Word: honasan
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Meanwhile, nearly a month after the violent mutiny of Colonel Gregorio ("Gringo") Honasan and 14 of the country's 86 army battalions, disaffection with Aquino among Philippine troops continued to grow. Playing for time, the President appears to have become heavily dependent on loyal officers in the armed forces. Contributing to the rising sense of danger, the Manila press crackled with new rumors of coups and palace intrigue...
...counter Honasan's publicity blitz, General Fidel Ramos, the armed forces Chief of Staff, began one of his own. Ramos charged that the colonel, despite his fierce anti-Communist stance, had actually shirked duty in N.P.A.-infested combat zones. He said Honasan did not have enough supplies and manpower to launch another serious attack. But even Ramos was forced to admit that Honasan's popular appeal "is a long-range time bomb planted in the heart of the military...
There is a danger that Aquino's civilian opponents may ally with factions of the armed forces in an attempt to seize power. Already Juan Ponce Enrile, the Senate minority leader and Aquino's chief rival on the right, has the tacit support of Honasan and his renegades. Property owners who oppose Aquino's land-reform proposals are said to be aligning themselves with the rebels. Vice President Laurel, says David Wurfel, a Philippines expert at Canada's University of Windsor, "appears to be running for election by the military. He wants to pose himself as the civilian protector...
...become the first of many coup attempts, the press praised Aquino's leniency in dealing with the rebels, who were let free. But in successive coup attempts it has become clear that Aquino's justice is not leniency, but impotence. The leader of the latest coup attempt, "Gringo" Honasan, is still at large in central Luzon with several hundred troops. While the government has been unable to bring him to justice, CBS news has found him easy to locate--and has conducted interviews with...
...THIS writing, the downward spiral of the Aquino administration is continuing. Military commanders, unimpressed with Aquino's brand of leadership, are increasingly drawn to Honasan; the people, seeing the administration threatened, are beginning to lose faith in Aquino as a capable president...