GMA-7 incident From January 27–29, 1987, around 100 soldiers led by Colonel Oscar Canlas seized the main compound of
GMA Network in
Quezon City, while other troops attempted in vain to capture
Sangley Point Air Force Base in
Cavite. One rebel soldier was killed, while 35 people were injured. In the early morning of January 1, 1991, former
lieutenant colonel Rodolfo Calzado was captured without resistance in
Paco Park,
Manila by the
Philippine Air Force for masterminding the plan to capture Sangley Point, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison. On August 28, 1992, 16 military rebels who took part in the takeover of GMA were temporarily released from detention and placed in the custody of their respective service commanders on orders from President
Fidel Ramos.
Black Saturday incident On
Black Saturday 1987 (April 18), 13 rebel soldiers staged a raid on
Fort Bonifacio. It was repelled within the morning, with one rebel soldier dead.
MIA plot In July 1987, a plot to stage another coup attempt through a military takeover of
Manila International Airport was uncovered before it could be implemented, with four officers being
court-martialled for the plot.
August coup attempt On August 28, 1987, the most serious attempt up to then to overthrow Aquino's government was launched by members of the
Reform the Armed Forces Movement led by Colonel
Gregorio Honasan, who had been a former top aide of Enrile. In the early morning, rebel soldiers launched an attack on
Malacañang Palace. The siege was repelled within a few hours, with several military and civilian casualties including Aquino's son, the future President
Benigno Aquino III, who was wounded. Honasan himself led the soldiers that seized portions of
Camp Aguinaldo, including the headquarters of the
Department of National Defense. Rebel soldiers also seized parts of
Villamor Airbase,
Camp Aguinaldo, three television stations in Manila, military camps in
Pampanga and
Cebu, and the airport in
Legaspi City. Various statements broadcast by the rebels referred to "the overindulgence in politics which now pervades in society", the supposed mishandling of the communist insurgency, and the deplorable economic condition of the military rebels. By day's end, government troops were able to recapture most of the rebel-held facilities, and the coup fizzled out by the 29th. 53 were dead and more than 200 wounded; many of the fatalities were unarmed civilians who were fired upon by rebels after they were jeered by the crowd. Honasan himself evaded capture, while Enrile (by then a
Senator), denied involvement in the coup. Honasan would eventually be captured by the military in a house in Valle Verde,
Pasig on December 9, 1987, but escaped in 1988. Following the coup attempt, the Aquino government veered to the
right, dismissing perceived left-leaning officials such as
Executive Secretary Joker Arroyo and tacitly authorizing the establishment of armed,
quasi-military groups to combat the ongoing
communist insurgency. It was also believed that General
Fidel Ramos–who remained loyal to Aquino–emerged as the second-most-powerful person in government following his successful quelling of the coup. Across-the-board wage increases for soldiers were also granted. Aquino herself meanwhile sued
Philippine Star columnist
Louie Beltran for
libel after he wrote that the President hid under her bed when the Palace was under siege. In January 1991, former navy seaman Jose Pedragoza was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Service for his involvement in the takeover of the
People's Television Network station. In October 1992, rebellion charges against the former Constabulary Colonel Reynaldo Cabauatan were dismissed by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court due to the prosecution's failure to locate their witnesses for the trial. ==1989 coup attempt==