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An Army unit has been deployed throughout Metro
Manila to brace for a coup against the government of President
Gloria Arroyo, the military said Friday.
“It [deployment] will form part
of our operational readiness and contingencies to prevent any
attempts [at a] power grab,” the region’s military commander
Maj. Gen. Fernando Mesa told reporters.
The “only aim” of the
deployment is “to preserve democracy, ensure that the Constitution
is followed, that the laws of the land are enforced,” he said.
Mesa added that the authorities
were not aware of any specific security threat, but that they fear
Islamic militants could take advantage of rising political tensions
to mount a terrorist attack on Metro Manila.
The Army battalion, comprising
four companies of infantry and 32 tanks and armored vehicles, will
beef up the security forces in Metro Manila, the country’s premier
region.
The deployment came as opposition
forces stepped up street protests calling for President Arroyo’s
resignation over alleged corruption, the Armed Forces of the
Philippines said.
Malacañang confirmed the
apparent show of force, saying it was aimed at maintaining peace
ahead of the planned public demonstrations against the Arroyo
administration by opposition groups next week.
Executive Secretary Eduardo
Ermita said security forces in Metro Manila were augmented to
preempt any attempts by forces critical of the government to sow
terror in the region.
He added that the move was a
regular security procedure whenever there are big mass actions.
Ermita said he hopes that the demonstrations will be peaceful.
The government, Ermita added, is
not threatened by these street protests because it believes that the
military is solidly behind it.
Holiday on Monday
The government has declared a
national holiday on Monday, as opposition forces plan public rallies
to mark the 22nd anniversary of the bloodless, military-backed
“people power” revolt that ousted then strongman President
Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.
Mrs. Arroyo has fended off
opposition calls for her resignation amid corruption allegations
surrounding her husband and a key political ally over the
controversial national broadband project. Jose Miguel “Mike”
Arroyo and Benjamin Abalos Sr., resigned chairman of the Commission
on Elections, have denied the charges.
Leaders of the country’s
powerful Roman Catholic Church, some of whom are supporting the
resignation calls, have called for their own prayer rally next week.
The Armed Forces said the public
should not be alarmed by the arrival of fresh troops in Metro Manila
since it was normal procedure and part of the military’s
operational readiness.
Mesa said the Army battalion and
the 32 tanks and armored vehicles will stay put at Camp Aguinaldo,
the military’s general headquarters in Quezon City.
“They are available for anticriminality
[work] when requested by the police and they can be deployed [also]
to prevent power grab,” he added.
Mesa calmed down the public on
the rumors or threats circulating through text messages that the
military is to withdraw its support for Mrs. Arroyo.
“And we would like to warn all
those who would cross the line or challenge the duly constituted
authorities that they will be met with the full force of the law,”
he said.
--Anthony Vargas, Angelo S. Samonte and AFP
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