The Philippine State, Society
& Economy, 1986-1992

Nov 7, 90
Bases Behind Alleged
U.S. Involvement In Coups
By IPS-Inter Press Service

A member of a fact-finding commission in the Philippines has said the United States has been involved in several coup attempts against President Corazon Aquino as part of a strategy to keep control of its military bases here.

Commission member Carolina Hernandez who is also an expert on military affairs said the presence of the U.S. facilities in the country is the real basis of Philippine-U.S. relations.

"Obviously, the United States will want to see a sympathetic person in power to assure that their interests in the Philippines are safeguarded," she told IPS in an interview.

The presidential fact-finding commission was set up after the last most-serious military mutiny against the Aquino government in December. The commission released its findings in October after a nine-month probe.

Today, the Philippines and the United States begin the second phase of talks on the future of the U.S. military facilities here.

The lease on the big U.S. air base at Clark, naval facility at Subic Bay near Manila and smaller installations throughout the Philippines expire on Sept. 16, 1991.

Since 1986, military rebels have staged seven coup attempts against Aquino, the last in October in the southernmost island of Mindanao.

In an interview with IPS, Hernandez said a top-ranking Philippine military officer had disclosed to the commission U.S. involvement in several coup attempts.

Declining to name the officer, Hernandez said: "They are saying we see the hands, but we do not know what it is doing."

According to Hernandez, the commission could not establish if "the hand really moved in relation to the coups . . .but evidence of U.S. presence in places during several attempts logically showed a foreknowledge."

She cited a naval attache at the U.S. embassy in Manila named John Mann who was reported to have told a Philippine military officer about a breach in the wall in the army headquarters of camp Aguinaldo through which the rebel soldiers were planning to enter at the onset of their attack in December.

"It means he knew what the rebels were planning to do," said Hernandez. Asked if Mann was ever investigated, she said: "We tried, but we were blocked by some kind of diplomatic privilege."

Other evidence of U.S. presence in past coup attempts were pieced together from various news clippings by the fact-finding commission.

In 1986, the U.S. Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) was reported to have promised to deliver food and aviation fuel to the Reform Armed Forces Movement (RAM) which was planning to launch a coup against former President Ferdinand Marcos. It did not materialize, according to the commission.

In July 1986, during the takeover of the Manila hotel by Marcos loyalists, a U.S. vice-consul, in the absence of U.S. Ambassador Stephen Bosworth, privately conferred with Arturo Tolentino, Marcos' vice-president and running mate in the 1986 snap election.

In the takeover of the privately owned GMA-7 television station in January 1987, a U.S. military attache, Col. James Nicholson, was photographed while talking with the rebel soldiers.

During the Aug. 28, 1987 coup attempt, Lt Col Victor Rafael, former U.S. military attache to the Philippines, allegedly dissuaded the military from attacking Camp Aguinaldo, where RAM leader Col. Gregorio Honasan was hiding.

At the same time, a certain Major Dennis Fayler and Stephen Henry were reportedly seen monitoring the perimeter of the Villamor Air Base on board separate armored cars.

And an alleged agent of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) attached to the U.S. embassy in Manila in the 1970's, was seen with rebels during their takeover of Manila's financial and business district in December 1990.

It was subsequently revealed that the agent was occupying a 19th- floor flat in one of the buildings taken over by the rebels.

In its report, the commission urged the government to look deeper into such U.S. presence.

"Considering U.S. strategic interests in the Philippines, it is both logical and prudent for the government to do so," the report said.

Explaining the reason for the U.S. moves, Hernandez said: "they must have learned their lessons from supporting only former President Marcos. I think they have learned that they have to link up with all kinds of political groups in the Philippines. Naturally, they would approach both civilians and military."


Copyright © 1990 IPS-Inter Press Service/Global Information Network . All Rights Reserved.



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