MANILA, MARCH 4 -- Government soldiers today attacked a hotel under siege by armed followers of a rebel governor, sparking clashes in the northern Philippines that left at least 14 people dead, including a prominent general.
More than 100 of Aguinaldo's fighters reportedly surrendered after the clashes in the provincial capital, Tuguegarao.
Military officials said the episode, including the killing by the rebels of a close adviser to Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos, could heighten tensions in the country's divided military and sway public opinion against army rebels who repeatedly have tried to oust the Aquino government and nearly did so last December. Military officials had feared that an attempt to crack down on suspected coup conspirators could lead to the kind of violence that occurred today.
The trouble in Cagayan Province began when officials sent to arrest Aguinaldo in Tuguegarao, a city of more than 80,000 about 250 miles north of Manila, were taken hostage by the governor's followers at the six-story Delfino hotel. Aguinaldo is wanted on charges of rebellion and murder for his alleged involvement in the December coup bid, crushed after intervention by U.S. warplanes.
Brig. Gen. Oscar Florendo, 51, the armed forces chief of Civil Military Relations and once believed to be a friend of Aguinaldo's, was among the group sent to serve the suspended governor with an arrest warrant. Florendo was seized by Aguinaldo's men, shot at close range and died on arrival at a hospital, military sources said.
Florendo's companions -- local government secretary Luis Santos and three other senior military officials -- also were taken hostage in the hotel but were rescued when nearly 1,000 soldiers launched the attack against about 300 Aguinaldo followers, mostly tribesmen and former Communist rebels.
As Aguinaldo escaped, some of his men fled as well while others battled soldiers in the streets. Regional commander Col. Miguel Fontanilla said at least 14 people died, including Florendo and 10 others killed during a clash at a checkpoint near a bridge. At least 10 people were wounded. According to officials, at least 100 of Aguinaldo's men surrendered.
Florendo's death triggered an emotional outburst among military, civilian and political groups in the capital. Tapes of his speeches denouncing rebel soldiers who participated in the December mutiny were aired on radio stations nationwide. Filipino reporters who spoke to Florendo shortly before his death quoted him as saying, "I feel very sad for the country."
Military officials said his death could embolden loyal soldiers to help crush the military rebel movement. An army general said renegade soldiers should "think twice about making another move. This is no longer a joke."
President Aquino issued a statement, saying: "The act of cowardice and treachery of Aguinaldo's followers will not go unpunished. We will see that the fullest force of the law is meted out to them."
Aguinaldo, a former lieutenant colonel who quit the military to run for governor in 1988, was suspended from his post in January for 60 days after announcing during the December coup attempt that he was sending tanks and artillery to Manila to support the rebels. Aguinaldo initially resisted the suspension but agreed to it after a standoff with the government. He then went into hiding in mountains north of Tuguegarao with his private army.
The tough-talking Aguinaldo was among seven people accused of conspiring in the December coup bid, the worst of five attempts to oust Aquino since she came to power in 1986 in a popular revolt that ousted dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Those indicted along with Enrile include opposition senator Juan Ponce Enrile, who was arrested on Tuesday. Enrile served as Aquino's defense minister early in her administration but turned against her, accusing her of being incapable of leading the country and allowing corruption in her government.
Military sources, who had feared that such a crackdown would lead to trouble, said senior officials tried unsuccessfully to talk Aquino into reducing the charges against the suspected conspirators prior to Enrile's arrest. Aguinaldo, according to officials, had said he would surrender on the rebellion charge if the murder accusation were dropped, but that apparently was not an option offered by the government.
Aguinaldo and Florendo were graduated from the elite Philippine Military Academy and collaborated in military intelligence work. Close friends said Florendo had helped finance Aguinaldo's election campaign in 1988.