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MANILA: A Philippine court on Tuesday sentenced two junior army officers to life in prison for their part in a failed coup against President Gloria Arroyo in 2003.
Seven other officers involved in the plot were given jail terms of up to 12 years, the court said.
Army captains Gerardo Gambala and Milo Maestrocampo, who were among several ringleaders, stood silently and showed no emotion as the sentence was handed down by Judge Oscar Pimentel.
The nine were among 31 officers who had changed their plea to guilty last week after earlier denying the charge.
It was unclear why they changed their plea, but press reports have suggested they may have entered into a deal with government.
The group led some 300 soldiers in taking over a luxury apartment-hotel in Manila's Makati financial district and calling on Arroyo and her top generals to step down over alleged corruption.
The rebellion was put down in less than 24 hours, and all ringleaders were arrested and detained.
Arroyo subsequently freed most of the enlisted personnel, saying they were only duped into joining the rebellion.
The group, who call themselves the Magdalo fraternity, have drawn a certain amount of public sympathy.
One of the ringleaders, ex-Navy lieutenant Antonio Trillanes, last year won a seat in the Senate while campaigning from behind bars.
In 2006, Arroyo crushed another coup plot and jailed at least two generals and several senior military officers who had withdrawn their support for her over allegations of corruption and vote rigging.
- AFP/so
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