MANILA, Philippines -- The Department of Justice (DoJ) has filed criminal cases against a former lawmaker and lawyer and three others before local courts for their alleged involvement in a plot to oust President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Homobono Adaza, Army Lieutenant Colonel Oscarlito Mapalo, who is absent without leave, retired Marine Colonel Cesar dela Peña, retired Army Colonel Ernie Amboy, and police Superintendent Rafael Cardeño were charged Friday with proposal to commit coup before the Quezon City regional trial court, said Chief State Prosecutor Jovencito Zuno in a three-page resolution.

Meanwhile, Adaza, Mapalo, Dela Peña, and Amboy are facing charges of obstruction of justice and harboring a fugitive before the Metropolitan Trial Court (MeTC), Zuno said in the same resolution which he issued after approving the recommendation by Provincial Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco, head of the Task Force on National Security, to file the appropriate cases against these individuals.

Before the same court, Cardeño was charged with the unauthorized use of a fictitious name when he introduced himself as Randy Marbella, said Zuno.

Cardeño has a standing warrant of arrest in a murder case filed against him in a local court when he was allegedly taken in by Adaza and company.

"The concerted act of the respondents in their proposal to Mr. [Monotori] Sakuma through M. Laurilla to finance a coup d’etat during the aforesaid entrapment operation clearly makes them probably liable for the offense of proposal to commit coup detat penalized under Article 136 of the Revised Penal Code," the prosecution said.

The case against the five stemmed from the complaint filed by lawyer Raymund Fortun alleging that Adaza's group was asking his Japanese client for money to help finance another attempt to oust Arroyo.