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Arroyo risks mutiny over corruption

Philippine President Gloria Arroyo, battling claims that lawmakers were given cash to block an impeachment bid against her, risks a mutiny by soldiers angry about corruption, military sources said yesterday.

Troops battling al-Qaeda-linked Islamic rebels and Communist insurgents in the restive south are demanding answers from Arroyo about the bribery scandal, with one officer saying they are fed up with seeing government money disappear.

"This situation is a powder keg and it's just waiting to explode," said a senior military commander whose men have suffered heavy casualties against Abu Sayyaf militants.

"A mutiny or a coup is highly possible. Troops are watching, they are more deliberate and more resolved. There is a cause for rebellion because corruption is so blatant," the commander said, asking not to be identified.

Armed forces Chief of Staff General Hermogenes Esperon added fuel to the fire on Monday when he said the government could not afford to pay frontline troops 150 pesos (US$3.40) a day because of what he called "lack of funds."

Senator Rodolfo Biazon, a former Marine commandant who maintains close ties with the armed forces, said the government must provide a "credible and logical explanation" into the allegations that lawmakers were paid millions in bribes.

"The soldiers know this and yet they were being told they cannot get combat pay because there are no funds," Biazon said. "Put yourself in the shoes of the soldiers -- what would you think?"

Biazon said the Marines, who are at the forefront of Arroyo's "anti-terror" fight, could lead the charge to oust her.

Last week, Arroyo's government ordered a probe into claims that lawmakers and officials were paid more than US$2.5 million in bribes to halt an impeachment bid against her.

Local media reports said more than 120 million pesos was given to 190 congressmen and 48 provincial governors after a reception at the president's official residence, Malacanang Palace, in Manila.

Biazon said the Marines were still reeling from a July ambush by the Abu Sayyaf that left 14 dead, 10 of them beheaded. Sixteen more Marines were killed in a gunbattle the following month.

Earlier this week, Marines Commandant Major General Benjamin Dolorfino appealed to his troops to remain "neutral" and "solid" behind the government and respect the chain of command, warning the alternative was "civil war."

"Let's not gamble again. Next time, it will be a civil war. It is hard if people with guns are involved [in a coup]," Dolorfino was quoted as saying in the local media.

Arroyo was swept into power by a military-backed popular revolt that ousted rival Joseph Estrada in 2001. She survived coups in 2003 and last year, and her popularity remains low over successive scandals that have hit her government.
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