A smiling Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced Sunday night that the mutiny crisis in the Makati financial district of Metro Manila was over.
Following Arroyo's announcement, mutineers were seen removing the plastic explosives they had laid to booby trap of an apartment block they seized in Makati in the early hours of Sunday.
"The Makati crisis is over. All the 296 soldiers, including 70 officers, are standing and returning to barracks," a beaming Arroyo said in a statement aired live over radio and television.
But the mutinous troops will be investigated and prosecuted in accordance of the articles of war, she said.
"They have not asked and they shall not be given special treatment," she stressed, adding that civilians shown to be involved in the mutiny will also be charged.
While praising military and police personnel for their loyalty and professionalism in handling the crisis, Arroyo ordered Armed Forces chief of staff General Narciso Abaya to immediately restore normalcy in the organization.
"I assure the world that this event (mutiny) does not in any way injure our national security and political stability. The issues involved are domestic, operational and administrative. They do not involve ideological or fundamental policy areas. Our decision to enter dialogue reaped positive results," she said.
The mutiny staged by the disgruntled Navy and Army junior officers and soldiers touched off a day of tense standoff and caught the intention of the world.
After their surrender, the mutineers boarded buses bringing them to barracks at the Army headquarters.
Abaya said the demands of the mutineers will be studied by a committee. In exchange, five key leaders of the mutiny have agreed to take full responsibility for the action.
Earlier, the mutineers asked for the resignation of Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes, military intelligence head Victor Corpus and police chief Hermogenes Ebdane as part of their short-term demands in exchange for their surrender, according to Senate Minority leader Vicente Sotto III.
They also claimed that they were not mounting a coup but only airing their grievances over low pay, corruption in the upper ranks and inadequate housing facilities.
(Xinhua News Agency July 28, 2003)
