A country of coup rumors

For someone whose political clan went through the bitter experience of military-led power grab, Senator Jinggoy Estrada would not wish any new attempt of coup d’ etat to remove again by force a democratically elected President of the Republic. Sen. Estrada firmly believes that President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) enjoys the popular support of the officers and men of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

During the first year in office of the incumbent administration, Sen. Estrada credited PBBM in coming up with new measures to further improve the welfare and wellbeing of the uniformed personnel of the AFP, including procurement of more and modern equipment for the military establishment. As the chairman of the Senate committee on national defense, security, peace and reconciliation, Sen. Estrada feels confident the uniformed personnel of the AFP remain loyal to their sworn duties as the country’s protector of the people, the flag, and the Constitution.

Speaking at the Kapihan sa Manila Bay news forum last Wednesday, Sen. Estrada noted the ranks of the AFP have evolved as a strong organization since the last of the military adventurism that succeeded in the EDSA-2 power grab in January 2001. He was then Mayor of San Juan City when he got detained together with his father, former President Joseph Estrada a few months after the EDSA-2 power grab.

Then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who took over at Malacañang Palace had had a series of military-led coup attempts, including the failed EDSA-3 in May 2001.

It was PBBM’s late namesake father who first got deposed out of Malacañang Palace following the February 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. But after being swept into power, even the late President Corazon Aquino suffered at least nine military putsches. Although all these coup attempts were quashed, some of them turned bloody, the ensuing instability and capital flight weakened the Philippine economy.

“I don’t want coups to happen again.  We cannot move forward when there is a coup. We are going backward and nothing will happen in our country. I don’t want it to happen again,” Sen. Estrada stressed. He doubted though any coup d’ etat