[3] According to the report of the post-mortem Fact Finding Commission chaired by Florentino P. Feliciano, a retired Supreme Court justice, "the incidents leading to the mutiny were not spontaneous, but a mere alternative plan to an overarching plot to overthrow the government".

"Gripe sessions" were held among military personnel sought to be recruited, which included the dissemination and discussion of copies of the "National Recovery Program" (NRP) authored by Col. Gregorio Honasan (retired), and a document entitled "The Last Revolution".

In the meeting, Honasan discussed his NRP agenda and “The Last Revolution”, concluding that "the only means to achieve that platform or vision is through the use of force, violence, or armed struggle" [citation needed].

To carry out the bloodletting rite, Honasan provided special knives and showed the participants how to inscribe[7] the letter “ᜃ” (Unicode 1703) or "Ka"[8] of the Old Tagalog alphabet under their left upper arms.

In the June 12 meeting in San Juan, the following topics were discussed: the peace and order situation, the national economy, the alleged illegitimacy of the Arroyo administration, the Joseph Estrada plunder case, and the military's purported need to rectify the supposed errors brought about by the consequence of EDSA 2.

The document, purportedly signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, contained a plan to capture Hashim Salamat dead or alive and to occupy the Buliok Complex at the Liguasan Marsh area in North Cotabato.

Another rebel soldier who went to Oakwood was Navy Lt. Manuel Cabochan, of PMA '95 who bought 49 sets of battle dress attire (BDA) uniforms, T-shirts, and combat boots worth P108,780.00 on June 30, 2003.

On July 23, five Hyundai Aero buses (presumably second hand) were purchased for P2.10 million in cash by Francisco Dimaculangan and Isidro Samaco from a company named Car Option Sales, Inc. One bus was later found in Oakwood while another was abandoned in Binakayan, Cavite.

On the same day, NICA Director General Cesar Garcia reported to National Security Adviser Roilo Golez on the ongoing recruitment activities in the AFP by certain junior officers.

Subsequently, SMC Alpha submitted a report from various intelligence sources that the plot being watched involved plans to temporarily reinstate deposed President Estrada.

On July 12, the intelligence group informed President Arroyo about persistent reports of rebel recruitment activities in the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP), particularly in Mindanao, Central Luzon, and Metro Manila.

An action plan was approved which consisted of pre-emptive measures employing persuasion efforts on the one hand, and cracking down on the suspected plotters should they commit any overt illegal acts, on the other.

In the meeting of SMC Alpha on July 15, the recruitment had been reported as led by a covert fraternity called the “New Filipino Heroes” who were advocating the adoption of the NRP of Honasan.

Plans of the groups to rescue and release former President Estrada from the Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) and to take over radio and television stations were likewise revealed.

It further appears that the intelligence community had been receiving reports that Honasan had been holding sessions with the members of the Magdalo group in Metro Manila and Sangley Point, Cavite.

The February 11 Memorandum of Instructions to the DND Secretary purportedly issued by the president and the “Oplan Greenbase” attributed to Ermita were reported to have been disseminated to bolster the recruitment effort.

In the early morning of July 25, Some 28 Scout Ranger personnel boarded a Cebu Pacific flight for Manila and were monitored to have proceeded to Virramall Shopping Center in Greenhills, San Juan.

Upon their arrival, they were in fact met by some officers, including Col. Danilo Lim of the First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR), and were found to have apparently legitimate reasons for coming to Manila.

On July 10, Navy Lt. Christopher Magdangal, an aide-de-camp to Arroyo and a member of PMA '95, called his classmate Trillanes to ask him about the veracity of reports that the latter was a leader of a rebel group moving to destabilize the government.

During the meeting with Arroyo, Trillanes brought up the problem of corruption as discussed in the two term papers which he submitted for his masters program at the University of the Philippines’ National College of Public Administration and Governance.

Arroyo allegedly ordered the PSG officers to parade him before the media to give him a lesson and called the Flag Officer-in-Command (FOIC), Vice Admiral Ernesto de Leon, to detain him at the Naval Intelligence and Security Force (NISF) in Fort Bonifacio.

[22] Thereafter, Arroyo publicly announced for the first time at 8:19 pm in the media that "a small band of rogue junior officers and soldiers had deserted their posts and illegally brought weapons with them".

A week earlier, a meeting of the leaders of "anti-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo" (PGMA) groups allegedly to discuss pre-SONA activities at the Danarra Hotel in Quezon City was monitored by Government intelligence.

The enlisted men and officers of the military and the police who remain loyal to the people will not turn me in.”[42] He was recaptured on January 27, 2006, in Mandaluyong by the AITF under the supervision of PCI Franz Georsua[43] He was placed in solitary confinement in the detention center of the Intelligence Service Armed Forces of the Philippines, in Camp Aguinaldo.

They were Army Captains Gerardo Gambala, Milo Maestrocampo, Lawrence Luis San Juan, Albert Baloloy, John Andres, Florentino Somera and Alvin Ebreo, and First Lieutenants Cleao Donga-as, Audie Tocloy, Von Rio Tayab, Rex Bolo and Brian Yasay.

Five other junior officers, including former Lt/SG Grade Antonio Trillanes IV, who won a seat in the Senate in the 2007 Philippine mid-term elections, have not indicated any intention to enter into a plea bargaining agreement with the court.

Gen. Nathaniel Legaspi, sentenced 5 Magdalo soldiers to be discharged from service for pleading guilty for violation of Articles of War 96 (conduct unbecoming an officer and gentleman) for their participation in the July 27, 2003, Oakwood mutiny.

Captains Milo Maestrecampo and Gerardo Gambala, Albert Baloloy, John Andres, Alvin Ebreo, Laurence Luis Somera, First Lieutenants Florentino Somera and Cleo Donga-as and Second Lieutenant Bryan Yasay, were all released from detention in Fort Bonifacio on May 16, 2008, by newly installed Army commander Lt. Gen. Victor Ibrado per Court release order, and after their signing of the joint sworn acceptance of conditional pardon.

[52] On April 8, after plea of guilt, the Makati Regional Trial Court sentenced Gambala and Milo Maestrecampo to reclusion perpetua, while Army Captains Alvin Ebreo, Laurence Louis Somera, Albert Baloloy and John Andres, 1Lt.

Nicanor Faeldon, one of the accused officers, refused to enter a guilty plea and issued a statement on July 27, 2007, the fourth anniversary of the incident, explaining his decision.