Fake coup attempt news
How I wish that fake news, like Covid-19, would be permanently wiped off the face of the earth. It has made a mockery of the rules, principles and values that civilized societies hold dear.
The local purveyors of lies have spread fabricated stories about the shutdown of the Philippine airspace and an alleged destabilization plot against the government. The other day, Rep. Sandro Marcos and SMNI news were victimized anew by these disinformation peddlers through a bogus quote card that referred to the New Year’s Day airport crisis.
The Ilocos Norte solon supposedly advised airline passengers who felt entitled to take the bus or boat to avoid travel delays. Both Marcos and SMNI immediately dismissed the fabricated quote. At this point, I can say that it would be Sisyphean (or an impossible task) to destroy a good man like Sandro.
A more worrisome piece of fake news referred to a planned power grab by disgruntled groups within the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police. In our recent history, a coup attempt happened each time the legitimacy of an incumbent government was deemed questionable.
For instance, the Cory Aquino administration faced seven coup attempts between 1986 and 1989. Recall that the Batasang Pambansa had declared the late President Ferdinand Marcos the victor in the 1986 presidential snap elections. Later that year, however, the Supreme Court
“Given our current political climate, any attempt to overthrow the Marcos-Duterte administration would fizzle out right in the planning stage.
ruled that the Aquino administration was, in fact and in law, a de jure government.
A 1990 Fact-Finding Commission on the 1989 Failed Coup d’Etat report noted that this politico-military phenomenon took root in the EDSA uprising. It described the illegal and violent seizure of power from a duly constituted government as the act of a politicized group of military officers riding on popular grievances among the officer corps.
Given our current political climate, any attempt to overthrow the MarcosDuterte administration would fizzle out right in the planning stage. The civilian leadership of our President and Vice President enjoys overwhelming public support despite the lame attacks from irrelevant opposition parties.
Nevertheless, the government must take note of the grievances within the military. According to my sources, some quarters in the military are demoralized by Republic Act 11709, which prescribes fixed terms for key officers, including three-star generals.
Enacted in 2022, the law ends the revolving door policy in the promotion of senior officers, the AFP Chief of Staff in particular. It also means that several officers would not get a promotion before retirement. It is good that our lawmakers have filed amendments to the law, limiting the three-year tenure to just the CoS, the Air Force and Army commanding generals, and the Navy’s Flag Officer-in-Command.
I am also glad that the AFP and PNP publicly shot down the destabilization plot rumor. So, where did this fake news originate?
First, there was the controversial reappointment of General Andres Centino as AFP Chief of Staff. He had previously served in the post from November 2021 to August 2022 before being succeeded by General Vicente Bacarro. The latter was the CoS for five months. The controversy stems from who between Centino and Bacarro is the first CoS to serve a fixed term under RA 11709. Regardless, the President has the inherent right to appoint AFP officers from the rank of colonel or naval captain under Article 7, Section 16 of the Constitution. The new law also gives PBBM the prerogative to replace an incumbent AFP Chief.
Second, Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos asked for the courtesy resignation of top PNP officers as part of an internal cleansing within the institution. Abalos wants to get rid of officers involved in the illegal drug trade. Third, the PNP was on heightened alert last Saturday because of the Feast of the Black Nazarene. It had nothing to do with a supposed military coup attempt.
I hope fake news purveyors who cause public disorder would be hauled into court for violating the Revised Penal Code and the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
“The government must take note of the grievances within the military.