Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye made the statement as law enforcement authorities continue to put under strict surveillance at least seven journalists said to be highly critical of the Arroyo administration.

"We believe in the freedom of the press but we do not believe in special treatment of media practitioners who run afoul of the law," he said in an official press statement.

At the height of the alleged coup attempt last Feb. 24, police raided the Daily Tribune’s editorial offices and printing press.

Aside from the Daily Tribune, authorities are also looking into the media coverage of the ABS-CBN 2 and the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), especially during the brief standoff at the Philippine Marines headquarters last Feb. 27.

"The press is not a target of censorship but some members of the press have been charged with violations of law and shall be prosecuted just like any ordinary citizen," said Bunye, a former newspaperman before joining government service.

"This government has never acted out of whim or caprice, but only under the principle of public necessity and the national welfare," he said, justifying the issuance of Proclamation 1017 against criticisms it threatened civil rights and liberties.

"Be that as it may, the courts are fully open to receive challenges to official actions, and to rule on them. The Bill of Rights is in force," he said.

Meanwhile, Bunye said the government will only extend the olive branch to sectors that genuinely want peace but vowed to thwart any conspiracies to overthrow the government.

"Peace, unity and reconciliation are an integral policy of this administration but we will never allow it to be exploited to undermine the political system itself," he said in a statement.

"The Government shall talk peace with those who earnestly desire it, but it will preempt any and all conspiracies, separate or combined, to destroy the republic," Bunye added.

Bunye issued the remarks after a former rebel implicated five progressive party-list lawmakers in the leftist-rightist conspiracy to topple the government last month. The five lawmakers accused of rebellion remain in the custody at the House of Representatives. (Ferdie J. Maglalang with a report by Genalyn D. Kabiling)

Senators caution military against being arrogant

By MARIO CASAYURAN

Senators Miriam Defensor Santiago and Rodolfo G. Biazon advised yesterday the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) not to be intoxicated with a sense of power by claiming that it is the only one holding the nation together.

Both said President Arroyo remains in power because majority of the masses consider as anathema a military junta.

"This is a fatuous statement that has no relation to reality. It is not the AFP but the rule of law that holds the nation together. Political scientists have pointed out that it is easy for the military to stage a coup d’etat. But experience has shown that a military junta will itself likely to be ousted from power in less than a year, because it has no rule of law to sustain it," Santiago said.

Biazon, on the other hand, expressed the hope that the statement attributed to AFP spokesman Col. Tristan Kison that it is the AFP that is keeping the government together "is not reflective of the AFP’s leadership frame of mind but is only a personal opinion of this colonel…and if this is so, the AFP leadership has the obligation to reign in this AFP spokesman."

Biazon said Kison’s claim that the AFP is the only one keeping the country together "is the height of arrogance."

Kison was earlier quoted as saying "the legitimate political opposition is now regarded as an enemy of the state by the military under the Arroyo regime… Any dialogue they hold with the officers and men in uniform without the express consent of the military top brass will be met with ‘necessary action.’… The military can make or break the government."

Sen. Joker Arroyo, for his part, said President Arroyo must convene the National Security Council (NSC) to assess whether Proclamation 1017 has strengthened the presidency or has weakened the office.

"The political opposition is represented in the NSC, they must attend because they are even in a weaker position than the President. The President envisioned Proclamation 1017 to protect and strengthen her. But the opposite happened: the one who benefited from it was the AFP, their position was strengthened," he said.

"The President’s underlings were bludgeoning everyone with Proclamation 1017 and handcuffing Congress with Executive Order 464, all the while not realizing that their civilian government was locked up in one-upmanship, the military consolidated their position and they will now preside over the conflict created by the majority and the minority," he added.

Palace confident military won’t join move to oust gov’t

By FERDIE MAGLALANG

Majority of the Filipino people reject the planned establishment of a military junta, Malacañang said yesterday as it expressed confidence that the Armed Forces will not join moves to grab power from the government.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye issued the statement while saying that there are still some "shadowy groups" sowing intrigue and discord among top military officers, raising skepticisms on their loyalty to the chain of command and the Constitution.

"Talk of a military junta is insulting not only to the great majority of professional soldiers but to all Filipinos who cherish freedom under a democratic way of life," he said in a press statement.

While the AFP "wields its legitimate power for the interest of the nation," it will not allow itself to be cajoled by some "shadowy groups" to join them and grab power from the government, he said.

"The AFP stands behind the Constitution, the people and the Presidency, and it will continue to do so," he said, even as he acknowledged that a "crack" in the AFP had entertained joining the foiled Feb. 24 rebellion against the government.

Mrs. Arroyo earlier claimed that she was forced to place the entire country under a state of national emergency to stop some disgruntled military officers and civil society groups from overthrowing the government and establishing a military junta.

Bunye appealed to the opposition to spare the military from partisan politics and instead respect its professionalism to perform its sworn duty and obligation to protect and defend the Constitution and its duly-constituted authorities.