Word: rebellion
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...prudent one under the circumstances." But Aquino may be haunted by her decision for the rest of her political life. Alluding to the Philippines' former status as a U.S. possession, Max Soliven, a columnist for the pro-Aquino Philippine Star, wrote last week: "When a government cannot overcome a rebellion without 'outside' help, I hope that this does not make it a colony, a satrapy, or a banana republic, all over again...
...balance. Reports trickled in that large areas of Luzon and Mindanao as well as the bustling commercial city of Cebu in the central Philippines had capitulated to the rebels. Rumors flew that Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos and armed forces Chief of Staff Renato de Villa had joined the rebellion. Ramos added to the muddle by saying nothing publicly on the matter for 212 hours. Finally he went on radio to urge: "Do not believe their propaganda. It's not true. We're fighting them. They are the enemy...
What brought on the rebellion? Aquino may have restored the country's democratic institutions, but she has allowed the 147,500-man-strong military to continue along the dangerous course it took during the latter years of the Marcos regime. As young colonels, radical rightists and Marcos loyalists intermittently mounted coups against her, Aquino was forced to depend on military men like Ramos and De Villa to make sure that the armed forces did not entirely turn on her. Unfortunately, the management policies of these top officers were forged during the dictatorship, when promotions were decided almost wholly...
...Candido Filio, a military analyst with the University of the Philippines, Gringo Honasan did not need support from the top brass to launch last week's coup attempt. "He has been working the line of company commanders," says Filio. As it turned out, at least two generals joined the rebellion...
...rebel officers "are not Noriegas," says Stanley Karnow, author of In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines. "They are not thugs by any means." While only about 2,000 rebel troops were involved in the rebellion, several other units declared themselves neutral in the conflict out of respect for Honasan's cause. Even if Gringo's latest attempt to seize power is thwarted, says Karnow, "the symptoms of malaise within the military will still be there...