By Xinhua
Manila : Chief of the Philippines armed forces Hermogenes Esperon Jr. confirmed Thursday a fresh attempt to recruit soldiers as part of efforts to topple the government.
Officers and enlisted men who refused to join reported the recruitment activities to their commanders, Esperon told reporters.
Esperon said the recruiters, whom he refused to identify, were harping on “flimsy” and “old” issues like corruption in the government and were even offering money to lure the troops to their fold.
He said the anti-government forces were communicating with soldiers through meetings and mobile phone text messages.
Expressing confidence towards the soldiers, Esperon said, “Too bad for them, our soldiers are imbued with the idea that it is only through the chain of command that we should be performing our duties.”
Troops have also learned from the experience of soldiers who were recruited in past coup attempts, that they were “left out in the cold” when the plot fizzled out, he said.