Day after failed coup, 101 held in Philippines

Fifty military officers and their supporters — including a former vice-president — were arrested and others were being sought on Friday following a failed attempt to trigger a “people power” revolt against the Philippines President.

Planned rallies by Leftists to mark a national holiday drew small crowds, and several hundred protesters were blocked by the police from approaching the presidential palace. But those gatherings were tiny in comparison to the uprisings that ousted presidents in 2001 and 1986, and it appeared that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has survived yet another crisis. The latest bid to oust her came on Thursday, when 27 soldiers walked out of their trial on earlier insurrection charges and commandeered the five-star Peninsula Hotel. They were joined by Brig Gen Danilo Lim —suspected of involvement in a failed coup plot last year — along with dozens of sympathisers within the military and leaders of Leftist and opposition groups.

Lim issued a statement urging Arroyo to resign. The events were similar to those four years ago, when the same officers tried a similar tactic at an upscale hotel. The events were remarkably similar to four years ago, when the same officers tried a similar tactic at another upscale hotel a few blocks away.