Filipinos love a good soap opera, and the one unfolding on live television and radio has riveted their attention with its handsome bad boy, tangled conspiracy theories and tales of rampant corruption and revenge.
Almost-daily hearings into the July 27 failed coup attempt by rebellious troops -- alternately held at the Senate, the House of Representatives and an independent commission -- have been filled with twists, turns and political intrigues reminiscent of the Senate impeachment trial of then-President Joseph Estrada three years ago that captivated the nation.
"Watching things like this has become a habit for us Filipinos. It's just like a tele-drama, it's exciting," said Winly Beato, a 25-year-old hair salon cashier.
"I watch to find out what will be the ending," added Beato, who says he believes the mutineers are sincere and that their allegations of corruption in the military are true.
The mutineers have described Operation Greenbase, a supposed plot approved by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that includes government-instigated bombings to justify martial law and keep her in power. They have accused military officials of selling arms to Muslim rebels and ordering soldiers to toss grenades at mosques in revenge for bombings.
One mutiny leader, trim, good-looking Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes, testified that he tried to tell Arroyo about the grievances but claimed she arrogantly berated him and ordered him detained.
The allegations have been denied by government officials, who call Operation Greenbase a hoax used by power-hungry politicians to manipulate the soldiers to mutiny.
Security officials have testified that the siege by more than 300 soldiers of the ritzy Oakwood apartment and Glorietta shopping complex in Manila's financial district was part of a larger conspiracy to topple the government -- assassinating Arroyo along the way -- and install a civilian-military junta.
National Security Adviser Roilo Golez told the independent commission on Tuesday that the plan called for reinstalling Estrada to power for three days. Charismatic opposition Senator Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan, who has led coup attempts in the past and has gone into hiding, would have succeeded Estrada, he said.
Although a coup would have benefited Estrada -- jailed while on trial for alleged corruption as his soap opera continues -- there was no evidence directly linking him to the mutiny, Golez said.
Estrada has denied any involvement in the rebellion that collapsed peacefully after 19 hours, but officials claim his mistress and a former member of his Cabinet provided houses used as staging points by the mutineers.
While the government pushed for the hearings to be broadcast live, it was unclear who was winning the fight for public opinion. While Trillanes has sometimes come across as belligerent and cocky, the stories that he and his co-conspirators have told have found sympathetic ears.
"The Oakwood mutineers/rebels/putschists got their wish. In fact, they got radio, television and print media coverage far beyond their expectation," Philippine Star publisher Max Soliven wrote in his column.
"When all is said and done, though, the boys from Oakwood are doing maximum damage to the government," Soliven said. "Their complaints and youthful frustrations are striking a responsive chord in the hearts and consciousness of many radio listeners, TV viewers and newspaper readers."
Golez disagrees. He said Trillanes' testimony, for example, has brought out moral issues, including his failure to file a required statement of assets and liabilities -- an infraction punishable by five years imprisonment and permanent disqualification from public office.
Trillanes' admission that eight cars were registered in his name so they would not be in danger of seizure by his mother's creditor was against soldiers' honor code, Golez told reporters. Police filed a graft case against him Friday.
"This is a big moral issue, especially in the case of Lieutenant Trillanes, who has projected himself as the champion in the fight against corruption," Golez said, adding that the revelation may be intimidating other officers into refusing to testify.
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