The head of the Philippines military intelligence has stepped down. His resignation comes just days after a failed military mutiny in Manila by rebel soldiers who demanded reforms in the military.
The resignation of Brigadier General Victor Corpus was among the military reforms the soldiers demanded when they seized a commercial complex for most of Sunday before surrendering. They accuse him of staging terrorist attacks in the south earlier this year to get more anti-terror aid from the United States.
Wednesday, Philippine chief spokesman, Ignacio Bunye, announced President Gloria Arroyo has accepted the resignation. Mr. Bunye says General Corpus, in his letter, said he believes his decision would prevent further agitation among young officers in the military. But Mr. Corpus denied the soldiers' accusations.
The spokesman says the general will not resign from military service, but will likely be assigned to a different post.
General Corpus has had a colorful life in the military. As a young colonel in the Philippine Military Academy in the 1970s, Mr. Corpus advocated reforms. He and his supporters raided the academy's arsenal and bolted to join the communist New People's Army.
He was arrested and imprisoned for several years, but was released by former President Corazon Aquino after the country's return to democracy in 1986. He was re-instated by the military, and rose to chief of intelligence services in 2001.
The general is the first casualty in the armed forces as a result of Sunday's rebellion. The mutinous soldiers also demanded the resignation of defense chief Angelo Reyes on the same charges. Mr. Reyes said he would not step down.
President Arroyo has formed several commissions to investigate the roots of the rebellion and the accusations made against senior officials.
