Marines' rebellion loosens Arroyo's grip on power

[shugah]

Marines' rebellion loosens Arroyo's grip on power
Troops end defiance but student protesters gather
More arrests planned after alleged coup bid last week

John Aglionby in Manila
Monday February 27, 2006
The Guardian

Gloria Arroyo's grip on the Philippine presidency appeared tenuous last night after more than 100 marines openly defied her rule by rallying around commanders wanting to withdraw from the chain of command.

The crack troops, backed by several thousand opposition and civil society figures who flocked to their Manila base, ended the mini-rebellion after five hours and agreed to respect their superiors.

But the wider turmoil, which began last June when Ms Arroyo was accused of rigging the 2004 presidential election, is thought to be far from over. The government said yesterday that dozens of people still faced arrest over an alleged attempted coup last Friday and that the state of emergency announced the same day remains in force.

Late last night hundreds of students opposed to Ms Arroyo began to gather at the University of the Philippines (UP) and the civilian leaders who had supported the marines, including former president and pro-democracy icon Corazon Aquino, were considering whether to join them.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1718547,00.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Sounds as if they don't want to "just get over it," and don't care

if the ones who benefited from a stolen election call them "sore losers."



_Bush's bitty buddy.