Saturday, March 18, 2006

General Danilo Lim Faces Court Martial...What About Angie Reyes?

ABSCBN NEWS has the item on the Court Martial recommendation by Army Commanding General Hermogenes Esperon to AFP Chief of Staff Generoso Senga against General Danilo Lim (West Point, PMA, Brigade commander of the Elite First Scout Ranger Regiment) .
Army spokesman Major Bartolome Bacarro told ANC that Army chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon has recommended to the Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Generoso Senga that Lim face court martial proceedings for violations of the Articles of War for mutiny. Cases against Lim range from mutiny to failure to stopping a mutiny," Bacarro said, adding that charges against Lim are linked to coup plots against the Arroyo administration uncovered on February 24.
Speaking of Mutiny...

Retired General Romeo Dominguez was the guest on Ricky Carandang's show, The Big Picture this week on ABSCBN News ANC (2100 GMT+8 Thursday evenings in Manila), in which the Big Question is posed: "What's Eating the Philippine Military?" I've considered this question recently in The Citizen-Soldier's Moral Dilemma and had recently been thinking again about General Angelo Reyes and Edsa 2 in When Last the Military Withdrew Support. So I was very pleasantly surprised to hear General Dominguez on television last night characterize the actions of then AFP Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes at Edsa 2 as a plain and simple "Mutiny." -- which 20/20 hindsight and everything that has come to light proves it was! Yet the politically correct won't call a spade a spade. It is still official cant that what Gen. Reyes' "withdrawal of support." But that is definitely what it was. And in fact that is what General Reyes himself called it. The Philippine Commentary post, WHEN LAST THE MILITARY WITHDREW SUPPORT looks at the events of 19 January 2001, when then Armed Forces Chief of Staff Angelo Reyes abandoned his Commander-in-chief, Joseph Estrada, broke the Chain of Command (quite utterly) and famously addressed his major service Commanders by saying, "Well Gentlemen, you know we are about to commit Mutiny!" just before repairing to the Edsa Shrine and defecting to the forces calling for the resignation or ouster of the President. Sure enough, on the very next day, Saturday, 20 January 2001, Chief Justice Hilario Davide swore in Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as President, under whom General Reyes would shortly serve as Secretary of National Defense, later Secretary of the Interior and Local Governments, and today Environment Secretary. The final day of Edsa 2 is covered in The Real Coup d'Etat

Now, It is generally conceded that the 2001 REGIME CHANGE could not have happened without the Mutiny of Angelo Reyes, which was pre-arranged in conspiracy with Vice President Arroyo, as told in his own words by the First Gentleman. It is perhaps worthy of note to linguistically sensitive sociologists like Prof. Randy David that General Reyes' actions in the 2001 "people power" event are euphemistically referred to even today, as a "withdrawal of support," which made Dominguez's candor refreshing. But such lexical political correctness cannot save the Military from the moral dilemma that has been created by the 2001 Mutiny of General Angelo Reyes. I would submit that Mutiny itsel has been made morally or ethically ambiguous and indeterminate. Insanely, people blithely accept that Mutiny is a legitimate course of action if it succeeds, whereupon it gets to be called "withdrawal of support." Because Angelo Reyes 2001 Mutiny is no longer considered as such, the breaking of the Chain of Command for some perceived higher moral purpose--the righteous mutiny-- has been made a legitimate moral or ethical option--just make sure you succeed in grabbing political power!

What General Angelo Reyes did in 2001 was purely and completely a Mutiny that led to the next day's successful "civilian-military-judicial" coup d'etat. That Mutiny has gone unpunished and given moral legitimacy by being called a withdrawal of support.

Angelo Reyes' Mutiny IS a fait accompli...a CONTINUING CRIME if you will...I wonder WHAT CRIME exactly will be alleged against DANILO LIM in his Court Martial?

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Dean,

Based on what we've heard and read so far (and based also on many accusatory declarations made by both Gloria and military spokesman against Danny Lim in public), the act committed by BGen Lim could only be qualified as an act of Insubordination. Besides, HE DID NOT LEAVE MILITARY HQS to make good his MUTINY.

