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CNN Sunday Morning

Standoff Between Soldiers and Philippine Government Close to End

Aired July 27, 2003 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the Philippines. Calm replaces a state of rebellion there. A standoff between rogue soldiers and the government has ended without bloodshed. The soldiers were protesting what they call government corruption.
CNN's Maria Ressa is live from Manila with late-breaking development -- Maria.

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Andrea, I just came up from the sixth floor, where dozens of soldiers have moved in already. They've taken their backpacks, they're putting their weapons in the center of this grand lobby of the Oakwood hotel. They're preparing to march out.

The talks are over. It's taken a little bit more than 21 hours for it to end. But they have agreed to go back to barracks.

In exchange, they have also said that they are willing to face charges under the articles of war. But in a sign of goodwill, the government has said that it will review whether or not charges will even be filed against them.

At this point, both sides have reached agreement, but it is on a military to military level. It has now been -- we've been told that Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been told and advised of these results, and that on principle, the civilian leadership has agreed to them.

So we're seeing the troops now beginning the long process of dismantling the bombs that they have set up in and around the Oakwood Hotel, and they're going to begin to march back to barracks -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Maria, is there any sense as to why it is, after these soldiers clearly not only put their careers on the line, but also put their own lives on the line, why they decided to throw in the towel after 20 hours?

RESSA: Actually, their main goal was to get their charges heard.

I spoke with their spokesman earlier today, and he was very idealistic. He leveled three very serious charges against this administration. One of which includes a conspiracy to foment civil unrest with the end goal of dictating -- of creating martial law, to push forward the term in office of this Philippine president, Arroyo. It is a serious charge in a country which had a similar plot happen in the late '60s and early '70s, former president Ferdinand Marcos used that as a justification for martial law, which lasted 21 years. So for Filipinos, there was a very historic backlash to these charges.

Having said that, these officers say that they believe so strongly in their ideals, and that is the reason why they want to people domestically and internationally about what is wrong with the Philippine armed forces and political system in itself and to demand reform.

They've said they've tried within the normal ranks of the military and the government, but they're -- they've been denied any kind of recourse. So this, they felt, was their last chance.

Now, I asked whether or not he felt this was a treasonous act. He said no. He felt that the acts of the government were treasonous.

The Philippine government, on the other hand, has dealt with this with a velvet glove. The military did not want to fire on its own, and force was something they said they would only use as a last resort.

KOPPEL: Well, I'm sure there is a lot of relief in Manila today.

Maria Ressa, thank you very much.

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to End>


Aired July 27, 2003 - 10:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN ANCHOR: Now to the Philippines. Calm replaces a state of rebellion there. A standoff between rogue soldiers and the government has ended without bloodshed. The soldiers were protesting what they call government corruption.
CNN's Maria Ressa is live from Manila with late-breaking development -- Maria.

MARIA RESSA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Andrea, I just came up from the sixth floor, where dozens of soldiers have moved in already. They've taken their backpacks, they're putting their weapons in the center of this grand lobby of the Oakwood hotel. They're preparing to march out.

The talks are over. It's taken a little bit more than 21 hours for it to end. But they have agreed to go back to barracks.

In exchange, they have also said that they are willing to face charges under the articles of war. But in a sign of goodwill, the government has said that it will review whether or not charges will even be filed against them.

At this point, both sides have reached agreement, but it is on a military to military level. It has now been -- we've been told that Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been told and advised of these results, and that on principle, the civilian leadership has agreed to them.

So we're seeing the troops now beginning the long process of dismantling the bombs that they have set up in and around the Oakwood Hotel, and they're going to begin to march back to barracks -- Andrea.

KOPPEL: Maria, is there any sense as to why it is, after these soldiers clearly not only put their careers on the line, but also put their own lives on the line, why they decided to throw in the towel after 20 hours?

RESSA: Actually, their main goal was to get their charges heard.

I spoke with their spokesman earlier today, and he was very idealistic. He leveled three very serious charges against this administration. One of which includes a conspiracy to foment civil unrest with the end goal of dictating -- of creating martial law, to push forward the term in office of this Philippine president, Arroyo. It is a serious charge in a country which had a similar plot happen in the late '60s and early '70s, former president Ferdinand Marcos used that as a justification for martial law, which lasted 21 years. So for Filipinos, there was a very historic backlash to these charges.

Having said that, these officers say that they believe so strongly in their ideals, and that is the reason why they want to people domestically and internationally about what is wrong with the Philippine armed forces and political system in itself and to demand reform.

They've said they've tried within the normal ranks of the military and the government, but they're -- they've been denied any kind of recourse. So this, they felt, was their last chance.

Now, I asked whether or not he felt this was a treasonous act. He said no. He felt that the acts of the government were treasonous.

The Philippine government, on the other hand, has dealt with this with a velvet glove. The military did not want to fire on its own, and force was something they said they would only use as a last resort.

KOPPEL: Well, I'm sure there is a lot of relief in Manila today.

Maria Ressa, thank you very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com




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