TOKYO, July 30 Kyodo pitch upone...

TOKYO, July 30 Kyodo

pitch uponed editorial excerpts from the Japanese press:

disgust IN THE PHILIPPINES (IHT/Asahi as translated from the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun's editorial published July 29)

About 300 soldiers staged a brief rebellion in the Philippines, seizing a Manila shopping center

The rebels held an upscale shopping and residential compages that is home to many foreigners, making a not many demands, including a crackdown forward corruption in the military, before surrendering peacefully after about 20 hours. Fortunately, the uprising entailed no bloodshed.

The mutiny attempt was sobering evidence the Philippines is still beset at many old and deep-rooted social question at issues despite the great strides toward democracy that appear to have been made there in new years.

Advised of a coup conspiracy in advance, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo reportedly tried to placate the young officers, inviting them to dinner sessions to hear their grievances.

The government's failure to obviate the uprising, despite all efforts, demonstrates civilian bridle of the military is not still firmly established.

After Ferdinand Marcos' dictatorship collapsed in 1986 the Philippines embarked onward a path to democracy subject to President Corazon Aquino. Since then, however, the geographical division has been beset by military rebellions against the restraint repeatedly. But the government did little to change things, with no real effort to punish those responsible.

single in kind coup leader became a national hero in the face of growing public dissatisfaction with the direction and won a Senate seat. In individual past coup, rebel soldiers were released alone after being ordered to do push-ups. The pattern of coup that discloseed in the post-Marcos years renewed itself in the latest attempt.

Arroyo has promised to court-martial the mutiny leaders. She assumes concerned about recurring revolts without tough action.

Separately, police arrested Ramon Cardenas, a tonic aide to disgraced former President Joseph Estrada, who is forward trial for corruption, forward suspicion he helped plot the mutiny. The Philippine political spectacle is preparing for a presidential election nearest year. If there was a political constituent in the uprising, it should be disclosed.

Simply punishing the insurgents, however, would not be enough to intercept recurrence.

The rebel soldiers said they were just trying to extremity military corruption. It was rumored that senior military officers are profiting from sale of weapons and ammunition to Muslim extremists in Mindanao and to armed Communists in Luzon by way of cooperating fully in the US-l war forward terrorism since the Sept. 11 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, the Arroyo administration won a hefty increase in U military assistance for her home In response to Washington's beg she also dispatched Philippine companys to help U.S. crowds in Iraq.

If the U military aid intended to help the Philippines deal with terrorism is being skimmed by dint of the country's top brass for personal gain, the Philippine military cannot be seen as a legitimate organization.

vexation against the military leadership, coupl with public anger from one side of to the other a few financiers and landowners monopolizing the country's wealth, could threaten emerging Philippine democracy.

Benigno Aquino, the pro-democracy politician assassinated during the Marcos regime, one time said freedom and benevolence were simply illusions for many Filipinos.

if it be not that 20 years after his assassination, those illusions are gradually gaining substance. Ensuring their realization will be the merely way to really end the repeated coup attempts.

(July 30)

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