New Philippine Senator is attempted coup leader

MANILA, June 14 (Reuters) A Philippine navy officer who led an attempted coup against the government four years ago was declared elected to the Senate today, underlining the unpopularity of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Benjamin Abalos, the chairman of the Commission on Elections, told Reuters that Lieutenant Antonio Trillanes had clinched the 11th seat of the 12 that were contested in the May 14 senatorial elections.

The opposition has dominated the contest for the Senate -- along with Trillanes, seven of its candidates have been declared winners so far. Two independents are also in the house and the opposition has the edge in one more seat that is to be decided.

But the administration swept elections to the House of Representatives and has about 200 seats in the 275-member legislature.

The Senate will also be controlled by the Senate because only half of the chamber's 24 seats were contested in the poll.

Still, the election of Trillanes is likely to pose problems for the military, which strongly backs Arroyo. The navy officer made no secret of his opposition to the government and to the top military brass during the campaign, which he conducted from his jail cell.

''The only way for this country to move forward is to get Gloria out of the way,'' a defiant Trillanes told reporters at his detention cell earlier this month.

''I'm going to live up to that advocacy, but if the people will eventually say no, then I am going to accept that as a fact.'' If Trillanes gets a seat in the powerful bicameral Commission on Appointments, he would have a say in the promotions of senior military generals. He would also be able to block budget proposals for government departments.

''We are not threatened,'' army spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Bartolome Bacarro told reporters on the coup leader's election victory. ''There's nothing to fear. There's nothing to be worried about. The military will respect that mandate.'' Although Trillanes has won a seat in the Senate, it was not clear whether Manila's lower court would allow him to attend tomorrow's proclamation of his victory.

He faces rebellion charges at a lower court in Manila's financial district and several violations of the army's articles of war before a military tribunal.

If found guilty, he has to give up his Senate seat.

Trillanes, 35, led a mutiny of young army officers against Arroyo in 2003.

While some of the mutiny leaders have reconciled with the president after making public apologies, Trillanes has remained unrepentant, criticising Arroyo's government for widespread corruption and rights abuses.

With only a 109,000 dollars budget, raised by selling his battered car and contributions from relatives, Trillanes was the lowest spending front-running candidate in the election.

Most Senate candidates spent upward of 50 million pesos.

His campaign gathered steam towards the end as opposition forces, including left-wing activists and a wealthy anti-Arroyo lawmaker, bankrolled television advertisements.

He placed third in votes cast by the military, despite efforts by senior defence and armed forces officials to dissuade troops and their families from supporting the coup leader.

Government prosecutors had said they would make it hard for Trillanes to attend Senate sessions because they would oppose every appeal he makes to the courts to allow him to leave his military cell to participate in legislative debate.

REUTERS SG RK1215