Military court clears seven officers involved in 2006 failed coup against Arroyo

Manila: A military court in the Philippines has cleared seven military officers, accused of plotting a coup d'état against President Gloria Arroyo in February 2006.

The prosecution failed to produce enough evidence to support their claim that the officers had violated Article 67 (mutiny or sedition) of the Articles of War.

Colonel Orlando de Leon, Lieutenant Colonel Custodio Parcon, Lieutenant Belinda Ferrer, Major Jose Leomar Doctolero, Captain William Upano, 1st Lieutenant Homer Estola and retired Lieutenant Colonel Achilles Segumalian were all found not guilty.

The court martial also ordered that all of the officers, except Segumalian who had retired, would be reinstated to the military.

In custody

Doctolero, Estelo and Upano were Philippine Army officers while the four others were from the Philippine Marine Corps.

The officers have been placed in the custody of their superiors.

At the same time, the military court turned down a request by nine other officers to have a case against them dismissed.

They include Brigadier General Danilo Lim, former commander of the Army Scout Rangers; Colonel Ariel Querubin, a medal of valour awardee; Major General Renato Miranda, former commandant of the Marine Corps; Major Jason Aquino; Captains Montano Almodovar, Isagani Criste, Joey Fontiveros, James Sababan and Dante Langkit.

Both Lim and Querubin resigned their commission to run for Senate seats in the May 10, 2010 elections.