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THE Department of Justice on Thursday filed charges of proposal to
commit a coup, among other charges, against former assemblyman
Homobono Adaza and four retired police and military officers before
a Quezon City court.
In a three-page resolution, Chief State
Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno approved the recommendations of Senior
State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco for the filing of the charges that
include harboring a fugitive and using a fictitious name or an
alias.
Charged with Adaza were Lt. Col. Oscarlito
Mapalo, retired Colonels Cesar dela Peña and Ernie Amboy and Police
Supt. Rafael Cardeño.
Philippine National Police chief Director Gen.
Avelino Razon Jr. ordered manhunt operations against retired Col.
Edgardo Tapia, who is in cohorts with the five suspects.
The five were arrested Wednesday by policemen at
the Robinsons Galleria mall in Quezon City for trying to extort from
Japanese businessmen, Moto Sakuma, some $4 million to finance a
military uprising against the Arroyo administration.
The arrest was made after lawyer Raymond Fortun
revealed to the authorities the alleged coup plot being hatched by
Adaza’s group. Fortun is the lawyer of Sakuma. The assistant of
the Japanese, Joanne Maria Laurilla, corroborated Fortun’s story.
“The concerted act of the respondents in their
proposal to Mr. Sakuma through M. Laurilla to finance a coup d’
etat during the aforesaid entrapment operation clearly makes them
probably liable for the offense of proposal to commit coup d’ etat,”
the resolution said.
The Justice department said a probable cause
also exists against Adaza, Mapalo, Amboy and dela Peña for
violating Presidential Decree 1829, which penalizes obstruction of
apprehension and prosecution of criminal offenders.
The investigating panel said it was clear that
Adaza and company were harboring Cendeno, who has a standing warrant
of arrest for the murder of Young Officers Union spokesman Baron
Cevantes four years ago.
Recommendations were also made to charge Cardeno
for using fictitious name.
-- William B. Depasupil with Maricel V. Cruz
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