Ferdinand Marcos Jr nearly lost his presidency during the September 21 anti-corruption protest.
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There were rumors swirling of an attempt to unseat President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, weeks before the massive the anti-corruption protest on September 21. A source familiar with the plot said the head of a large Christian-denomination sect had met with a top Army commander days before the protest, convincing him to move against his commander-in-chief due to widespread corruption in the government.
The source said the church leader had promised to mobilize about 500,000 people to the Rizal Park in Manila on the day of the protest, and then ordered them to march to Malacanang Palace. That would signal the military to announce its withdrawal of support from the Marcos administration, a move similar to what the late Armed Forces chief of staff, General Angelo Reyes, did in January 2001, forcing then President Joseph Estrada to resign from his office.
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The source said there was only one problem. He said te church leader wanted Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio to take over once Marcos is removed. He said the Army commander turned down the church leader’s proposal. Instead, the Army commander suggested a revolutionary government, made of a 30-man civilian-military junta.
Two members of the Roman Catholc clergy were reportedly invited to join the junta, but had been warned by their superiors not to take part in any extra-constitutional means tn remove the president. The source said the junta would also arrest and jail senators, congressmen, and other public officials implicated in the anomalous infrastructure projects which defrauded the government of billions of pesos.
The meeting ended without an agreement, the source added, but the church leader and a retired general identified with the previous government continued to talk to the Army commander and covinced him to stage a mutiny and install the vice president. The source said the Army commander was reluctant because the United States would not happy with the possible rise of the vice president in a regime change.
On Friday, the source said the church leader and Army commander had met again. This time, the Army commander firmly rejected the church leader and retired general’s proposal to install Sara Duterte. A day before the Septermber 21 protest, the source learned the church leader ordered his followers to stand down, prohibiting them from joining the mass actions in Luneta and on EDSA.
The mutiny was averted but violence outside the presidential palace when protesters wearing masks threw stones and molotov bombs at unarmed police crowd control units. The source said it was not known if the mob attack on Mendiola and at foot of Ayala bridge was part of the planned mutiny. A politician and a lawyer were believed to be behind the violent protest. The unruly protesters had tried to stage violent actions similar to what had happened to Nepal and Indonesia.
The source said there was a plan by rioters to burn down the Presidential Palace, the military camp, and the homes of lawmakers and a private contractor. The source said the threat of an Army mutiny is still a possibility if the government would not move fast to hold corrupt lawmakers and officials accountable.
The Philippines is no stranger to military mutinees. Two only succeeded since 1986 and nearly a dozen had failed. President Marcos should act fast to defuse a building tension and ensure the loyalty of the Armed Forces. Last week, he held a dialogue with the Association of Generals and Flag Officers (AGFO) to assure them corrupt officials and lawmakers woud be jailed. Marcos should also talk to disgruntled troops to avoid a potential destabization attempt.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of this publication.
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