Five End Refuge in Congress Building

Five Philippine lawmakers who took sanctuary in Congress for more than two months to avoid arrest on rebellion charges left the building today and headed for a victory parade after a judge threw out the charges against them.

Hundreds of supporters gathered at the congressional building, known as the Batasan, after the five announced they would leave, and thousands more awaited their arrival at the University of the Philippines.

“This is a triumph of every Filipino who believes in freedom, justice and the rule of law,” said Rep. Teddy Casino, one of the so-called Batasan 5, as he prepared to leave the congressional complex for the first time since Feb. 27.

Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez said the five left-wing members of Congress were free to go home after a court decision last week dismissed rebellion charges against them and more than two dozen others accused of attempting to oust President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in February.

Police who had been watching the congressional building in the hope of catching the legislators sneaking out were ordered Sunday to end their stakeout, after Gonzalez reversed an earlier declaration that the lawmakers could still be arrested despite the dismissal.

“We don’t want it said that we are too repressive,” he told reporters.

But he warned that the government would appeal the case against the legislators and could seek to arrest them later.

“We maintain that rebellion is a continuing crime and thus we can arrest them based on our evidence,” Gonzalez said.

Arroyo declared a state of emergency in February and ordered the arrest of opposition leaders after authorities said they had uncovered a plot to assassinate her and overthrow her government.

Rep. Crispin Beltran, 73, was arrested, but five other lawmakers evaded police and took refuge in the Batasan. The House of Representatives agreed to give them protection as long as they remained in the complex.

The five slept each night in a large conference room with security guards posted at the door in case police attempted to seize them in the night. Beltran remains in a hospital for treatment of diabetes and a minor stroke.

On Thursday, a judge dismissed the rebellion charges against more than two dozen alleged coup plotters, including the six legislators, after concluding that their names were improperly added to the complaint.

Gonzalez said the ruling was based on a technicality and did not prevent the government from filing the charges again.

“The question remains, will the [presidential] palace continue to persecute us?” said Rep. Satur Ocampo, the leader of the left-wing caucus and a former top Communist who spent 12 years in prison.

Among those whose case was dropped was former Sen. Gregorio Honasan, an alleged leader of the plot to overthrow Arroyo. The ex-army colonel remains on the run, however, because of charges that he inspired a 2003 mutiny by soldiers who seized an apartment and shopping complex in Manila’s financial district.

Arroyo, whose popularity plummeted after the disclosure that she ordered an election official to guarantee her a million-vote win in the 2004 presidential election, has fended off impeachment efforts and rejected repeated calls for her resignation.

With Arroyo’s declaration of emergency, police sought to arrest some of her most vocal opponents and temporarily occupied the offices of a newspaper that had been critical of her.

Last week, the Supreme Court upheld Arroyo’s authority to declare a state of emergency but ruled that portions of the decree exceeded her authority, including ordering police to take over media outlets.

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Times staff writer Paddock reported from Singapore and special correspondent Vanzi from Manila.