BY VICTOR REYES

ARMED Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. yesterday said no destabilization move materialized last Wednesday because the military "might have pre-empted" the plot or the plotters "are really that weak."

"As we have seen January 22 has passed…So that’s my basis for saying that we are over the hump," Esperon said referring to his declaration last Wednesday.

A move to oust government was supposed to have been launched between January 17 and 22, according to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, quoting intelligence information. The supposed destabilization move would have coincided with mass actions on January 20 for seventh the Edsa 2 anniversary and the 21st anniversary of the "Mendiola massacre" last Wednesday.

A Church-backed social justice group said government floated the destabilization threat to scare the people away from the mass actions.

Fr. Joe Dizon of Solidarity Philippines said the tactics could backfire on government as these "further agitate the people to join rallies."

He said the during the Marcos regime, more people joined protest actions as soon as the regime prohibited rallies.

Esperon, asked how the military might have pre-empted the ouster move, pointed to the arrest Tuesday last week of four discharged soldiers and a civilian earlier identified as a soldier for supposed involvement in a destabilization plot.

"The arrest of the five. So it was very clear that there was a movement of firearms," he said.

The arresting team said three firearms were seized from the five who were arrested in their alleged safehouse in Quezon City.

The five were charged with illegal possession of firearms but two of them were cleared of the gun raps and released.

The military also picked up an active soldier, Scout Ranger Cpl. Jaime Dumagpi, in connection with the supposed plot. Esperon said Dumagpi is under questioning but sidestepped questions on whether he is a witness or a suspect.

Esperon said there are ongoing operations against the companions of the five "but so far there are no organizations that they could or other groups that we could pull in into the scene."

Asked where the leaders are because the five are small fry, Esperon said: "We will go, we will progress to that if there are indeed (leaders) but we know that they are being orchestrated by somebody higher than them."

Esperon said a destabilization move was indeed planned, citing to the recruitment of soldiers by fugitive Capt. Nicanor Faeldon, a leader of the 2003 Oakwood mutiny and one of those involved in the November 29 standoff at the Manila Peninsula hotel.

He said authorities have recovered documents discussing organizations of military adventurists.

"There were recruitments. There were documents that were recovered. They have organizations in the documents so we are looking into that, are those standing organizations or just in the plans. So we have to validate all these because they might not be potent, benign or just dreaming. So they can keep on dreaming," he said.

Esperon said he hoped the destabilizers "can have better assessment of what they are doing."

He said they have failed thrice – the 2003 Oakwood mutiny, the Peninsula standoff, and the February 2006 supposed power grab attempt. – With Gerard Naval