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MANILA, Philippines ? Two junior officers were sentenced to reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment on Tuesday by a Philippine court after they were found guilty of staging a failed mutiny close to five years ago against President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Seven other junior officers, who were also involved in the mutiny, received shorter prison terms.
Judge Oscar Pimentel of Branch 148 of the Makati regional trial court handed down life terms or 40 years in prison to Captains Milo Maestrecampo and Gerardo Gambala for leading at least 300 troops that seized the posh Oakwood Apartments in Makati on July 27, 2003.
They had demanded the resignation of Arroyo and defense and military leaders over allegations of corruption.
Meanwhile, Captains Albert Baloloy, John Andres and Alvin Ebreo, and Lieutenants Lawrence Luis Somera, Florentino Somera, Christopher Brian Yasay and Cleo Dongga-As were sentenced from 6 to 12 years imprisonment.
State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera said the sentence was surprising considering they had recommended much lower prison terms.
The junior officers, who were all from the Army, changed their plea last Wednesday from ?not guilty? to ?guilty? on charges of coup d?etat.
The prosecution panel, led by Navera and Assistant Chief State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon, recommended a 17-year to 20-year jail term for Maestrecampo and Gambala and a 10-year to 12-year prison term for the rest of the group.
Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, a former Navy lieutenant who was also a leader of the band of rebel officers who called themselves the Magdalo group, and 31 other accused junior officers did not join the nine officers' change of plea.
Thus, Pimentel did not hand out the sentence for Trillanes and company, who will continue presenting their defense.
Navera said the junior officers were not expected to appeal their conviction.
"We don't see any appeals coming," he said, noting the fact that the soldiers voluntarily changed their plea from "not guilty" to "guilty" last week.
"I admire them for their courage,? Navera said. ?We only regret the fact that very talented soldiers have to face this conviction."
The convicted soldiers will not be detained at the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa just yet as their sentence in separate court martial proceedings have yet to be issued, said Navera.
The mutineers have been in prison for five years, and this will be reduced from the number of years of the jail term that was handed down this Tuesday, said Navera.
He said if the computation would be followed, those who have been charged with six years would be released next year, or probably earlier, based on their conduct.
Defense lawyers Reynaldo Robles and Ernesto Francisco had said that the action of the nine should not have an effect on the rest of the accused, but the prosecutors said they believed otherwise.
In late 2004, the group of Maestrecampo and Gambala apologized to the government for the mutiny.
They later issued another statement expressing support for the administration of Arroyo - one that did not sit well with Trillanes and the other officers, splitting the group into two factions. /Inquirer
