The Philippine Army has put down an attempted coup d'etat aimed at deposing the elected government apparently in favor of a military junta, according to the army's commander:

The Philippine army says it has thwarted an attempt by soldiers to overthrow the president, Gloria Arroyo, and form a military government.

Several commanders of elite units have been accused over the plot.

Security was tightened this week amid rumours of a coup timed to coincide with the anniversary of a 1986 revolt against President Ferdinand Marcos.

The plot apparently centered on the chief of the army's elite Scout Rangers corps, General Danilo Lim, and also involved other military and police units. Lim has been arrested and more are being sought as the military has enacted a de facto curfew. Schools have shut down, demonstrations have been canceled, and soldiers have set up checkpoints around Manila and bolstered security around Arroyo.

This is not the first time Arroyo has faced a coup in the volatile Philippines. She survived an attempted impeachment and an army mutiny during the past few years. Her government suffers from the same problems that have plagued Manila for decades -- official corruption and an ongoing Islamist insurrection that has sapped the credibility of democratic institutions for the strategic American ally.

The US has to be watching this with a nervous eye. The Islamists of Abu Sayyaf will do whatever they can to take advantage of the instability, and neither Manila nor Washington needs it right now.

UPDATE: The same BBC story has been updated to report that Arroyo has declared a state of emergency and granted the army and police "extraordinary powers". That sounds pretty strange while the army itself admits that they do not know the extent of the mutiny within the same institutions charged with administering what sounds like martial law. Is this naivete or something else?

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I'm no fan of Gloria Arroyo. While not as corrupt as some past leaders she has had her hand in corruption including being taped in a phone conversation trying to rig voting. Her husband and family fled the country... [Read More]

Tracked on February 24, 2006 5:00 AM

» Coup In Philippines Avoided, Martial Law In Place, Arroyo Needs To Go from Diggers Realm
I'm no fan of Gloria Arroyo. While not as corrupt as some past leaders she has had her hand in corruption including being taped in a phone conversation trying to rig voting. Her husband and family fled the country... [Read More]

Tracked on February 24, 2006 5:04 AM

» Coup In Philippines Avoided, Martial Law In Place, Arroyo Needs To Go from Diggers Realm
I'm no fan of Gloria Arroyo. While not as corrupt as some past leaders she has had her hand in corruption including being taped in a phone conversation trying to rig voting. Her husband and family fled the country... [Read More]

Tracked on February 25, 2006 11:45 AM