Gregorio Honasan

I spent three days in Seoul South Korea because of this guy. From AFP-

MANILA (AFP) - Philippine Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez on Friday said the government was dropping charges against veteran coup-plotter Gregorio Honasan after he was elected to the Senate last month.



Gonzalez said Honasan, a former colonel, was cleared of all criminal culpability for alleged involvement in a coup plot against President Gloria Arroyo in 2003 despite earlier findings of Justice Department prosecutors.

"There being an insufficiency of evidence... the complaint against the respondent is dismissed," Gonzalez said.

However Gonzalez stressed that charges had not been dropped against one of the leaders of the 2003 mutiny, Lieutenant Antonio Trillanes, who was also elected to the Senate in the May 14 midterm polls.

Trillanes led a group of junior officers and soldiers in occupying part of an upscale mall in July 2003 in a failed attempt to oust Arroyo and the military leadership. The group surrendered after a one-day face-off with government troops.

Honasan was accused of helping mastermind the 2003 plot after the mutineers were found to have copies of Honasan's "National Recovery Programme" -- a manifesto that called for the total revamp of the government.

The above article fails to note Honasan's involvement in coup attempts in 1986 against Ferdinand Marcos and in 1989 against Corazon Aquino. I remember the 89 coup attempt well. At the time I was flying from Florida to the Philippines to meet my wife for her embassy interview. The coup took place on December 1st, the day I was supposed to be flying into Manila on Northwest Airlines. Instead our plane was stopped in Seoul where I spent three days wearing tropical clothing in a city where the temperatures were in the 30's and 40's. Not to mention the Salisbury steak the hotel kept trying to feed me.

Can I get repayment for the phone bill I ran up because of being stuck in Seoul? How about forcing Honasan to eat salisbury steak dressed only in his underwear in thirty degree temperatures. Don't be sadistic TFM, right? Ok, I'll just force the steak on Gregorio instead. That will be torture enough.

Considering the instability of Philppine politics, does anyone want to place bets against Honasan's involvement in a future coup attempt?

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