Honasan, a former military officer who was pardoned after leading several coup attempts in the 1980s, was ordered to give evidence on August 18 before state prosecutors investigating a rebellion complaint filed by the government, Justice Department officials said.

President Gloria Arroyo quelled a bloodless mutiny involving several hundred soldiers on July 27, detaining and charging more than 300 for their brief occupation of a section of the Makati financial district.

A military official said Friday about 100 other military officers and men are being investigated as suspected conspirators.

The government says the mutiny was part of a larger plot not only to unseat Arroyo but also to possibly assassinate the president and replace her with a 15-member junta.

Honasan has gone on hiding after denying any role in the mutiny.

State prosecutors are expected to decide after the August 18 hearing whether to file criminal charges against the senator. The crime of coup d'etat, or rebellion, is punishable by life imprisonment.

"I urge him to face the charges filed against him. Rest assured that his rights will be upheld. He shall also be treated (in a manner) befitting his stature as a duly elected member of the Senate," Justice Secretary Simeon Datumanong told reporters.

"He need not be afraid of being arrested without a (court) warrant. I assure him that he shall be given due process," Datumanong added.

Meanwhile, military vice-chief of staff Lieutenant General Rodolfo Garcia said the names of the 100-odd soldiers believed to have supported the mutineers turned up on a computer diskette seized from the rebels.

"The information received (was) that there are more than 100 (names) who were found at a diskette (but) who were not present there (at the mutiny), who could still be at large," Garcia said over ABS-CBN television.

"We went on to track down these names, lifted from the diskettes and found that many of them remain in their respective units and they are now the subject of continuing dialogue with their commanders and are being asked about the incident," he said.

"They were quiet but they sympathize with the group. They are listed as members" of the mutinous faction, he added.

Garcia said the rebel soldiers were all ranked captain or lower after failing to recruit higher-ranking officers.

"This all leads to the involvement of some others outside the military organization who were actually pulling the strings," Garcia said, refusing to divulge the names of the masterminds.

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