Filipino Mutiny

A coup attempt is underway in the Philippines.

Rebellious soldiers stormed a major commercial centre in Manila early Sunday, hours after the Philippine government ordered the arrest of officers believed to be plotting a coup. The president warned the mutineers to surrender or face military action.

With demands that the government resign, troops in camouflage uniforms set up gun posts and rigged explosives at 3 a.m. around the outside of the Glorietta complex, which includes one of the capital's largest shopping malls. The military responded by sending marines to positions nearby. Television footage later showed them shaking hands with some of the rogue officers, raising questions about what government forces would do if ordered to mount an assault.

Around 10 a.m., seven hours after the takeover began, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo went on national television and set a 5 p.m. deadline for the rebels to surrender. [...] Unlike the two "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 Arroyo.

Rumours of a coup plot had been spreading for the last week. Arroyo took action Saturday, publicly 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." The officers responded in a video released just before the takeover, accusing the government of selling arms and ammunition to Muslim and communist rebels, staging recent deadly bombings to justify more aid from the United States, and preparing to declare martial law to stay in power.

This is going to be ugly. Right now, we're about six hours away from the deadline...