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(Some of the coup major players)
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February 1986: A band of mutineers led by Marcos' Defence Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile and military vice chief General Fidel Ramos break away from Marcos, triggering a popular revolt that brings political novice Corazon Aquino to power. 


July 6 1986: About 400 soldiers loyal to Marcos seize the Manila Hotel and declare the formation of a rebel government. At the hotel, Marcos's vice-presidential running mate Arturo Tolentino announced that Marcos had authorised him to temporarily take over the government, took his oath as Acting President, and designated a cabinet.[1] The public remained generally unaffected by this incident, and it ended without violence by July 8, 1986. Aquino quashes the revolt after 38 hours. The mutineers were given 20 push ups as punishment.


A more serious conspiracy unfolded some months later, known as the "God Save the Queen Plot". The Davide Commission concluded that Defense Secretary Enrile and members of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) were behind the plot. Scheduled for November 11, 1986, the plot was discovered by government several days in advance and was deliberately leaked to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, thus thwarting the plan.


The government then learnt that the plot was rescheduled for November 22, 1986. On November 22, the military was placed on red alert and the rebel troops were blockaded, leading them to return to barracks. The following day, Aquino announced she had sacked Enrile as Defense Secretary and that she would revamp her Cabinet, "to give the government a chance to start all over again."

January 27 1987: Some 300 pro-Marcos soldiers led Colonel Oscar Canlas take over Manila's private GMA Channel 7 television station and occupy it for two days before surrendering to the government. One rebel soldier was killed, while 35 people were injured.


April 18, 1987: On Black Saturday April 18, 1987, 13 rebel soldiers staged a raid on Fort Bonifacio. It was repelled within the morning, with one rebel soldier dead.


In July 1987, a plot to stage another coup attempt through a military takeover of Manila International Airport was uncovered before it could be implemented, with four officers being court-martialled for the plot.


August 28 1987: The most serious attempt to overthrow Aquino's government was launched by members of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement led by Colonel Gregorio Honasan, who had been a former top aide of Enrile. In the early morning of the 28th, rebel soldiers launched an attack on Malacañang Palace. The siege was repelled within a few hours, with several military and civilian casualties including Aquino's son, Benigno III, who was wounded. Honasan himself led the soldiers that seized portions of Camp Aguinaldo, including the headquarters of the Department of National Defense.


Rebel soldiers also seized parts of Villamor Airbase, three television stations in Manila, military camps in Pampanga and Cebu, and the airport in Legaspi City. Various statements broadcast by the rebels referred to "the overindulgence in politics which now pervades in society", the supposed mishandling of the communist insurgency, and the deplorable economic condition of the military rebels.By day's end, government troops were able to recapture most of the rebel-held facilities, and the coup had fizzled out by the 29th. 53 were dead and more than 200 wounded; many of the fatalities were unarmed civilians who were fired upon by rebels after they were jeered by the crowd. Honasan himself evaded capture, while Enrile (by then a Senator), denied involvement in the coup.


Following the coup attempt, the Aquino government seemingly veered to the right, dismissing perceived left-leaning officials such as Executive Secretary Joker Arroyo and tacitly authorising the establishment of armed, quasi-military groups to combat the ongoing communist insurgency. It was also believed that General Fidel Ramos–who remained loyal to Aquino–emerged as the second most-powerful person in government following his successful quelling of the coup. Across-the-board wage increases for soldiers were also granted. Aquino herself meanwhile sued Philippine Star columnist Louie Beltran for libel after he wrote that the President hid under her bed when the Palace was under siege.


December 1, 1989: Three rebel T-28D Trojans (Tora-Tora) raked Malacañan Palace with rockets and gunfire. The rebel soldiers wrongly assumed that they achieved air superiority by effectively neutralising the assets of the 5th Fighter Wing of the Philippine Air Force. Rebel soldiers in Mactan successfully trapped most of the F-5s and combat-ready pilots, preventing them from interfering with rebel operations. Meanwhile, at Basa Air Base, only three F-5A and an F-5B remained partial mission capability.


Squadron Commander Danilo Atienza of the 6th Tactical Fighter Squadron (Cobras) ordered his maintenance crew to expedite bringing the F-5s back to full operation. Later that same day, three F-5s under Atienza's command fought the rebel T-28s, culminating in the destruction of the Tora-Tora on the ground at Sangley Point.


The elimination of the T-28s turned the tide against the rebels, but at the cost of the F-5A flown by Atienza, who died in one of the strafing runs. Atienza was awarded the Medal of Valor for his heroism, and the airfield at Sangley Point was renamed in his memory.


U.S. President George Bush backs Aquino and American F-4 Phantom jets launch "intimidation flights" over the capital to help end the week-long mutiny.



March 4, 1990: Suspended Cagayan Governor Rodolfo Aguinaldo and his armed men of 200 seized Hotel Delfino in the provincial capital of Tuguegarao as a result of the previous failed coup against President Aquino. Brigader General Oscar Florendo, his chauffeur, four members of the civilian staff, and several others were held hostage, led another mutiny to end. Several hours later, a gunfight ensued intending to kill Aguinaldo and his men, and one of them was found dead in a checkpoint shootout. Brigadier General Florendo and twelve others were also dead and ten more wounded, while Aguinaldo was slightly wounded in a vehicular gunfight, later fleeing to the mountains.

Timeline of coups and attempted coups in the Philippines since president Marcos