Troops seize complex, surrender

MANILA, Philippines -- More than 300 mutinous Philippine troops who seized a downtown residential shopping complex surrendered late Sunday, ending a 19-hour standoff with government forces without a shot fired.\nExplosives set at the upscale complex by the mutineers were being defused as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced the standoff had ended. Renegade soldiers and officers would face investigation according to "the articles of war," she said.\n"The crisis ... is over," a visibly relieved and smiling Arroyo said in a nationally televised address, as senior aides at the presidential palace clapped.\nThe president had set two deadlines for using force against the mutineers, who in a statement said they wanted the government to resign and complained of corruption. The deadlines passed as government negotiators entered into talks with the rebellious troops.\n"This is a triumph for democracy," Arroyo said. The 296 soldiers, including 70 officers, "are standing down and returning to barracks."\nHours earlier, the president declared a "state of rebellion," giving authorities emergency powers to make arrests without warrants, and sent tanks to surround the besieged complex.\nIn an earlier televised appeal, Arroyo told the rogue soldiers: "Your actions are already hovering at the fringes of outright terrorism. You have already stained the uniform. Do not drench it with dishonor."\nThe standoff started at about 3 a.m. Sunday, when the mutineers, armed with rifles and wearing camouflage uniforms and red arm bands, set up gun posts and rigged explosives around the outside of the Glorietta complex.\nDespite rumors of a coup plot, the renegade troops said they were not trying to seize power but only air complaints including favoritism.\nTroops have complained in the past about low and unequal salaries in the Philippines, which has a history of coups -- and rumors of coups -- in recent years. In a 1989 rebellion, mutinous forces seized the same shopping complex.\n"We are not attempting to grab power. We are just trying to express our grievances," Navy Lt. Sr. Grade Antonio Trillanes told reporters at the scene.\nWhile the standoff started dramatically, it took on a casual air. Mutineers appeared relaxed, despite the tanks outside, as they held news conferences inside the swank, high-rise apartment building.\nWhen marines showed up to surround the complex, TV footage showed them shaking hands with some of the rebel officers, raising questions about what they would do if ordered to mount an assault.\nSome residents, including the Australian ambassador, were prevented from leaving the complex, but all were evacuated later, some carrying children and luggage.\nAway from the scene, there was little sign of tension as Filipinos took the standoff in stride. It was the latest in long line of coups and rumors of coups.\nUnlike the "people power" revolts that peacefully ousted two presidents in recent years, there appeared to be little public support for the mutiny. The military chief of staff declared loyalty to the president.\nU.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone had played down fears of a nationwide crisis, but advised Americans in the Philippines to stay at home and avoid gatherings.\nRumors of a coup plot spread for the past week. Arroyo took action Saturday, announcing that she had ordered the military and police to hunt down and "arrest a small band of rogue junior officers and soldiers who have deserted their post and illegally brought weapons with them."\nThe officers responded with a statement and a video just before seizing the complex: They accused the government of selling arms and ammunition to Muslim and communist rebels; staging deadly bombings to justify more aid from the United States; and preparing to declare martial law to stay in power.\n"We demand the resignation of our leaders in the present regime," the statement said. "We are willing to sacrifice our lives today, to pursue a program not tainted with politicking."\nThe defense secretary said he recommended to Arroyo that an independent commission investigate some of the mutineers' concerns. But he warned: "If these renegades don't stand down, they will be dealt with as rebels."\nThere were several coup attempts against former President Corazon Aquino in the late 1980s by officers complaining about corruption.\nIn 1989, rebellious troops held the Glorietta center for several days -- with snipers on top of the Intercontinental Hotel and nearby high-rises -- before surrendering.\nArroyo was sworn in as president as her predecessor, Joseph Estrada, was forced out in January 2001 by mass protests over alleged corruption. Supporters of Estrada continue to challenge Arroyo's legitimacy as leader.\nEstrada was moved Sunday from a military hospital where he has been detained while on trial on corruption charges to the military's Camp Aguinaldo amid concerns that there might be an effort to free him.\nArroyo has said she won't run in elections next May, although rumors persist that she will change her mind.\nThe 56-year-old economist has enjoyed solid public support and is one of the staunchest U.S. allies in Asia.\nThe United States has been working closely with the 120,000-strong Philippine military, which has been battling Muslim separatists and communist rebels for the last three decades. But the military remains poorly equipped and trained, hampered by budgetary constraints.