Philippines army boosts Manila troops
Reinforcement troops have been drafted into the Philippine military headquarters in Manila amid continued threats of a coup to overthrow President Gloria Arroyo’s government, soldiers told AFP.
Troops were put on a stage two alert, the second tier of a three level alert system, despite any specific intelligence of an immediate threat.
Soldiers loyal to the government are preparing for any eventuality, an unidentified military spokesman said.
As many as two battallions of support troops have been transported to Camp Aguinaldo. They were armed with high-calibre weapons, AFP said.
“The state of rebellion will continue until we wrap up the residual threats,” Arroyo said in a radio address yesterday.
“It is true that this problem is not yet over but we have this under control and we will resolve this in the soonest possible time.”
Security measures
Security has been stepped up in and around the Filipino capital after some 300 mutineers seized a section of the Makati financial district at dawn a week ago. They called for Arroyo’s resignation, saying the President and the army were corrupt.
The rebels surrendered less than 24 hours later when they failed to garner any support.
Arroyo has alleged the mutiny was part of a larger plot to depose her and install a 15-member junta to rule the country.
Investigators, who recovered equipment worth as much as half a million dollars, have pointed to the fact that junior army officers could not have raised enough money to buy the hardwear unless they received external support.
The Philippines suffered a rash of right-wing military coup attempts in the late 1980s that damaged the economy, leaving it lagging its rapidly developing neighbours.