Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts Volume IV, Number 8 March 21 - 27, 2004 Quezon City, Philippines |
Released
NPA POW Quits Military Service A
paramilitary man who had been held prisoner of war (PoW) by the NPA said upon
his release over the weekend he will quit serving the military. He has been
disowned by his military superiors and, worse, has been denied payment of his
salary. His wife is five-month pregnant. By
Karl G. Ombion
“Kon
amo man lang gali sini ang ila pagtratar sa mga CAFGUs nga amo ang ila pirme
ginaprontahe sa inaway, daw parehas lang nga wala pulos ang amon pagsakripisyo
kag dedikasyon sa aton gobyerno,” Raya told reporters in his native Bisaya
during a news conference held at the Bishop’s Palace. “Maayo pa dulaon na
lang ang mga CAFGUs kag sila na mismo ang makig-away sa mga rebelde.” (If
this is the way they treat Cafgus who serve as frontliners then we’re just
wasting our sacrifices. They better dissolve the Cafgu and fight the rebels
themselves.) The
freed 28-year-old PoW was reacting to a statement from Brig. Gen. Jeffrey
Sodusta, chief of the Army’s 303rd Brigade, saying that Raya was
not a Cafgu member.
“I am a regular Cafgu for more than a year,” he said. “I was
trained, armed and paid to fight the NPA with utmost dedication. I was not even
paid yet for my last two months salary of P1,800 per month. This is why I am
deeply hurt by General Sodusta’s lies.” NPA
raid A
farmer from Sitio Kulihaw, Barangay (village) Buenavista, Himamaylan City, Raya
was taken prisoner by NPA guerrillas who raided a 61st IBPA
detachment in village Mahalang on Feb. 15. But he was ordered released by the
NPA on March 8 after a people’s court found him guilty of some crimes but with
no blood debt. A
paper read by Fr. Aniceto Buenafe said Raya was charged for serving as guide in the Army
raid of an NPA camp in Kulihaw last Nov. 15, 2002 as well as in other military
operations. The
NPA command also said that Raya was being released partly on humanitarian
grounds. His wife is five-month pregnant. Fr.
Buenafe of the Social Action Center Asked
by reporters how he was treated by his captors, the Cafgu member said “mayo
ang ila pagtratar sa akon, wala ako ginsakit, ginapakaon mayo, ginpaliguan pa,
kag gin-eksplikaran nila ako sg akon mga kinamatarung kag mga bayolasyon”
(I was treated well, they did not harass me. they even fed me well, bathed, and
given lectures on my rights and violations.) Asked
about his plans after his release, Raya said, “I don’t want to become a
CAFGU anymore, and will not return to Mahalang detachment. I will return instead
to my place in Sitio Kulihaw, Barangay Buenavista, and live a normal life,by
being neutral.” In
the same news briefing, Bishop Navarra expressed elation over the release of
Raya and thanked God and the NPA for giving him the chance to return to his
family and the mainstream society to rebuild his life. Bishop
Navarra said that “the diocese through its social action will program also
discuss ways to help Raya rebuild his life and family, including economic
assistance.” Echoing
the bishop’s statement, Fr. Buenafe admonished the military to “give the man
respect and pay his dues so he could have something to start with in rebuilding
his new life.” In a separate interview, Fr. Buenafe told Bulatlat.com that officers of the 303rd Brigade came to the Bishop’s Palace hours after the press conference. Bulatlat.com We want to know what you think of this article.
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