Military command: Coup unlikely

No military uprising will take place to grab power, Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz on Monday said after the formal opening of the RP-US Balikatan exercises in Camp Aguinaldo. He admitted a number in the military who are under investigation for involvement in the destabilization move. "Some discontented individuals in the military have no capability to launch a coup d' etat," Cruz said He said reports on looming military uprising were merely "possibilities of disturbance" which the military establishment had already addressed. The defense chief was apparently referring to the Operation Plan Hackle. The plot, which the military said was designed by the political opposition, rightist and leftist groups, calls for the assassination of President Arroyo and some of her cabinet members. The military information chief Col. Tristan Kison said the plot was supposed to be carried out last Saturday, coinciding either with the Philippine Military Academy alumni homecoming in Baguio City or during the PMA graduation rites on March 25. Kison said the plan to grab power last Saturday fizzled out due to elaborate security preparations adopted at Fort del Pilar, home of the PMA. But he said the military would remain vigilant against the plot. -GMANEWS.TV