Soldiers jailed for 2003 mutiny take graduate courses

Manila: Three officers in jail since 2003 for mutiny against President Gloria Arroyo are pursuing graduate studies at the state-run University of the Philippines Open University.

They were among 11 junior officers of the Philippine Air Force detained in connection with the July 2003 Oakwood mutiny and belonged to the so-called Magdalo group that staged the failed coup attempt.

At present, First Lt Francisco Ashley Acedillo is working on his master's degree in Development Communication, Second Lt Archie Grande is doing an MA in Research and Development Management, and Second Lt Adrian Alvarino is finishing his MA in Public Management.

The other Air Force officers detained following the assault on the Oakwood complex in Makati City were into undergraduate courses and non-formal programmes until internet access was denied them in the wake of another coup attempt in February.

Around 300 soldiers were involved in the Oakwood mutiny, but cases against most of them had either been cleared or dropped, except for 31 junior officers from various Armed Forces units who faced coup charges.

For these 11 officers who had been studying while detained in a small house at the Villamor Air Base, pursuing higher education through distance learning was an attempt to make up for lost opportunities.

By simply studying again, they had opted for the best alternative to the nearly three years that they had lost in field and combat experience: they had chosen to sharpen their minds, preparing for a new yet still unknown battlefield, if and when they are finally free.

It took the Air Force a year before finally granting the officers permission to study while in detention, and provide them internet access, a major requirement by the university, right inside the house that serves as their detention cell at Villamor.

The Air Force leadership hoped that through education, these "misled officers would be enlightened," Air force Spokesman Lt Col Restituto Padilla, explained in a recent interview. "They are still our comrade-in-arms."

All 11 students earned good grades during the first semester, said Dr Melinda Bandalaria, the UP Open University Registrar.

Most of them got an average grade of 1.25. "I have higher expectations from them compared to our other students because they are graduates of the Philippine Military Academy.

"And also, they have more time to study," Bandalaria said.