Cebu Court Holds Army Colonel in Contempt 
5 More Criminal Raps Filed Against Army IB Commander

For refusing to comply with a writ of habeas corpus order, the commander of the Army’s 78th IB along with other officers were slapped with a P2,000 fine each. He faces five other criminal charges.

By Karl G. Ombion 
Bulatlat.com

For refusing to present to court an alleged New People’s Army (NPA) on court orders, a battalion commander and his executive officer were fined P2,000 each for indirect contempt.

Fr. Calvin Bugho, a Franciscan friar based in Cebu and national chair of Task Force Detainees of the Philippines-Karapatan, revealed to Bulatlat.com that Cebu Regional Trial Court Judge Sylvia Pederange last week slapped Lt. Col. Jonas Sumagaysay, 78th IB commander, his executive officer Maj. Acelo Medica and several “John Does” with a P2,000-fine each for indirect contempt.

Father Bugho said the pentalties were imposed by the judge for the military officers’ failure to comply with the writ of habeas corpus she had issued to produce Nestor Lumbab before the court. 

The writ was issued as early as Sept. 5 last year following the arrest of Lumbab and three other NPA suspects by Sumagaysay’s men.

Voluntary confinement

Sumagaysay reportedly argued however that he did not comply with Judge Pederanga’s order to bring Lumbab as well as other alleged NPA members Elvin Colinares, Edgar Duran and Noe Molde saying that the four men were not detained but were staying inside the IB headquarters voluntarily.

The battalion commander also said the four men feared for their lives believing that their comrades in the NPA may suspect them of divulging sensitive information to their military captors.

But Father Bugho said Sumagaysay was into his old dirty tricks. To counter the colonel’s claim, he cited Lumbab’s testimony on Oct. 23 last year asking the court that he be released and allowed to go home.

Clearly, the TFD-Karapatan chair said, the alleged NPA member did not submit himself to military custody voluntarily.

Father Bugho also said tat Sumgaysay and Medija are facing five other criminal charges filed by Karapatan and the peasant group, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas.

Negros campaign

Sumagaysay and his 78th battalion troops were formerly assigned in Negros, charged of ensuring internal security operations for the entire northern areas of the island. The colonel was also formerly chief of Military Intelligence Group (MIG) of the Philippine Army in Region VI based in Iloilo City.

Barely a few months after their deployment in Cebu, Sumgaysay’s men launched massive military operations in the island province’s northern communities allegedly leading to human rights violations. Human rights groups said the violations included the illegal arrest and torture of Lumbab and his alleged companions.

Sumagaysay further got the ire of human rights organizations in Cebu when he engaged them in tit-for-tat propaganda while conducting a smear campaign against rights and peasant leaders. Bulatlat.com

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