Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:47:00 10/16/2010
MANILA, Philippines—Twenty years ago, the Davide Commission was tasked to investigate the failed coup d’etat of December 1989, during which 91 people were killed and 570 were wounded. After a year’s work, during which it investigated not only the 1989 coup attempt but the six previous ones against President Cory Aquino, the Davide Commission issued a 734-page report which, among other things, recommended “dishonorable discharge, forfeiture of all benefits, in valid instances allowing the attachment of their properties, and punishment to the full extent of the law for those found guilty as principals. Those with lesser offenses should be meted out graduated punishment.” In other words, throw the book at them.
The Davide Report exhaustively analyzed the politicization of the military as a complex, long-term problem, with no quick-fix solutions. It wasn’t keen about granting amnesty to coup plotters, having seen how the rebels let off with light slaps on the wrists (or made to do push-ups), cropped up like bad pennies, mounting coup attempt after coup attempt against Cory. The government, it warned, “should not allow itself to be stampeded into a generalized program ‘to start with a clean slate’ since that argument was used as a ploy in past coup attempts to merely preempt prosecution of incorrigible rebels.” Furthermore, amnesty should be “judiciously applied,” and extended only to “young officers (majors and below) who are not principals and who have exceptional service records, provided they renounce all coups, pledge not to have any involvement in any recruitment or planning for a coup, and agree to resign from the armed forces.
You can’t get much clearer than that.
Yet, President Fidel Ramos, Cory’s successor who, as her Armed Forces chief of staff, recommended push-ups for the rebels to work off their misplaced energy, did the exact opposite of what the Davide report advised. He not only left unheeded many of the Davide Report recommendations; in 1995 he granted an unconditional amnesty to 3,731 military officers and soldiers who participated in the 1987 and 1989 coup attempts—including full reinstatement for 153 officers, and 1,675 soldiers who requested for them. Some were even later promoted, such as Army Col. Jake Malajacan who, flushed with triumph, was quoted as saying, “Coups are a thing of the past.”
Famous last words. Because, of course, the Oakwood coup attempt occurred on July 27, 2003 (as well as the subsequent Manila Pen and Marine stand-off incidents), this time led by junior officers, like Antonio Trillanes. Another fact-finding body, the Feliciano Commission, investigated Oakwood and found that, contrary to Trillanes’ assertion that it was “spontaneous,” Oakwood was the result of months of planning. Moreover, it cited the involvement of then former Sen. Gringo Honasan who also led coup attempts against Cory, and was a beneficiary of Ramos’ unconditional amnesty. Oakwood, according to the Feliciano Commission, was a coup attempt, the goal of which was to remove by force incumbent government officials as well as senior military officers who would not voluntarily give up power.
The Feliciano Commission again strongly recommended: “Enforce the law against all violators—erring officers, troops and civilian partners in coup plots must be treated in accordance with law to control and reverse the culture of impunity.” Why? Because “...failure on the part of the Government to enforce the law deprives the law of its power to deter, particularly among those who had engaged in previous coup plots …. but who were granted unconditional amnesty in 1995 without prior punishment.” Citing the historical evidence, it continued: “A number of former coup plotters who had been punished for their participation in the coup attempts of the 1980s and returned to the military after the 1995 grant of unconditional amnesty…. have turned their back on military adventurism. Members of their units did not join the Magdalo group in Oakwood. But some of those who received unconditional amnesty without prior punishment were on the list of members of the National Recovery Program Council. This suggests that consistent enforcement of the law may be a critical factor in neutralizing the coup virus.” (emphasis supplied)
You can’t get much clearer than that, either.
The two commissions make the point that civilian participants should be prosecuted because they are part of the problem of military adventurism.
Now comes President Aquino, with Proclamation 50, in effect turning his back on the findings and recommendations of both the Davide and the Feliciano commissions, in spite of the lessons of history. And again granting amnesty not only to the military involved, but also “supporters” (presumably civilians), whoever they may be. And while the coup plotters are not to be reinstated, they get their retirement and pension benefits.
His stated reason that there is a “clamor from certain sectors of society” urging him to grant amnesty; and “in order to promote an atmosphere conducive to a just…enduring peace…” Hogwash. The only ones who were “clamoring” were some senators who have ulterior motives. And, of course, the coup plotters themselves. And as the Davide and Feliciano commissions point out, this is not the way to neutralize the coup virus and military adventurism.
