February 1986 Reform the Armed Forces Movement coup

1986 Reform the Armed Forces Movement coup
Part of the People Power Revolution
Date February 22, 1986 Location Metro Manila, Philippines Result Plot discovered RAM soldiers arrested Enrile takes shelter at Camp Aguinaldo Start of the People Power Revolution
Belligerents
Reform the Armed Forces Movement	Government of the Philippines Armed Forces of the Philippines Presidential Security Group Integrated National Police
Commanders and leaders
Gregorio Honasan Juan Ponce Enrile	Ferdinand Marcos Fabian Ver

The February 1986 Reform the Armed Forces Movement coup^[1] was set in motion by the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) under the leadership of Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile to depose then-president Ferdinand Marcos, but was discovered and aborted in its earliest stages on February 22, 1986.^[1][2] The coup's intent was to take advantage of the public disruption arising from revelations of cheating during the 1986 Philippine presidential election, and replace Marcos with a military junta which would include Enrile, Philippine Constabulary Chief Fidel V. Ramos, then-Presidential Candidate Corazon Aquino, and Roman Catholic Cardinal Jaime Sin, among others,^[3] which Enrile and the RAM Colonels would control from behind the scenes.^[1]

The plot is notable for being the first major military action set in motion by the Reform the Armed Forces Movement,^[1] and for advancing the timeline of the People Power Revolution,^[4][5][6] which would otherwise have taken the form of a civil disobedience campaign led by Aquino, who had refused to back down after the revealed cheating in the 1986 Philippine presidential election.^[5]

After discovering that their plot had been uncovered, Enrile and the RAM decided abort it, and instead stage a last stand in Camp Aguinaldo.^[1] He then called Philippine Constabulary Chief General Fidel Ramos and Cardinal Sin to ask for support.^[7] The defection of Ramos, who commanded nearby Camp Crame; the arrival of civilians to form a human barricade surrounding the two camps; and the eventual the defection of numerous other units of the AFP, eventually snowballed into what became the People Power Revolution.^[5][8][9]

Corazon Aquino, who rejected Enrile's proposal of a Military Junta, was eventually inaugurated as the civilian president of a revolutionary government which was not military in nature.^[3] Enrile was briefly granted the role of Defense Secretary in Aquino's administration, but was then compelled to resign due to "disagreements" with Aquino and his alleged role in plotting later coups against Aquino. RAM eventually organized several failed coups to overthrow Philippine President Corazon Aquino from November 1986 to October 1990.^[10][11]