From being a known coup plotter, Sen. Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan III on Tuesday said he was a reformed man as he urged voters to learn from the Edsa people power revolution.
At the Pandesal forum in Kamuning Bakery Café, Quezon City, Honasan said that while he had learned from his mistakes, he did not regret leading the military in turning back against dictator Ferdinand Marcos during the 1986 revolt.
“I never regret anything. But I always learn,” Honasan said, reminiscing the uprising that ousted Marcos from power.
Honasan said voters should educate themselves of the history of Edsa so that they would learn in choosing the country’s next leaders.
“I advise young voters to read factual history … that will allow them to form in their minds and in their hearts how to vote, not only on the quality of the candidates, but about the platforms and programs,” Honasan said.
“Our young voters should look back into history and learn from our mistakes … when you become the leaders … and shape the future of this country,” he added.
The vice presidential bet of the United Nationalist Alliance ruled out talk that the younger generation was not as tough as its predecessors because it did not experience martial law.
He said the enemy of the youth did not come from the outside, but from the inside—themselves.
“The toughest enemy is not outside. It’s inside. Your toughest enemy is yourself. You have to educate yourself with timely, accurate information so you can make a decision,” Honasan said.
He is now a reformed man, Honasan said, after being charged twice for rebellion during the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
“I’ve been undergoing rehabilitation in the 18 years in the Senate. I’ve been reformed. I did this for my children and other Filipino children in the country,” Honasan said.
Honasan called the youth “our most precious strategic and renewable resources.”
During the 1986 revolt, Honasan was the founder of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement, which broke away from the martial rule. Honasan then served as the chief security officer of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, then Marcos’ defense minister who led the military in turning its back against Marcos.
Besides his role in the peaceful 1986 Edsa revolt, Honasan also led a series of failed coup attempts against the administration of President Cory Aquino. Honasan is also said to have planned the deadliest coup attempt in December 1989 when soldiers tried to attack Malacañang.
In 2006, Honasan went into hiding after he was charged with rebellion for being the alleged ringleader in the July 27, 2003, Oakwood mutiny, as well as for his involvement in the foiled coup attempt against the Arroyo administration in February 2006 which prompted Arroyo to declare a national state of emergency.
His coup d’état charges were dismissed in 2007, just a few months after he won senator in the May midterm elections.
Honasan first became a senator in 1995, and was reelected in 2001 and 2007.
Honasan is the running mate of opposition presidential bet Jejomar Binay, who led the latest voters’ preference polls despite facing graft indictment before the Ombudsman. RC