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The rebel officers "are not Noriegas," says Stanley Karnow, author of In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines. "They are not thugs by any means." While only about 2,000 rebel troops were involved in the rebellion, several other units declared themselves neutral in the conflict out of respect for Honasan's cause. Even if Gringo's latest attempt to seize power is thwarted, says Karnow, "the symptoms of malaise within the military will still be there."
For his part, Honasan remained invisible and mostly silent during the uprising. Except for former RAM member Rodolfo Aguinaldo, governor of Cagayan province, in the far north, no politician publicly sided with the rebels.
In fact, most stood by Aquino, including Senate President Jovito Salonga, who has been critical of her policies. "It took so many years and so much sacrifice to get rid of the dictatorship," said Salonga. "We must protect this democracy despite all its faults and weaknesses."
The price paid for saving Philippine democracy, however, could one day doom it. The political situation is a shambles. A drive to win new foreign investment is now likely to be aborted. Worst of all, though U.S. jets may have flown the colors of liberty, their intervention was a psychological blow to the Filipinos.
Since independence in 1946, the Philippines has struggled with its complex love-hate, parent-child relationship with America. Already accused by nationalists of being an American lackey, Aquino had shrewdly kept her silence -- and "my options open" -- in the matter of renewing the leases on Clark Air Base and Subic Bay Naval Base, two of the largest U.S. installations in the world. Now that she has shown herself dependent on U.S. forces there, Aquino may be hopelessly compromised when negotiations on renewing the leases begin shortly. Says a Filipino intelligence officer: "Let's not even talk about the U.S. bases, much less discuss them this month. This is a U.S. territory, no less, as demonstrated by the U.S. assistance granted to our ceremonial President."
"The Philippines is still dependent on the United States," says Karnow. "What's called a 'neocolonial relationship' or 'a special relationship' is still there." The rebels have seized on the issue and are holding Ambassador Platt "personally responsible" for their defeat and calling the U.S. move "an act of aggression against the sovereign Filipino people."
Breaking his silence, the still unapprehended Honasan told TIME during a brief phone call, "We do not wish to spurn our friendship with the American people. But I believe it is morally wrong for Ambassador Platt to take sides because it will mean more bloodshed." Saving democracy may be its own reward, but for the U.S., this rescue could have long-term costs. Now that Washington has used force to prop up the Aquino regime, will anything less do the next time a threat arises?