Guardians faction taps Lim, Trillanes

Malaya
APRIL 06, 2009

A MILITARY-BASED group formerly associated with Sen. Gregorio Honasan has tapped two detained officers as national advisers but it said this has nothing to do with any plan to overthrow the government.
The Guardians Nationalist of the Philippines said Sen. Antonio Trillanes and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim posses "impeccable character to lead with moral authority."
Trillanes, a former Navy lieutenant, was one of the leaders of the Oakwood mutiny of July 2003. Lim, former commander of the Army Scout Rangers, is undergoing court martial with other officers for an alleged plot to overthrow the Arroyo government in February 2006.
The two also figured in the November 2007 standoff at the Manila Peninsula in Makati City.
The Guardians Nationalist of the Philippines (GANAP) is headed by retired banker Ernesto Macahiya, who used to be with Honasan’s Philippine Guardians Brotherhood Association (PGBI).
Both were linked to the Oakwood mutiny and later cleared.
Macahiya and other leaders bolted from the PGBI last year because of differences with Honasan. They formed GANAP which now has about 12,000 members.
Macahiya said Trillanes and Lim have the "essential leadership qualities to steer us towards our vision" and have "consistently displayed uncommon valor and patriotism in the face of extremely difficult situations."
"Let it be understood that the (appointments)...is not in any manner connected with any attempt to overthrow the present government," he said.
He said the tapping of Trillanes and Lim could unite all Guardians units "into one solid and cohesive Guardians organization."
There are now about 24 Guardians factions.
Macahiya rejected the suggestion that tapping Trillanes and Lim would give rise to controversy, as he said this group gives premium to two things – "commitment to principled, meaningful change in both government and society, and providing members of the brotherhood direct, real benefits, to make the brotherhood more meaningful and real."
He said the PGBI, since it was founded in 2000, has failed to achieve these two objectives. –Victor Reyes