On 28 August 1987, the most serious attempt up to then 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 [REF].
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 [REF].