Day After

2 hours after I wrote about the stand-off at the Fort Bonifacio, the Marines stood down and proceeded to their barracks. No shooting was involved, according to news reports, the Marine officers took a vote whether to follow the chain of command or not. Following the chain of comman won.

General Miranda was eventually interviewed and he corroborated the Government's assertion that it was he who asked to be relieved of his position as commandant of the Marines. He said that he felt he had lost the confidence of his superiors, so he asked to be relieved of command. He will now be assigned to Navy headquarters (the Philippine Marines are operationally under the Philippine Navy).

It was a class act, Gen. Miranda could have aired on national TV all his frustrations against his superiors and against the President, but he refrained. If Col. Querubin is to be believed, It was through his intervention that the marines did not push through with their plans to join the EDSA celebration rallies.

I hope his superiors do not put Gen. Miranda in limbo. The Philippine military needs somebody with his integrity.