The real reasons? How about personal, partisan political considerations? In any case, it looks like P-Noy has stepped off his bruited straight and narrow path. Again.
The Davide Report exhaustively analyzed the politicization of the military as a complex, long-term problem, with no quick-fix solutions. It wasn’t keen about granting amnesty to coup plotters, having seen how the rebels let off with light slaps on the wrists (or made to do push-ups), cropped up like bad pennies, mounting coup attempt after coup attempt against Cory. The government, it warned, “should not allow itself to be stampeded into a generalized program ‘to start with a clean slate’ since that argument was used as a ploy in past coup attempts to merely preempt prosecution of incorrigible rebels.” Furthermore, amnesty should be “judiciously applied,” and extended only to “young officers (majors and below) who are not principals and who have exceptional service records, provided they renounce all coups, pledge not to have any involvement in any recruitment or planning for a coup, and agree to resign from the armed forces.
You can’t get much clearer than that.
Yet, President Fidel Ramos, Cory’s successor who, as her Armed Forces chief of staff, recommended push-ups for the rebels to work off their misplaced energy, did the exact opposite of what the Davide report advised. He not only left unheeded many of the Davide Report recommendations; in 1995 he granted an unconditional amnesty to 3,731 military officers and soldiers who participated in the 1987 and 1989 coup attempts—including full reinstatement for 153 officers, and 1,675 soldiers who requested for them. Some were even later promoted, such as Army Col. Jake Malajacan who, flushed with triumph, was quoted as saying, “Coups are a thing of the past.”
Famous last words. Because, of course, the Oakwood coup attempt occurred on July 27, 2003 (as well as the subsequent Manila Pen and Marine stand-off incidents), this time led by junior officers, like Antonio Trillanes. Another fact-finding body, the Feliciano Commission, investigated Oakwood and found that, contrary to Trillanes’ assertion that it was “spontaneous,” Oakwood was the result of months of planning. Moreover, it cited the involvement of then former Sen. Gringo Honasan who also led coup attempts against Cory, and was a beneficiary of Ramos’ unconditional amnesty. Oakwood, according to the Feliciano Commission, was a coup attempt, the goal of which was to remove by force incumbent government officials as well as senior military officers who would not voluntarily give up power.
The Feliciano Commission again strongly recommended: “Enforce the law against all violators—erring officers, troops and civilian partners in coup plots must be treated in accordance with law to control and reverse the culture of impunity.” Why? Because “...failure on the part of the Government to enforce the law deprives the law of its power to deter, particularly among those who had engaged in previous coup plots …. but who were granted unconditional amnesty in 1995 without prior punishment.” Citing the historical evidence, it continued: “A number of former coup plotters who had been punished for their participation in the coup attempts of the 1980s and returned to the military after the 1995 grant of unconditional amnesty…. have turned their back on military adventurism. Members of their units did not join the Magdalo group in Oakwood. But some of those who received unconditional amnesty without prior punishment were on the list of members of the National Recovery Program Council. This suggests that consistent enforcement of the law may be a critical factor in neutralizing the coup virus.” (emphasis supplied)
You can’t get much clearer than that, either.
The two commissions make the point that civilian participants should be prosecuted because they are part of the problem of military adventurism.
Now comes President Aquino, with Proclamation 50, in effect turning his back on the findings and recommendations of both the Davide and the Feliciano commissions, in spite of the lessons of history. And again granting amnesty not only to the military involved, but also “supporters” (presumably civilians), whoever they may be. And while the coup plotters are not to be reinstated, they get their retirement and pension benefits.
His stated reason that there is a “clamor from certain sectors of society” urging him to grant amnesty; and “in order to promote an atmosphere conducive to a just…enduring peace…” Hogwash. The only ones who were “clamoring” were some senators who have ulterior motives. And, of course, the coup plotters themselves. And as the Davide and Feliciano commissions point out, this is not the way to neutralize the coup virus and military adventurism.
The real reasons? How about personal, partisan political considerations? In any case, it looks like P-Noy has stepped off his bruited straight and narrow path. Again.
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