Even after his capture before dawn Wednesday, backdoor talks will continue between the camp of former senator Gregorio Honasan and the government to ensure he gets a fair shake in court. Former senator Vicente Sotto III, who claimed to be in contact with Honasan while the latter was in hiding, said he and the former Army colonel discussed the matter Wednesday night.
"We discussed his condition and we discussed the backdoor talks.
Ang tingin ko tuloy ang pag-uusap namin (I think the talks will continue) because the discussion is one between friends," Sotto said in an interview on dzBB radio Thursday morning. He was referring to talks with Transportation and Communication Secretary Leandro Mendoza for the eventual resurfacing of Honasan by December.
Sotto said the talks were mounted so Honasan could face rebellion and coup charges that the government filed against him. Honasan was in Metro Manila for these backdoor talks, Sotto said, but law enforcers caught up with him Wednesday early morning at the Greenmeadows Subdivision in Quezon City. Sotto said that while the matter of resurfacing became moot with Honasan's capture, he will likely ask Mendoza to ensure that Honasan gets a fair shake in court. "We are not discussing anything illegal. These involve constitutional processes in court. We are not asking for any concessions," he said in Filipino. He also lamented that some quarters are spreading "exaggerated" accounts of the discussions and feeding them to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno.
Running again? Meanwhile, Sotto said last Wednesday's capture has not scratched Honasan's plans to run for senator under the ticket supported by former President Joseph Estrada for the May 2007 polls. "You are innocent until proven guilty," he said. Honasan's lawyer Danilo Gutierrez, for his part, said he and his client were closely examining their legal options. "We have discussed various scenarios and are waiting for the next development," Gutierrez said in Filipino during an interview on dzXL radio. Gutierrez said Honasan has "always been for the rule of law" but became inaccessible last February because the government linked him to a supposed coup plot while the preliminary investigation for a coup d' etat charge against him for the 2003 Oakwood mutiny was still ongoing. "He was denied due process. That is certainly not the rule of law," he said.
Tight security Even as he and his legal team mull their options, Honasan spent Wednesday night under tight security. Radio station dzXL reported that security was "extra tight" at the Asian Hospital in Muntinlupa City where Honasan was brought following surgery to his foot. Members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) searched all visitors going in and out of the hospital. Honasan was confined at the hospital's 10th floor after undergoing a CT scan the night before. The procedure was reportedly for his fractured left foot, although Puno claimed that Honasan was unable to move his neck shortly before being taken to the Asian Hospital. Doctors at the PNP Hospital in Camp Crame were expected to release a medical bulletin on Honasan's condition on Thursday morning.
-GMANews.TV 
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