At the time of the coup, the Aquino government was grappling with several political crises such as the aftermath of the God Save the Queen Plot in November 1986, the gradual deterioration of relations with the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM), a group of dissident soldiers and officers of the AFP that led by Colonel Gringo Honasan and Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile which helped install Aquino into the presidency during the People Power revolution which ended the Marcos dictatorship and forced him into exile in February 1986,[1] the fallout from the Mendiola Massacre on January 22, 1987 which shattered her relations with the Left, and preparations for the plebiscite on the ratification of a new constitution on February 2.

[3] They were also identified as supporters of former President Ferdinand Marcos, who after his overthrow had been living in exile in Hawaii, and were critical of the Aquino government's perceived lenient approach towards the communist insurgency in the Philippines.

In total, their strength was estimated to be at around 200 personnel, and were later augmented by about 100 civilian supporters of Marcos who had gathered outside, among them actors Elizabeth Oropesa, Alona Alegre, Annie Ferrer and Amay Bisaya.

[3] At Sangley Air Base, about 55 soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Rodolfo Calzado entered the facility, blocked the runway, and briefly held hostage the commanding general and his deputy before surrendering.

[8][9] As a precaution, the Aquino government ordered additional soldiers and helicopter gunships to Marcos' home province of Ilocos Norte during the coup, and deployed tanks to block the runway of Laoag International Airport.

[3] Attempts were made to use Canlas' former classmates in the Philippine Military Academy,[4] as well as his wife and sons, who were cadets in the PMA, to contact him over the phone and on radio to persuade him to surrender, to no avail.

During conversations recovered live on radio, Ramos sternly ordered Canlas to surrender, who responded that they were "willing to pay the price of our behavior," insisting that they were demonstrating against growing communist influence and not plotting to overthrow Aquino.

[2] After several hours, tear gas was fired at the complex and government soldiers were placed on standby to move in when RAM officers led by Honasan stepped in to mediate, warning Ramos that a violent assault would fatally undermine the AFP.

[7] During this time, Ramos, who had set up camp at a house next to the complex, and other officials were considering digging a tunnel under the station for elite forces to use in an assault,[2] while Canlas and several of his supporters managed to issue a radio message demanding a stop to the tear gas attacks.

[8] Before arriving at the fort, Canlas and 12 other officers were allowed to make a press conference at the Ministry of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo, during which they insisted that they had not launched a rebellion and denied responsibility for the other attacks that occurred.

[8] Officials at GMA said the rebels left the building in disarray, with 'waste material and leftover food' strewn all over the floor and electronic equipment from the studios, personal valuables, and cash from the offices also missing.

[2] Abadilla, who was later accused as the mastermind of the coup, was arrested in July 1987, but was allowed to successfully run for vice governor of Ilocos Norte from prison in local elections held in January 1988.

[14] In 1991, Colonel Calzado was captured without resistance in Paco Park, Manila by the Philippine Air Force for leading the attack on Sangley Point, and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

[16] On August 28, 1992, Canlas and 15 other rebels who took part in the takeover of GMA were temporarily released from detention and placed in the custody of their respective service commanders on orders from Ramos, who was by then Aquino's successor as president.