MANILA, 9 November 2003 — Authorities yesterday said the short-lived take-over of the control tower at Manila’s international airport Friday midnight was an isolated incident but the siege had revived fears of political instability.
Filipinos woke up yesterday to the sound of death over the radio when they tuned in to hear the last words of Panfilo Villaruel, a former air force officer an ex-chief of the Air Transportation Office, who was gunned down while being interviewed in the control tower.
Villaruel and navy lieutenant Ricardo Catchillar seized the control tower of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at midnight over complaints of corruption in the government and the military.
Police special forces stormed the control tower and regained control of it at 3 a.m. (1900 GMT Friday).
The duo were strapped with explosives and armed with guns and grenades, security officials said after removing the bullet-riddled bodies from a pool of blood in the 10-story tower.
“They are murdering us here,” he shouted as gunshots were heard over the radio during a live telephone interview.
Villaruel screamed, as if in pain, at least three times before his voice faded and only labored breathing was heard, followed by silence.
Aviation security officials said Villaruel and Catchillar were armed with handguns, grenades and other “explosive devices” when they entered the control tower before midnight. “This is my contribution, my legacy for the decent people of the Philippines — to stand up and tell the leaders of this country to wake up,” he said before he was killed by security forces that stormed the tower.
Villaruel said Filipinos only need to read the newspapers to know that corruption remained widespread in government and the military. “I am the representative of 82 million Filipinos who are crying for help,” he said. “I am ready to offer my life.”
He also criticized the government’s failure to support a plane and helicopter program he had initiated in a bid to free the Philippines from the need to always beg for surplus equipment from allies, especially the United States. He said the government “killed (his) program” to develop the Defiant 300, a small plane made of wood, as well as the Hummingbird, a small helicopter.
“If they had supported me, we would not be begging for the Americans to give us obsolete Huey helicopters,” he said.
‘No New Plot’
Security forces were put on red alert but President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo played down concerns the pre-dawn standoff could be part of an attempt to undermine her government ahead of elections next May.
Arroyo vowed on Friday to put down any new plots as the government, legislature and judiciary were embroiled in an attempt by opposition lawmakers to impeach Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide.
Even if it was an isolated incident over grievances about corruption, the three-hour siege at the nation’s busiest airport will not hearten investors after a mutiny by several hundred soldiers in July and in the midst of the Davide row. “It does not help any,” said Jojo Gonzales, managing director of Philippine Equity Partners. “Wait for the conspiracy theories to emerge.”
Arroyo has waged a high-profile but only partly successful war on graft. She herself has been drawn into corruption allegations against her husband Mike by an opposition senator with presidential ambitions.
The Philippines, which has seen nine army uprisings in 17 years, is ranked by watchdogs such as Transparency International as one of Asia’s most corrupt countries, on a par with Pakistan.
“I assure the people and the world that our airport is safe and sound,” Arroyo said in a statement. “No unauthorized movements of troops have been detected.”
The military had set up checkpoints around Manila, she said, but added there were no specific threats.
Supporters of deposed President Joseph Estrada planned an anti-Arroyo and Davide rally in Manila yesterday evening. Security and airport officials said the SWAT team had to storm the tower at Ninoy Aquino International Airport because there was a flight from the United States due before dawn.
As they examined shattered windows and other damage, the back-up control tower was directing traffic.
‘We Are Not Terrorists’
The two men and their driver had walked into the tower using a security pass for the research Villaruel was doing at the airport, general manager Edgardo Manda told reporters.
They delivered a midnight snack to the five air traffic controllers before telling them and the driver to leave. Negotiation efforts were rebuffed by Villaruel, officials said. “We are not terrorists,” Villaruel said on live radio. “If I don’t do this, there will never be any change in the way the government is run.”
Josephine Lichauco, a former Transport Ministry official who knew Villaruel, said on television he had often voiced concerns to her about widespread corruption. She also questioned whether police had needed to kill the two men. “He loved this country very much and he was heartbroken over the GMA (Arroyo) government and the corruption going on right now,” she said.
Sources at the Defense Department told Reuters that Villaruel tried several times without success to meet Defense Secretary Eduardo Ermita to air his feelings about corruption.
