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By Jason Cruz Luna Contributor
Nine junior officers belonging to
the Magdalo group including two of their leaders pleaded guilty to
the coup charges filed against them for their participation in the
short-lived Oakwood mutiny in 2003.
This caught the prosecution and
defense lawyers by surprise.
The nine officers, all of them
from the Army, include Captains Gerardo Gambala, Milo Maestrocampo,
Albert Baloloy, John Andres and Alvin Ebreo, and Lieutenants
Lawrence Luis Somera, Florentino Somera, Christopher Brian Yasay and
Cleo Dongga-As.
Gambala and Maestrocampo along
with former Navy Lt. Senior Grade and now Senator Antonio Trillanes
4th, James Layug and Marine Capt. Gary Alejano, were identified as
the leaders of the group which seized the Oakwood Hotel on July 27,
2003, where they denounced corruption in the government and the
military.
The manifestation to change plea
was done by the nine officers during Wednesday’s hearing at the
sala of Makati Regional Trial Court Judge Oscar Pimentel. Of the 31
accused, only 23 were present.
Trillanes and Layug did not show
up in the hearing while Alejano has dengue and is still confined at
the Armed Forces Medical Center in V. Luna, Quezon City.
Last year, San Juan changed his
position and entered a guilty plea on the lesser offense of
conspiracy to commit a coup. But Pimentel junked his motion.
Pimentel then ordered the said
officers be re-arraigned, where they entered the guilty plea after
the charge sheet was read to them.
Possible arrangement with
Malacañang
But defense lawyer, Ernesto Francisco
Jr. said they found it “very unusual” that the accused would
enter a guilty plea. He added the accused might have entered into an
agreement with Malacañang that will result to a lower sentence or
even an executive clemency.
“It’s very unusual that you
will enter a guilty plea to a capital offense without prior arrangement.
You should ask Malacañang if there is such an arrangement,”
Francisco said.
The defense lawyer added that the
accused are mistaken if they think that they will be able to get out
of detention by changing their plea.
Francisco added that the accused
and the prosecution were apparently prepared for the change of
plea as the prosecution panel headed by State Prosecutor Richard
Anthony Fadullon immediately recommended prison terms for the nine
officers.
Fadullon recommended 17 to 20
years in prison for Gambala and Maestrocampo, and 10 to 12 years for
the remaining six.
Fadullon said he recommended the
prison term, which is one degree lower for the case because of
mitigating circumstances like the peaceful surrender that ended the
Oakwood stand-off, and their cooperation during the proceedings.
Fadullon also said that he was
also surprised by the development and denied the contention of the
defense that he had prior knowledge of the change of plea.
But he added that the prosecution
welcomed the latest development because it bolsters their case
against the accused, including Trillanes.
Pimentel set the promulgation of
the sentence for the nine on April 8.
Francisco said he was surprised
by the sudden turn-around of the accused though he said it would not
affect the case of the rest.
He said his clients, Lt. Senior
Grades Eugene Louie Gonzalez, Andy Torrato and Manuel Cabochan, Lt.
Junior Grade Arturo Pascua Jr., 2nd Lt. Jonnel Sangalang, and
Ensigns Armand Pontejos, Cesa3ari Yasser Gonzales and Julius Mesa
were all unfazed by the development.
Francisco even expressed confidence
that if given the chance to present their evidence and witnesses,
the accused might even get an acquittal.
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