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Philippine president approves lesser penalty for 54 mutinous officers |
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17:29, July 04, 2007 |
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has approved a court-martial verdict, giving lesser penalty for 54 military officers who were linked to a failed mutiny against her in 2003, a spokesman said on Wednesday.
The President's decision signifies that the military adventurism has "no place in a democratic society," Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public information office chief Bartolome Bacarro told a press briefing.
The April 11 decision by the general court-martial was upheld by President Arroyo on June 12, Bacarro said, adding that the official document reached the military only last week.
"The military justice system is fair and reasonable," he said. Bacarro also said the President had the prerogative to shorten or lengthen the prison term for the mutineers.
"The President would have that authority (but) she agreed with the verdict and sentence given by the court-martial," he said.
The 54 officers have been charged before the military tribunal for mutiny and other violations of the military code.
They finally entered into a plea bargaining agreement, changing their plea from "not guilty" to "guilty" to the charge of "conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline" only, in exchange for the dropping of all other charges, the spokesman said.
In turn, the court convicted the officers for the only offense they plead guilty to and sentenced them to seven years and six months of imprisonment and dismissal from the service, he said.
However, the court had credited the junior officers' more than three years and seven months of confinement. The court further reduced their sentence by three years for the three mitigating circumstances, namely long confinement, voluntary surrender and change of plea.
It means that the convicted officers will be free on Jan. 27 next year, according to Bacarro. He added that the discharge of the officers would take effect when they complete their period of confinement, and they will still receive their salaries for that period.
The officers have been in military detention less than 24 hours after they occupied the Oakwood apartments in Makati City on July 27, 2003, demanding President Arroyo to step aside. The mutineers have said the incident was meant to dramatize their protest against corruption in government.
The Philippine military court is also trying 29 other officers who are said to be the core leaders of the 2003 mutiny. But they were not charged with mutiny before the military tribunal because they are already facing a separate charge of mutiny before the Makati City regional trial court.
Source: Xinhua
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