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November 29, 2007 – Makati, Philippines. Senator Antonio Trillanes, who was jailed before for a previous mutiny against the government, is at it again. This morning, Trillanes and his supporters marched from the Makati Regional Trial Court at around 10:30am and proceeded to the Manila Peninsula Hotel (just a few blocks away from our office). There, after talking to the media, announced that he, together with Gen. Danilo Lim.
An APC “Simba” smashed into the hotel which housed Trillanes, his gang and several mediamen who refuesed to go out. Even Philippine vice-president Teofisto Guingona went to the hotel to show his support.
As of this writing, Trillanes, Lim and their supporters have surrendered peacefully and the “Makati standoff” seemed to have been resolved peacefully.
From this coverage by Inquirer, Trillanes gives this statement about the siege; “We’re going out for the sake of the safety of everybody, for your sake because we cannot live with our conscience if some of you get hurt or get killed in the crossfire,” said Trillanes, addressing the media.
“If there’s a loser here it’s the Filipino nation because she’s [Arroyo] still there,” he added, noting that he was ready to face the consequences of his action.
Brigadier General Danilo Lim, who was with Trillanes, said this was not the end, calling the incident an “unfinished business.”
Check out this video from Inquirer which shows warning shots being fired
More photos, videos and details after the jump
At around 4 in the afternoon, tear gas was fired by the military troops as they prepared to assualt the Manila Peninsula. A few minutes later, an APC Simba rammed the lobby of the hotel totally destroying the entrance.
It was at this point that Trillanes and his group decided to make a move to surrender to the government for “the safety of the innocent people inside the hotel”. As mentioned, there were scores of media employees who were covering the standoff and they were trapped inside too.
Meanwhile, in a shocking move, government soldiers ARRESTED members of the media which included notable personalities like Ces Drilon, Pinky Webb, and Ricky Carandang. The soldiers said that they were going to be “processed in Camp Bagong Diwa”.
ABS-CBN, via Maria Ressa, head of ABS-CBN news, has this official statement about the arrest:
“We in ABS CBN News strongly condemn the illegal arrests of our ABS CBN reporters and our colleagues in the media and decry the atrocious treatment we are being subjected to in the hands of the police. Our reporters were in the Manila Peninsula purely to fulfill their duties as journalists,” she said.
“We see no reason why our reporters have had to be handcuffed and detained along with Trillianes’s group and remind the government that their actions are a grave and serious threat to Press Freedom and to the public’s right to the Truth,” she added.
For more details, please check the following news links:
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