the agreement reached between former Armed Forces chief and now special envoy to the Middle East Roy Cimatu with the core leaders of the mutineers, collectively known as the Magdalo group.
The said agreement, which led to the surrender of the mutineers, specified that only the Magdalo leaders would be tried and detained over the incident while the rest would be freed and allowed to return to their respective units.
Cimatu claimed the agreement was approved by Malacañang.
“General Cimatu said this (agreement) was approved by Malacañang. The President approved it. There was an agreement. That’s why they (Magdalo) surrendered. But the government turned its back on it," Robles said.
Robles added that despite the Magdalo leaders’ apology to President Arroyo, which he said was part of the agreement to pave the way of the release of the other participants in the Oakwood mutiny, the government continues to execute their part of the bargain.
“They sacrificed self-respect for the freedom of their companions. It’s self-respect in exchange for the freedom of those who were with them in Oakwood. These people, rightly or wrongly, chose to look stupid because they wanted the other people whom they thought do not deserve to be punished to be set free," Robles said.
Another part of the agreement that the government has not acted upon, according to Robles, is the establishment of an independent Inspector General of the Armed Forces.
Robles said that while it is the President’s prerogative to grant pardon, “she might just be making up for her sins when she turned her back (on the agreement)… You can connect it to the betrayal (on the agreement)."
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr and AFP chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr had recommended to President Arroyo the granting of a conditional pardon to the nine Magdalo mutineers who were sentenced recently for their involvement in the Oakwood incident.
Two of the nine officers, Captains Gerardo Gambala and Milo Maestrecampo, were meted with 20 to 40 years imprisonment, while the seven others were given a lighter punishment of six to 12 years of imprisonment.
Teodoro, meanwhile, brushed aside the opposition of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines to the possible pardon of the nine mutineers, saying it is all a matter of personal viewpoint.
“Well, perhaps that is their (CBCP) viewpoint, such is their view. But on our viewpoint the pardon is what we recommended and it is up to the president to weight the pros and cons of these different views before making a decision," Teodoro said.
As of posting time, there was still no action from President Arroyo regarding the proposal to pardon the nine officers.
"We have submitted it to the office of the President and we are waiting for the President's final determination," the Defense chief said.- GMANews.TV