Caveat: Technically, if BGen Lim refuses to apologize to his direct superior and to his Commander In Chief, it is appropriate that he should be tried by a Court Martial and depending on other supporting charges against him, court martial may conclude that he should be immediately dishonorably discharged and/or forfeit all military pensions.

Unless there are strong physical evidences to support government/AFP case against him, BGen Lim cannot be charged with MUTINY based on Articles of War. Act of MUTINY involves 3 or more officers who invoke implicitly a THREAT of violence against a superior officer.

A mutiny CANNOT be committed by only ONE person. This was why I had earlier on posed several questions on the physical content and the word exchange during the "meeting" between Senga and Lim. I also said we must ascertain that Lim was accompanied by equally threatening officers or men to make the charge of mutiny stick.

The case of mutiny, as in other cases of purely military offences, can be pretty clear cut under Articles of War.

On Esperon's or his subaltern's declaration that Lim will be charged with FAILING TO STOP MUTINY - that's stupid. They must prove that a mutiny was committed by an Army division, brigade, battalion or a Scout Ranger unit UNDER Lim's direct command. AND I DON'T BELIEVE there was mutiny committed by any SCOUT RANGERS otherwise we would have seen them and heard them.

Unknown said...

If I were Lim, I would call ex CSAFP/DND Chief Angie Reyes to testify on the aspects of MUTINY and coup d'état and if his lawyer were extremely bold, he could ask Sen Biazon, Volt Gazmin and even FVR to come to the witness stand ... hehehe!

Seriously, Lim' lawyer must have the courage to call Angie Reyes to the stand; he should find something in military jurisprudence (worldwide if necessary) to force Reyes to get on that witness stand because I suspect Reyes will basically REFUSE - heheheh!.

I've said that tactially, a proper court martial would enable the accused officers to bring their counter accusations/charges against this government to light for the whole world to see.

It would do the accused a great deal for the accused to be defended by a lawyer who is not only of irreproachable legal repute but also one who has an excellent knowledge of military history and culture.

Understandably, a defence lawyer's excellent knowledge of military history and culture will play a great role in maintaining professionalism in what I expect would be Gloria & Esperon "monkey" court martial of accused officers and men whose professionalism, honor and courage don't leave any room for doubt (something we can't say of some of Gloria's handpicked generals).

Unknown said...

Did you know that in Britain where capital punishment is now outlawed, UK military law has NOT done away with the DEATH penalty for MUTINEERS? Same is true in the French military. If Lim is found guilty of MUTINY, technically under the Articles of War, he should be meted the DEATH penalty.

Unknown said...

Did you know that in Britain where capital punishment is now outlawed, UK military law has NOT done away with the DEATH penalty for MUTINEERS?

Same is true in the French military. If Lim is found guilty of MUTINY, technically under the Articles of War, he should be meted the DEATH penalty.

Unknown said...

But from all accounts, the AFP and by extension, Gloria and her government, HAVE absolutely poor, very poor and wobbly, real wobbly case against BrigGeneral Danilo Lim - fat chance he will be found guilty of mutiny.

Unknown said...

Danny Lim is from PMA Class of 77, and West Point Class of 78.

john marzan said...

General Danilo Lim Faces Court Martial...What About Angie Reyes?

not just angie, dean. What about all the military officials in the picture with ate glue?

and what about GMA's admission at the COPA meeting?

http://www.newsflash.org/2001/02/pe/pe001600.htm

Deany Bocobo said...

Right you are John. And the problem is really one of MORAL CONSISTENCY not just by one person but by the Supreme Court itself.

BTW Am saving that very impt item on COPA for the right post. I've not forgotten it and am trying to beef it up with fresh info. thanks

john marzan said...

BTW Am saving that very impt item on COPA for the right post. I've not forgotten it and am trying to beef it up with fresh info. thanks

awesome. thank god www.archive.org.

Unknown said...

Personally, I think Lim is an asshole. He insulted my sister back in the 1987 revolution and I never forgave him for it.

Angie Reyes will waddle her fat ass up to the stand and all will be made clear.

Check out my blog if you are interested in a serious discussion of these issues.

Sincerely,
Mitch Haase