Plea for scribe's testimony on mutiny against Estrada

An adviser to ousted president Joseph Estrada is asking the anti-graft court to summon columnist Amando Doronilla to shed light on the mutiny charges against Defence Secretary, Angelo Reyes, and three retired generals accused of launching a coup d'etat against the former leader.

Angelito Banayo, Estrada's presidential adviser on political affairs, said the columnist should be made to produce a copy of his book entitled The Fall of Joseph Estrada in which he quoted Reyes as telling his subordinates at a meeting on June 19, 2001: "Gentlemen, I'm sure you know that we've just committed mutiny."

Banayo made the request on behalf of the other complainants, newspaper publishers Amado Macasaet of Freedom (Malaya) and Ninez Cacho-Olivares of the Daily Tribune and columnists Ducky Paredes and Herman Tiu Laurel. The four were known allies of Estrada.

In a complaint filed by the four on May 16, they accused Reyes, retired generals Diomedio Villanueva, Fortunato Abat and Leo Alvez, and several other unnamed accomplices of conspiring with a citizens' group to remove Estrada from office through a series of popular protests.

Doronilla claimed to have personally interviewed the generals and affixed an annex to his book, a complete transcript of his interview with Reyes. He confirmed that he has "all the documents" in his files detailing the decision and the justifications of Reyes in getting the consensus of the top brass to rally behind him in deposing Estrada.

Banayo was quick to say that the invitation to Doronilla to testify was not to ask the columnist's opinion on the legality of the actions of Reyes and other generals but only about the facts leading to his decision to break his oath of allegiance to the president.

Banayo said his group wants Doronilla "to personally attest and explain the factual bases of his book, excerpts of which were published by the Inquirer, the same newspaper that published the so-called 'Angara diary' (of Senator Edgardo Angara, an ally of Estrada) and which was used by the Supreme Court as acceptable evidence when it upheld the legitimacy of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's government".

Banayo's request for Doronilla's appearance in court came after Reyes and his co-accused were asked by the Ombudsman to submit in five days their comments on the mutiny rap.

He added that his group is also eagerly waiting for the reply of Reyes and the generals as this will help the people arrive at a consensus on whether the plot to oust Estrada as president is a criminal undertaking by a select group of military and police generals as defined under Article 134-A of the Revised Penal Code.