I was really shocked but relieved to read your article "Now it can be told: Why 'withdrawal' plot failed" by Tony S. Bergonia. (Philippine Daily Inquirer, 3/11/06) There was really an attempted coup de'état by the military! It may be unbloody like the one staged by Ret. Gen. Angelo Reyes in 2001, but it is still a coup de'état just the same. Some people may call it "withdrawing support from the chain of command". But, for all intents and purposes, it is still an attempted coup.
The article did not mention civilian involvement in the attempted coup. But there must have been a civilian component that will provide some sort of legitimacy to the attempted coup by way of "people power".
Thanks to Divine Providence, the attempted coup did not succeed. A military-led government, even for a short time, may result in large-scale violence, even a civil war.
Allowing the military to acquire the highest political authority is a very dangerous gamble. There are people who believe that there are members of the military who advocate anti-Christian and anti-Catholic ideologies. If these people gain political power, they might use it to persecute the Catholic Church, subtle in the beginning but could become violent later.
Moreover, a military takeover is unconstitutional, even if it is done with good and noble intentions. Even if it is for a short time, as claimed by the plotters, it is unacceptable. Besides, what objective guarantee will there be that it will be short? Political power has a dazzling effect that could render someone ethically blind.
Your article is enlightening. It also gives me one more reason to thank God. I am convinced that God always takes care of the only Christian country in the Far East!
Note: This letter was published on March 31, 2006. To view the online version, click HERE or copy-paste the URL: http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/letterstotheeditor/view/20060331-756/Why_the_coup_d%92%E9tat_failed