Rebels Must Pledge Loyalty, Aquino Says

Philippine President Corazon Aquino demanded Wednesday that the political and military leaders of an abortive rebellion at the Manila Hotel pledge allegiance to her government, and she banned any future rallies by any of their supporters who reject her right to rule the nation.

“Certain people have trifled too long with the dignity and stability of the present government,” Aquino declared at a press conference at the Malacanang presidential palace. “I am compelled by reasons of national interest and unity to require a pledge of loyalty to the constitution from the leaders in that illegal act of defiance.”

Divisive Meeting

Aquino said the official government position on the 38-hour attempt by forces loyal to deposed President Ferdinand E. Marcos to use the occupied hotel as a “seat of government” in a countercoup came after a divisive, three-hour meeting of her Cabinet. The Cabinet, she said was “divided between those who want to treat the incident with the contempt it deserves and those who want to make an example of those who perpetrated it.”

After Aquino’s statement, her executive secretary, Joker Arroyo, told reporters that if the leaders of Sunday’s rebellion refuse to publicly support Aquino’s government, they will face “appropriate action.” He said the Cabinet had not decided what that action would be.

Arroyo added that Justice Minister Neptali Gonzales will meet shortly with the leaders of the abortive coup--including Arturo Tolentino, Marcos’ former running mate who began the occupation by declaring himself acting president of the Philippines. Gonzales will demand their oath of allegiance at the meeting.

“If they pledge allegiance to the Aquino government,” Arroyo said, “they recognize it. And that’s the long and the short of it.”

Tolentino, 75, his top civilian backers and “maybe three generals” will be required to make the pledge, he added.

Even a pledge of loyalty, Aquino said, would not absolve the rebel leaders from civil action by the hotel, which, hotel officials said earlier, suffered at least $500,000 in vandalism and wear and tear during the two-day affair.

Aquino justified the apparently light treatment of the more than 100 rebelling soldiers and a dozen or so politicians on the grounds of national reconciliation.

Denies Giving Pardons

In a statement issued separately at military headquarters Wednesday afternoon, chief of staff Gen. Fidel V. Ramos backed off slightly on his initial stance that the soldiers would receive no punishment, except for 30 push-ups he ordered them to do in the Philippine army gymnasium within an hour of their surrender at dawn Tuesday.

“I deny having given pardons to any of the officers, soldiers and policemen who took part in the Manila Hotel incident,” Ramos said, adding that only Aquino can grant a pardon.

Ramos said the push-ups, which he and his top military aides also did with the surrendering soldiers, “was simply to relieve the tension in the gym, re-establish rapport among all the armed forces members present and emphasize the need for unity among those in uniform.”

A special military investigating committee has been created to document the extent of military and police involvement in the “Tolentino adventure,” Ramos said, adding that the results could form “the basis for further action and for preventing a similar occurrence in the future.”

Aquino announced a parallel, Cabinet-level investigation of the incident.

Ramos quickly added, however, “There is no purge contemplated by me or anyone else . . . in accordance with President Aquino’s announcement (Monday) giving assurances of honorable and liberal treatment to those who would comply with the 24-hour deadline (to surrender).”

Regarding the ban on seditious rallies, Arroyo said, opponents of the government would be free to criticize its actions but would not be permitted to take any action to further the cause of the pro-Marcos rebels.

Directing her comments to the leaders of the rebellion, Aquino said, “You are within your rights to criticize the policies of this government or flay its members on their performances. There will be elections soon where you can test the continuing mandate of this government. But nowhere in the fundamental law is there a right to undermine the constitutional basis of the new democracy our people struggled so long and hard to establish.”

Asked to define a specific seditious action, Arroyo said, “If they pledge allegiance to Tolentino, charges could be filed against them.”

Tolentino, who told reporters just hours before he and his supporters surrendered the hotel that he would never renounce his claim to the presidency, could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Arroyo said that Tolentino’s followers, in recognizing the former candidate as acting president, are going by the 1973 constitution, which was drafted largely by Marcos and rejected by Aquino soon after she took office. Support for that constitution, he argued, is therefore patently seditious, since Aquino’s government follows the so-called “freedom constitution” that Aquino unilaterally imposed by presidential proclamation when she suspended the 1973 constitution.

When asked to justify the apparent lack of punishment for leaders of the rebellion, Arroyo echoed Aquino’s defense of the government’s decision on the grounds of national unity.

“When President (Gerald R.) Ford pardoned President (Richard M.) Nixon.” he said. “That’s the best example we can give.”