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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 000934 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, INR/EAP, DRL/CRA, DS, CA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/01/2016 
TAGS: PINR ASEC CASC PREL RP
SUBJECT: SUBJECT:  A/S HILL MEETS WITH GRP OFFICIALS ON 
CURRENT SITUATION 
 
REF: MANILA 918 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires, a.i., Paul W. Jones for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary:  In a February 28 meeting with A/S Hill, 
Charge Jones, and DAS John, Philippine Defense Secretary 
Cruz, National Security Advisor Gonzales, and National 
Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director Garcia said there 
were three distinct elements to the government's response to 
threats to stability.  Military coup plotters would 
eventually be court-martialed and jailed, contrary to recent 
history of rehabilitating them to avoid dissension within the 
military.  Longer term plots by leftist politicians, believed 
to be Communist Party members colluding with the New People's 
Army, would be addressed by filing rebellion charges with 
judicial authorities; some 120 such cases (in preparation 
over the past four months) were filed on February 27, 
including against six members of Congress.  The Declaration 
of Emergency was distinct from these responses and only 
empowered the government to prevent plotters from abusing the 
media or public utilities in their attempts to overthrow the 
government.  Cruz and Gonzales predicted that the Declaration 
of Emergency would be lifted in one to four weeks.  A/S Hill 
pressed them to lift the Declaration of Emergency quickly, 
noting that the raid on a small newspaper could raise 
questions about the government's commitment to freedom of the 
media.  End Summary. 
 
---------------------------- 
Coup Threats and the Marines 
---------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) Defense Secretary Cruz said that coup threats appear 
to have diminished markedly after the Marines accepted the 
removal of their leadership in a standoff on February 26. 
The government intends to deal with seditious soldiers using 
the Military Code of Justice, eventually court-martialing and 
jailing alleged instigators General Lim and Colonel Querubin. 
 For too long in the Philippines, they said, coup plotters 
were rehabilitated to avoid divisions in the armed forces. 
They accused Army Ranger General Lim of being in direct 
contact with former President Estrada on plans to overthrow 
the government, whereas Colonel Querubin was simply out "for 
his own Messianic ends."  They noted that Colonel Querubin 
and General Lim were both leaders of the bloody coup of 1989 
against the government of President Aquino. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
Arrests Made Against the Communist Party 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (C) Cruz and Gonzales said that the government had 
decided some four months ago to develop judicial cases 
against persons suspected of rebellion.  Cases were almost 
ready for submission to judicial authorities when the 
attempted coup of February 24 was uncovered.  The first 
charges were brought February 27 against at least 50 
individuals, including six Members of Congress. The six 
legislators are under the temporary custody of the House of 
Representatives, while others named in the cases have gone 
underground, they said.  All members of the secret Central 
Committee of the Communist Party would be charged and 
arrested, they said. 
 
¶4.  (C) From now on, they continued, every new attack by the 
New People's Army (NPA) -- the military wing of the Communist 
Party -- would be added to the list of charges against the 
members of the Central Committee.  They underscored that the 
U.S. and the EU had designated both the CPP and the NPA as 
Foreign Terrorist Organizations.  They also intend to re-open 
old cases, including a case against Congressman Satur Ocampo 
from 1989.  They will pursue cases against members of the 
political party Bayan Muna, which they consider a front 
organization for the CPP/NPA.  They said the government will 
not pursue cases against other left-wing organizations that 
neither espouse violence nor associate with the CPP, such as 
Akbayan. 
 
¶5.  (C) Asked for evidence of links connecting leftist 
politicians with the NPA and coup plotting, NICA Director 
Garcia offered to share all information.  "We'll give you a 
whole stack" of information, some of which was new, he said. 
Gonzales said the GRP has direct evidence of collusion 
between the renegade Magdalo Group of soldiers and the NPA, 
but admitted that other evidence of cooperation between 
 
MANILA 00000934  002 OF 002 
 
 
military elements and the NPA was indirect.  They 
acknowledged that it was counter-intuitive for anyone in the 
military to work with NPA members, but maintained it happened 
in certain cases. 
 
------------------------- 
State of National Emergency 
------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (C) Cruz and Gonzales said that the sole practical 
effects of the President's Declaration of a State of 
Emergency was to enable the government to call out the armed 
forces to enforce law and order and to act to prevent the 
media and public utilities from being misused in plots to 
overthrow the government.  They minimized the effects of the 
police raid on the small newspaper "Daily Tribune," which 
they said was a propaganda mouthpiece for former President 
Estrada.  A/S Hill cautioned that the Philippines risked 
gaining a reputation for curtailing media freedoms as long as 
the Declaration remained in effect.  Cruz and Gonzales 
acknowledged that there had been an energetic debate within 
the cabinet on whether the government had only given 
international stature to an insignificant newspaper. 
Appearing to listen carefully to A/S Hill and Charge's 
questions on the costs and benefits of the Declaration, they 
said that the cabinet was reviewing the matter daily. 
 
¶7.  (C) Asked how long the Declaration would be in effect, 
Cruz and Gonzales said that the economic team advocated 
lifting it in one week, while the security team preferred to 
wait up to three or four weeks.  In the meantime, they said 
that the government is holding talks with journalists' unions 
to encourage them to develop clear standards on what 
separates sedition from free speech, as well as mechanisms 
within the journalism profession to enforce them. 
 
Jones