Coup plot vs Aquino a ‘cause for concern’, says defense chief

AIR FORCE CITY, Clark, Pampanga—Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin on Friday said that the alleged destabilization ploy by retired military officers against President Benigno Aquino III is “a cause for concern” even as he maintained the coup rumor has yet to be validated.

In a chance interview after the formal turn-over of four Sokol multipurpose combat helicopters here in Clark Air Base, Gazmin said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines is taking the ouster issue seriously.

“We will have to verify that. Of course, this is a cause for concern but we are not taking this very lightly,” Gazmin told reporters.

“But as far as we know wala pa kaming navavalidate na ganitong reports (we have no validated reports like that),” he added.
Aquino has said there were people out to topple him.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV backed Aquino’s claims saying that retired military officials were behind the plan and that they have been actively recruiting officials and military personnel still in active service. But he refused to identify the retired officials, saying only that he got the information from soldiers being recruited but did not sign up.

The AFP, meanwhile, has denied these reports although it said it has begun coordinating with Trillanes, himself a coup plotter during the administration of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, to validate the senators’ claims.