MANILA (AFP) - A losing candidate in the last Philippine presidential election said Wednesday he was offered a seat in a military-backed junta intended to replace incumbent Gloria Arroyo following a bloodless coup.
Arroyo said she foiled the plot by right-wing military "adventurists" and communist rebels on February 24, when she briefly placed the country under a state of national emergency and began a crackdown on alleged civilian and military conspirators.
Eduardo Villanueva, a Christian television preacher more famously known as "Brother Eddie", was not among 16 civilian opposition figures who have been charged with rebellion and attempting a coup d'etat.
In addition, about 30 military officers and men have either been sacked or are being investigated.
"Various groups approached us to participate in whatever their plan (was) to protest against the alleged illegitimate presidency of President Arroyo," Villanueva told reporters.
Villanueva said he sought certain guarantees after these intermediaries "asked me if I would agree to join a transition government."
"I want to be sure that that (plan) would be constitutional," he said.
"Secondly, I (sought) a reasonable guarantee that it should be peaceful because I hate bloody confrontation. And thirdly, there should be a guarantee that there will be a constitutional democracy."
Had these people given him those guarantees, "I would morally give my support" but would not necessarily have accepted a seat in the post-Arroyo governing body.
"But to be a part of that, I prefer to be with the people as watchdogs in establishing a righteous good government in this country," said Villanueva, who like the three other losing presidential candidates in 2004 accused Arroyo of election fraud.
Villanueva said he advised the intermediaries to "tackle the root problem of the perceived stolen presidency," which he said could be remedied by holding "genuine democratic snap elections."
Villanueva, who said he was approached shortly after the May 2004 vote, said the intermediaries "did not give me a timetable" for the plot.
"What was important to them was to usher in real reforms and these people who had been talking to them assured them that they would not succumb to the temptation of military rule."
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