No sooner than Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV reported to the media that retired generals of the armed forces identified with former Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo were plotting a coup against the Aquino Administration, Malacañang immediately came out with a statement dismissing such report as “all noise.” Now why would Senator Trillanes go straight to the media without first reporting it to Malacañang so that the same could be investigated first, and that the same could be confirmed later by Malacañang and the AFP, when it would be time for it to be made public? And being a former Navy officer, he was aware that the Commander should know first, so why didn't he first report it to the President or Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) that have the means to confirm or deny it?

For rushing the report to the media and be later described as false by Malacañang, the institution he was supposed to protect, it turned out he was the one starting the destabilization move. Now he has suggested what else could be done besides mass rallies and filing of impeachment proceedings against President Aquino in Congress. Senator Trillanes, we know, is an arch enemy of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo having led the Magdalo Group in the AFP to stage a coup d'etat against her administration. But is he necessarily the ally of President Aquino? It doesn't seem so now if we look at the statements of Aquino's spokespersons and those of the top honchos at the AFP. Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, the Army's spokesperson and who was formerly assigned here in Bohol as Executive Officer of the 2SF Battalion based in Bilar, says the AFP has not monitored any coup plot. Malacañang, through Secretary Edwin Lacierda, the presidential spokesperson, says the retired generals are now just ordinary citizens and besides there has been no report of restiveness among the rank and file of the AFP.

So it is turning out now that Senator Trillanes is the top liar of his own making. But Trillanes is not one lacking in intellect. Neither is he one without a heart for what he believes in. He did not think twice before staging a coup himself against former Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. He did not succeed but it is clear now that he has the balls when he needs them to do what he wants to do. So is he up to something again this time? Could it be that his revelation is the launching of a much bigger political plan that voters will buy again in the future? Could he be actually referring to himself as the initiator of the destabilization move against President Aquino? If we recall, what prompted him to stage a coup against the Arroyo administration was his perceived widespread practice of corruption. Could the ruling by the Supreme Court of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) as unconstitutional be the straw that again broke Sen. Trillanes' camel's back?

A new mystery could be just unfolding.

NOTES. We congratulate the civic spirited residents of Tagbilaran City and the province for the community support that they made by accepting to be members of the Police Advisory Council of the Provincial Public Safety Company of the Bohol Police Command under the new program launched by the Philippine National Police last year, and that is the Performance Governance System (PGS). This is the new performance system using the Norton model of performance scorecard to upgrade and raise the level of performance of the PNP. The new members of the PPSC Advisory Council are: Atty. Doni D. Piquero, Mr. Nesino P. Borja, Dr. Stepiron Lopez, Dr. Marilyn G. Bompat, Atty. Lord R. Marapao, Engr. Rolly Cavan, Atty. Florendo C. Columnas, City Councilor Joseph “Jojo” T. Bompat, Dr. Jose Oliver B. Yu, and CP Garcia ABC Pres. Fernando “Eping” B. Estavilla. Incidentally this columnist was also invited to be a member by P/Supt. Jeffrey T. Caballes, PPSC Commander and his Deputy and SWAT Head in the province P/SIns. Roland Desiree D. Lavisto.