Philippine press weary at coup attempt

Renegade soldiers surrendered after troops stormed the building

Philippine papers express exasperation at the latest coup attempt, in which 30 soldiers led by Antonio Trillanes and Danilo Lim took over a luxury Manila hotel, only to surrender to troops a few hours later.

Some papers are sympathetic to the soldiers' allegations of corruption and abuse of power against President Gloria Arroyo, but most think their actions were "inept" and "pathetic".

Not all dailies support the government, with one calling its response "overkill" and another predicting more coup attempts if public discontent is not addressed.

PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

This armed undertaking had failure written all over it. It had the DNA of the ineptly executed Oakwood mutiny [in 2003] and the inadequately prepared-for standoff. The idea that a commander-in-chief can be forced out of office by taking over a secluded building in Makati was ridiculous in 2003; it is only pathetic now. Let us be clear. The Arroyo administration, and especially the heavy-handed leadership of Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, is responsible for deepening the frustration of the officers and soldiers. They have not received the kind of respectful treatment they may have expected from their brother-soldiers; they have reason to feel sorely aggrieved, even deliberately humiliated.

MANILA STANDARD TODAY

Once again, former Navy Lt. Antonio Trillanes proved to all and sundry the kind of arrogant fool he truly is. When will messianic people such as Trillanes realise that nobody put them in charge? Even if we were the harshest critics of the administration, we would reject Trillanes and his brand of leadership, which takes matters by force of arms, with no regard for the law or the legal rights of others.

RINA JIMENEZ-DAVID IN PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER

Though both Brig-Gen Danilo Lim and Antonio Trillanes have given statements justifying their walkout from the Makati courtroom, with the senator saying that he thinks it was a "moral responsibility" to move for the downfall of the Arroyo regime, it still isn't clear what they or their followers wanted to achieve by the standoff. Lim has admitted they want nothing less than "regime change", asking the people just to wait and see for the new leadership to emerge. If the leaders and forces have a "Plan B" aside from holing up in a five-star hotel and calling for support from the Filipino people, it still isn't evident.

BONG O. WENCESLAO IN CEBU SUN STAR

For once, the "rebels" were largely unarmed. If the well-armed Oakwood mutineers failed, how much more their copycats? As for Trillanes, he just seems out of touch with political realities.

PHILIPPINE STAR

We keep hearing the same refrain and seeing the same methods resorted to over and over again. Though the end does not justify the means, many of the gripes expressed by those who staged yesterday's "situation" are valid. It did not help that the administration again indulged its penchant for overkill yesterday, rounding up media members and imposing a midnight-to-dawn curfew. Those moves would only be added to a long list of reasons for public discontent. Until those complaints are reasonably addressed, we have not seen the last of Trillanes' capers.

BBC Monitoring selects and translates news from radio, television, press, news agencies and the internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages. It is based in Caversham, UK, and has several bureaux abroad.