Eh-hum # 90

As if things couldn't get any worse, certain personalities/individuals try to make things more interesting by suggesting that the Military withdraw their support to their Commander in Chief.

(Former) Scout Ranger head honcho Brig General Danny Lim reportedly went to the office of AFP Chief of Staff Generoso Senga and tried to convince him that he and the rest of the military should join protes rallies and withdraw their support from the President. Because of this, Gen Senga placed BGen Lim under custody. Because of this, plus the rallies celebrating People Power I and demanding that the President should step down, President Arroyo issued Presidential Proclamation 1017, which placed the country under the "state of emergency" plus loyalty check among the armed forces. As expected, members of the opposition and other solons asserted that the 1017 is unconstitutional and are now finding means to discredit both the proclamation and the President.

Aside from this, the Marines (of the PN) protested yesterday after the relief of their Commander. Colonel Ariel Querubin, the leader of the protest, said he was acting to protest the relief of Marine commandant Major General Renato Miranda. Fortunately, the standoff ended without any more problems. The new Marine commandant, Brigadier General Nelson Allaga, announced the end of the standoff, saying “we will follow the chain of command; we will follow the Constitution and the duly constituted authority."

Last Friday, my mother asked me via phone what is the situation in Camp Aguinaldo, where I was working. Overall, it was peaceful, the tanks seen on TV was at the GHQ, which is like blocks away from my office. My parents were worried, but really, the media has this knack for transforming small issues into big headlines.