“We are expressing our full support to the President, our Chief of Staff and our secretary of National Defense. I have given instructions to all my units in the area to see to it that this is being followed,” Luna said.
The EastMinCom is the unified headquarters of the Army’s 4th, 6th and 10th Divisions; the Air Force and Navy units in the provinces of Camiguin, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Compostela Valley, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Cotabato, South Cotabato, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani.
For Commanding General Ernesto Boac of the 10th Infantry Division, also based in Davao City, there is even no need for a loyalty check among his men.
“We trust each other here in my command and we believe in the professionalism of all our soldiers in the region,” he said.
Boac said that while they did not see the incident coming, what happened in Makati did not bother them at all. He said it was just an isolated incident which Metro Manila authorities can resolve.
“Ask me when I’m alone, Duterte said when pressed what he thinks of the mounting calls for the President to resign. He said he was in front of the generals and did not want to be political about the issue. It’s not good for everybody, not good for them, not good for us,” Duterte said.
If not for the sight of people glued to television sets inside stores, parlors, eateries and bars, and passersby stopping along the sidewalks to watch the coup coverage on TV, it was just like any ordinary day in Davao Thursday.
Duterte, however, said he understood the exasperation of Senator Trillanes which led to the incident. You are elected as Senator and you are imprisoned?
The problem is, there would be people who would get killed in the process, Duterte said, referring to Trillanes move. That’s why I plead for sobriety and understanding because if it degenerates into a violent activity, it would be difficult.
He said for change to happen, it might be better to wait for 2010 elections, which is just 30 months away,” he said. (Cheryll D. Fiel, davaotoday.com)
