MILITARY Chief General Generoso Senga defended intelligence operatives, who came under fire for arresting five supporters of deposed president Joseph Estrada for allegedly plotting against the government.

But Senga tasked the Intelligence Service of Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) to investigate allegations that its men tortured the five members of the Union of the Masses for Democracy and Justice (UMDJ).

Senga reasoned out that since the five were accused of rebellion, a 'continuing offense,' they could be arrested without a warrant.

'The proper procedures were observed. Of course there are allegations of torture, we are investigating this,' Senga said in a chance interview with reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.

'I have in fact directed the investigation be concluded right away and [the] report be submitted to me soonest,' Senga said.

Senga said he would order a high-level inquiry if he was not satisfied with the findings of the ISAFP on members of the Military Intelligence Group (MIG) 15.

He said military lawyers were studying what action to take after the Department of Justice (DoJ) ordered the release of Ruben Dionisio, UMDJ chairman Virgilio Eustaquio, Dennis Ibona, Jose Curameng, and Jim Cabauatan for insufficiency of evidence.

The five were released from Camp Crame Thursday evening, two days after joint police and military intelligence operatives in plain clothes seized them from Eustaquio's home in Quezon City.

Dionisio, whom authorities accused of being a communist hitman, bore bruises all over his body and claimed that he was tortured.

Officials claimed Delfin de Guzman, a self-confessed New People's Army (NPA) triggerman, said Dionisio was part of a plan to assassinate at least four Cabinet officials.

Senga also shrugged off the MIG 15's decision to not immediately inform ISAFP Chief Commodore Leonardo Calderon about the arrest of the five.

'The events happened so fast, sometimes the operatives give priority to pursuing the operation so sometimes, they inform their commander late,' he said.

He likewise defended his spokesman, Colonel Tristan Kison, who came under fire for initially denying that the five were not under military custody.

Like Calderon, Kison too was not immediately informed of the arrests, he said.