the AFP the military and the police are becoming a puppet of arroyo's trying to hold on to her position the eligitimate leader.Military said there's no treat for any de-stabilation of the country and how come they are showing off their power.All arroyo's general are backing her up because they are all greedy ex general's who got position on her administration so they could help her to stayed on power.Ang kakapal ng mga mukha this kind of maneuver was the stile of the military during marcos time. The bombing in metro manila was just the start blame it to left or right but it was a military tactic and then making excuses that they doing a military excercise because of the SONA.......What do the military think about the Filipino people?????one more thing Give PEACE IN MINDANAO STOP THE KILLING OF INNOCENCE PEOPLE THE BOMBING OF THOSE CHURCH GOER'S AND OTHER'S THEY SHOULD BE ASHAMED NO PERSON'S WHO BELIEVED IN GOD WILL DO THAT COWARDICE ACT. MILITARY AND MILF STOP POINTING TO EACH OTHER HELP EACH OTHER TO CATCH THOSE"S***T HEAD RESPONSIBLE TO THAT BOMB.......
Submitted by jesus poblete soriano on Mon, 07/06/2009 - 02:05.Military, police beef up SONA security; opposition wary
abs-cbnNEWS.com | 07/05/2009 8:42 PM
Printer-friendly version | 
Send to friend | 
Share your views
MANILA - The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Saturday said it was already preparing for any eventuality, including a possible destabilization, during President Arroyo's State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 27 but opposition personalities on Sunday said they are wary of the preparations being undertaken.
"These are normal. Every time the President is set to deliver her SONA, our AFP and the PNP [Philippine National Police ]are preparing," said AFP public affairs office chief Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr. of their preparations.
On Saturday, the military's National Capital Region Command held a mustering of troops in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City and inspection of the troops' equipment as part of the SONA preparations.
Brawner said that while the possibility of a destabilization move during the SONA is remote, they are preparing for it anyway.
Rumors
"We are preparing but at the same time we are realistic in our assessment. As of now, our assessment is that these talks about destabilization plots are merely rumors," the official said.
"We are preparing for eventuality because we are not only confronting possible destabilization, we also have the rallies and other actions that may lead to chaos," said Brawner.
The military officer cited past experiences where some groups would fan out rumors of destabilization every time the President, the military's commander-in-chief, gives her SONA.
Brawner said there is no real threat to destabilize the Arroyo government, stressing that the supposed Oplan August Moon was made up by some groups to sow intrigue in the military.
The “Oplan” supposedly calls for the relief of AFP chief Gen. Victor Ibrado and the appointment of Army chief Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, a perceived Arroyo general, as his successor.
The Oplan will supposedly then lead to the extension of the President's term beyond 2010.
"We are now discounting this as a threat to national development or national security," said Branwer of the Oplan.
"Based on the evidence we recently gathered, this is just the work of people who want it to make it appear that there is chaos in our country, that there is infighting in our AFP. These are all made up, these are purely the products of imagination of some people," he said.
Hopefully 'not for Martial Law'
Meanwhile, members of the opposition are cautiously eyeing the preparations.
Former president Joseph Estrada, through spokesperson Margaux Salcedo, said they hope the preparation is not in any way related to something close to Martial Law.
"We hope this "preparation" by the military is not in fact preparation for anything like Martial Law. Actually, the biggest threat to this government is government itself. The Opposition has proven time and again that while we speak and rally against the corrupt practices of this Administration, we will never go beyond the constitutional bounds of freedom of expression and peacable assembly," Salcedo said.
United Opposition (UNO) spokesperson Ernesto Maceda said that the unrest that has happened under the current administration is due to the President's "lack of credibility," causing the people to always be suspicious of her motives.
"GMA has not made any real effort to quell people's fears. She has made no definite statement against Con-Ass, no definite statement that there will be presidential elections. That is why people are uneasy and suspicious. It always seems like she is out to put one over us," Maceda said.
"Instead of looking forward to presenting its accomplishments to the people, this administration has to prioritize its personal security during the SONA. This move clearly illustrates that this administration never really advocated the interest of the people and did not, do not, and will never have the support of the majority of the Filipino people," said Grace Poe Llamanzares, daughter of the late Fernando Poe Jr. who was an opposition bet in the 2004 presidential elections
“Overkill”
UNO president and Makati mayor Jejomar Binay, meanwhile, said that Saturday's exercise at Camp Aguinaldo was intended to intimidate the opposition.
"The military leadership and Malacanang say there is no threat to the administration. So there was no need to roll out the tanks and show off soldiers in combat gear," Binay said in a statement Sunday.
"The overkill was intentional. It was intended as a message to the opposition," he said.
Binay also said that the recent bombing scares in the capital, notably at the Office of the Ombudsman, were "meant to justify the deployment of more police and soldiers to Metro Manila" prior to the SONA.
Comments