Military confirms recruitment for fresh destabilization plot
First posted 02:46pm (Mla time) June 06, 2005
By Joel Francis Guinto
INQ7.net
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THE MILITARY revealed on Monday an ongoing recruitment among its ranks for a fresh destabilization plot against the government.
The recruitment however has so far been unsuccessful and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) remain loyal to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, said Brigadier General Jose Angel Honrado, military Civil Relations Service (CRS) chief and concurrent spokesman.
The destabilization plot will use “disinformation and black propaganda,” Honrado told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo, quoting unverified intelligence information.
“There are efforts from sectoral groups to recruit members of the AFP,” he said. “These reports, alarming as they are... The AFP stands united and the chain of command is strong.”
Honrado added that the military would not place itself on red alert despite the alleged recruitment operations.
The spokesman refused to name the persons behind the recruitment. “We are trying to pinpoint people. We are trying to pinpoint organizations.”
The recruiters are using the controversial multimillion-peso rehabilitation of sidewalks in Camp Aguinaldo and the construction of a resort for soldiers in Boracay Island, as well as the “jueteng” controversy surrounding the First Family, to entice the soldiers to join them, Honrado said.
“They [controversies] are being exploited but we have answered them. I think we have amply explained our stand,” he said.
The military's admission came after Malacañang accused the political opposition of allegedly planning to release a tape recording, which would allegedly prove that Arroyo cheated in the May 2004 election.
Honrado did not confirm or deny the existence of the tape but warned that should it be made public, it would amount to “destabilization of the highest order.”