Ex-coup plotter salutes Cory

A military officer who took part in the bloodiest attempt to dethrone President Corazon Aquino on Sunday gave his “snappy" salute to the late former leader. "At this time of national grief, and in her honor, I give my former Commander-in-Chief my snappy salute. Farewell, Mrs. President," said Marine Col. Ariel Querubin, one of the key members of the Young Officers Union that staged a coup d'etat in 1989. At least 50 soldiers and civilians were killed while more than 500 others were wounded in the uprising. “It is no secret that I was one of those who led the coup against her administration in 1989 and I am glad that 20 years thereafter, the wounds brought about by that exercise have begun to heal," he added in a statement released through his spokesman Martin Loon. Querubin said he regrets not having the chance to meet Mrs. Aquino in person. Querubin, a Medal of Valor awardee, is presently detained in Camp Aguinaldo in connection with the alleged attempt to overthrow the Arroyo government in February 2006. “It is my regret that I never had the chance to meet her personally or even just shake her hands in this lifetime. Since the 2006 Marine Stand-off in Fort Bonifacio, I wanted to personally thank her for heeding my call to a peaceful protest," he said. Another military officer detained over the February 2006 uprising, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, also paid his tribute to Mrs. Aquino. "I, personally, have had an uneasy history with her as our nation's President. But looking back on it, I have come to realize even more her sterling qualities: her quiet but steadfast faith in God and the simple yet powerful message of hope she conveyed to a nation whose people she has led," Lim said in a statement. Mrs. Aquino, the nation's first woman president who led a popular revolt that toppled the Marcos dictatorship, died 3:18 a.m. Saturday at the Makati Medical Center. She was diagnosed with colon cancer March last year. Querubin said he admires the late President’s bravery and courage, which he said she displayed up to her final moments. “Amidst Proclamation 1017 at that time, she braved the dark of the night and the anti-riot police to be one with the people in prayer," he recalled. He was referring to the government’s declaration of a State of Emergency on February 24, 2006 when he and several other ranking military officials allegedly planned to march to EDSA Shrine and withdraw their support from President Gloria Macapagla Arroyo. - GMANews.TV