The soldiers are former Army Rangers Sgt. Orlando Valencia, Corporals Ramon Perania, Redantel Maranan, and Walter Francisco. They once belonged to the Third Scout Rangers battalion that Guinolbay commanded.

A civilian, Kim Agas, who was mistaken as a former soldier, was also dragged in.

Another Scout Ranger still in active service, Sgt. Jaime Dumagpi, was reportedly arrested too but up to now, his lawyer Argee Guevarra or any of his relatives have not been allowed access to him.

We followed up the information provided to us by Guinolbay with other sources and we were able to reconstruct the events that AFP chief Hermogenes Esperon tried to peddle to the public as "discovery of caches or some plans to transport or pre-position some firearms." His boss, Gloria Arroyo, however belittles his coup scenario, calling it self-indulgent political theatrics."

Monday, Jan. 14, Dumagpi, driver of Gen. Jess Dellosa, was taken into custody by agents of ISAFP (Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines).

Dumagpi was formerly a driver of Scout Rangers Capt. Montano Almodovar, who is also now detained at Camp Capinpin in connection with the alleged plan to withdraw support from Gloria Arroyo in February 2006.

Tuesday, Jan. 15, Sgt. Valencia and his friend, Kim Agas, passed by the boarding house of Cpl. Redante Maranan on N. Ramirez st. in Galas, Quezon City, where Cpl. Perania was temporarily staying to turn over money for his wife, Mercy, who are neighbors of the Peranias in Camp Tecson, Bulacan.

The money, something like P1,200, came from his last pay from the AFP which he had just collected. Valencia, Perania and Francisco were three of the five enlisted men who were discharged "without honor" by Army chief Alexander Yano last Christmas Day.

They were part of the 40 enlisted personnel who were detained for almost two years without charges in Camp Capinpin and discharged dishonorably.

Valencia and Perania had just been employed as bodyguards by a businessman. Maranan was also a former Scout Ranger.

Esperon said one proof that the five are part of a coup plot was they were renting a "safe house" for P15,000 a month. Where are they getting that much money, he asked?

Atty. Trixie Angeles, counsel of five, said the room rent of the five does not amount to P15,000. "They are just renting a room, not the whole house," she said.

While Valencia and Agas were at the boarding house, 1st lt. Magtanggol Panopio (PMA ’00) of MIG 17 (Military Intelligence Group) arrived in the morning and "manhandled them." "No firearms were taken from them," Guinolbay stressed.

Angeles said when the former Rangers told Panopio their military background, he kicked and hit them. Seeing this, Agas said he was from the "Marines" when actually he was never in the military service.

After Panopio had done his thing with the five, he turned them over to Supt. Michel Filart of the PNP CIDG (Criminal Investigation and Detection Group) who in the first place should have been the one who made the arrest because the five are civilians. The government’s press release said that it was Filart who made the arrest. It’s a lie.

The five were charged with "illegal possession of firearms." What happened to the story of Esperon that they were part of a coup plot? But even with "illegal possession of firearms," Valencia and Perania were released for "no probable cause."

Angeles is worried because Valencia was warned by a sympathetic ISAFP member that they are determined to get him. "‘Itutumba’ was the term used," she said.

In the information provided to us by Guinolbay, he said Lt. Panopio was a student in his Scout Rangers training course, where Valencia was assistant instructor. He said Panopio "failed the course for lying."

There was more background information that Guinolbay gave us about Panopio but we are withholding them until we get his side.

***

Esperon’s coup plot by five former enlisted men with three firearms has elicited several funny comments posted in my blog (www.ellentordesillas.com). Like this one by Juggernaut: "Imagine, staging a coup, 5 guys shooting it out with 3 rifles - ano manghiram na lang yung dalawa? Bang, bang, bang! Kok ako naman! bang, bang, ikaw naman pare! Bang, bang! Ang tanong, may bala ba?"

He adds: "Pwede bang gagamitin na lang nilang pamukpok yung mga yun? Sabagay lockjaw ang bagsak ni Esperon pag tinamaan nun! Tetanus ba naman!"

We laugh in order not to cry.