Honasan: Coup attempts contributed to RP development

[explorer]

Honasan: Coup attempts contributed to RP development

August 21, 2007
Updated 04:23:04 (Mla time)
Dona Pazzibugan
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- The benefit of hindsight has not brought remorse to Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan who launched a series of bloody coup attempts in the late '80s.

The cashiered Army colonel said Monday he did not regret his attempts to overthrow the Aquino administration which cost lives and affected the country's fragile economy.

He said the coups he launched contributed to the country's democratic development.

“Ah yes, any lesson, good or bad, is worth learning. It contributes to our development,” he said.

Honasan also wanted to set the record straight: He led two, not seven, coup attempts against the Aquino administration -- the bloodiest ones on Aug. 28, 1987 and Dec. 1, 1989.

He said he was involved in a third “coup d'etat,” which was how he referred to the historic EDSA People Power revolt on Feb. 22-26, 1986, that toppled the 14-year-old Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship.

The subject of coup came up during Honasan's news conference at the Senate press office on Monday.

He was asked if he regretted leading the coup attempts. Without hesitating, Honasan replied, “No.”

Neither did he feel responsible for the economic setbacks the country suffered as a result of the uprisings.

”Hindi (No). I have no regrets because one time we got to talk to (former National Economic and Development Authority chief) Professor (Solita) Winnie Monsod. We were still underground then,” Honasan said.

“[I asked her] ‘Ma'am, did we cause the downfall of the economy?’ She said, ‘No, you are not that good.’ It was already on its way down; we just accelerated it,” he said.

Honasan said the civilian and military casualties were inevitable “collateral damage” which he regrets.

However, he could not remember how many people were killed during the coups.

“Nakalimutan ko na. Pero mas maraming namatay doon sa flash floods sa Ormoc. About 8,000 people in two hours kaysa sa whole coup and uprisings combined. Iyon ang alam ko (I can’t recall. But there were more casualties in the flash floods in Ormoc than in all the coups combined),” he said, referring to the deadly floods in Leyte in 1991.

He also said he did not feel responsible for the attack on former President Corazon Aquino’s only son, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III outside Malacañang during the Aug. 28 coup.

Noynoy survived five bullet wounds. One bullet is still lodged in his neck. Three of his four security escorts were killed, the fourth was wounded.

Honasan said he talks to Noynoy “casually,” but neither has raised the subject of the 1987 coup d’etat.

“There is no occasion to [talk about it]. Pero (But) I suppose he wants to move forward also,” he said.

Unlike the rest of the military rebels, Honasan was never imprisoned for his coup attempts.

In 1995, all rightist rebels were given amnesty by the administration of President Fidel Ramos.

Honasan said he was in favor of granting a similar amnesty to the Magdalo officers, including Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, who staged the 2003 Oakwood mutiny.

[Isuzoom]

gago!......

[empy]

why would anyone be surprised he said this? the man is clearly a megalomaniac.

megalomaniac's think their way is the best way, and they cannot do wrong. if confronted with evidence that they made a mistake, or made the wrong decision, they will seek to rationalize it any way they can...kahit ganong kabaluktot

[CVT]

Hello???? We were on top of the world in 1986, until.....

Sino'ng bumoto rito sa kanya???

3505:kodak:

[Syuryuken]

Potek......

[lolo pepe]

c'mon. saying that the number of people that got killed during your coup attempts is less than the number of fatalities in Ormoc due to flooding and is therefore ok and justified - is an insult to our intelligence. PMA'er at senator ka pa naman. saan mo naman nakuha yang rhetoric na yan? nabagok siguro ang ulo mo pagtalon mo galing sa second floor while fleeing the authorities the last time around.

and your coup attempts contributed to RP developments? para mo nang sinabi na yung erap jokes should be included in english language subjects sa high school. what a joke.

[andre]

Coup = Economic Gain ?

[cc81352]

Honasan: Coup attempts contributed to RP development? ha?

[ghosthunter]

Maybe they should just throw him into jail and throw away the key?

[shadow]

it did contribute to his own interest...that is...

from an enemy of the state to become a senator of the land..twice...

now to tie this up to the other thread, "would I die for the country"?... for what? to be able for people like him to serve as my senator...never mind...