Report on botched February coup submitted to AFP chief

The military fact-finding board looking into the botched February 24 coup has finally submitted its findings to Armed Forces chief General Generoso Senga Friday, four days after its supposed contents were leaked to a television network and a major publication. Armed Forces Inspector General Vice Admiral Rufino Lopez, who led the three-month inquiry, personally submitted his report to Senga at the Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio. The submission of the report coincided with the arrest of six fugitive Magdalo soldiers earlier in the day. It also came two weeks before the scheduled retirement of Senga. “Congratulations for finishing this expeditiously. I will take a look at this and let the public know," Senga told Lopez in receiving the 43-page report. Senga refused to disclose even the salient points of the Lopez report. "I will review this. I will study it. I will look at the recommendations, if there is a need for some people to go through court martial, then, I will order the conduct of a pre-trial investigation. After that, charges will be filed then the court martial proceedings will be done," he told reporters. On Monday night, a late evening news program said the report recommended 38 officers and 27 foot soldiers be made to face a general court martial for their supposed involvement in the botched February uprising. The same report was carried by a national broadsheet Tuesday. Among those supposedly recommended for court martial are former Marine commandant Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, sacked First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR) chief Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim and Marine Col. Ariel Querubin, a recipient of the highest military combat medal. Lim and Querubin allegedly planned to lead a mass withdrawal of support of soldiers from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on February 24, the 20th anniversary of the 1986 People Power revolt. Miranda was reportedly in on the plot. When the withdrawal of support failed to take place, Querubin led a six-hour standoff at the Marine headquarters in Fort Bonifacio in protest over the sudden relief of Miranda on February 26. Lopez had earlier denied the leaked information came from his report, claiming some names listed in the supposed recommendation were not included in his investigation. - GMANews.TV