This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 48, January 15-21, 2006
HUMAN RIGHTS
WATCH
PhilHealth
Exec Says
Soldiers Harassed Him After NPA PoW Release
Two soldiers
from the 69th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army paid
Philhealth vice-president for Central Luzon Tito Mendiola a visit and
interrogated him about his role in the release of T/Sgt. Maron Oronan,
prisoner-of-war of the New People’s Army (NPA) released on Jan. 10.
DOLORES, Pampanga – Philhealth vice
president for Central Luzon Tito Mendiola cried foul over what he said was “a
pure and simple harassment” by two soldiers who interrogated him in his office
at the second floor of the regional Philhealth office in Barangay St. Jude, this
town early morning of Jan. 12.
Mendiola, a former mayor of
Floridablaca, Pampanga, said the two soldiers introduced themselves as
intelligence officers and asked him about his role as a third party facilitator
for the release of T/Sgt Maron Oronan.
Mendiola said the soldiers
specifically asked him if Oronan was together with another New People's Army (NPA)
prisoner of war (PoW), Philippine Air Force (PAF) Maj. Neptune Eliquin who was
captured by the guerrilla army in July 2005.
National Democratic Front – Central
Luzon (NDF-CL) chairperson Felix Guillermo said in a statement that Eliquin
remains a PoW and called for a suspension of military operations (SOMO) as a
prerequisite to the release of the PAF officer.
Mendiola added that the soldiers
wanted to get his mobile phone number but he refused.
The captive
A member of the Philippine Marines,
Oronan was captured by NPA guerrillas last Nov. 23 while visiting his family in
Guagua, same province. He is assigned in Mindanao, southern Philippines.
Reports said Oronan was mistaken
for an intelligence officer by the guerrillas.
Oronan was officially released to
Mendiola and Msgr. Paciano Aniceto, Archbishop of San Fernando, Pampanga
midnight of Jan. 10 in an abandoned hut in an undisclosed place in Pampanga,
according to the Philhealth executive.
No rescue
After signing his release papers,
Oronan, together with Mendiola and Aniceto, was brought to the Mother of Good
Counsel Seminary in San Fernando where he reunited with his family, Mendiola
said.
“Maayos naman ang kalagayan ni
Oronan nung pinalaya sya. May pasalubong pa siyang orchids sa asawa nya” (Oronan
was in good condition when released. He even brought orchids for his wife), was
how Mendiola described the orderly release of the former NPA captive. A
basketful of orchids and a back pack was given as souvenir by the guerrillas to
Oronan, Mendiola added.
In Oronan’s release papers, the NDF-CL
said: “While in captivity, his rights were respected and his well-being looked
after, in accordance with the Guide to Establishing a People’s Revolutionary
Government and as stipulated in the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human
Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL).”
The CARHRIHL is a human rights
agreement forged between the government and the NDF in 1998.
After expressing gratitude to the
third party facilitators for his release, Mendiola said, Oronan asked him and
the bishop to join him in prayer.
The Philhealth officer belied
reports that the Marine sergeant was rescued by the military early morning of
Jan. 11 at the Ninoy Aquino Domestic Airport in Manila.
“Mamumukhang tanga naman ang mga
nasa airport kung makakapasok ang mga NPA dun”
(Airport officials would look stupid if the NPAs are able to get inside the
airport), Mendiola said.
“Ayaw nilang sabihin na pinalaya
kasi parang lumilitaw na hindi nila ginagawa ang trabaho nila pagka ganun. Yung
iba din baka naghahanap ng
promotion” (They don’t want to say
that he was released because it would seem they were not doing their job. Others
are probably looking for promotion), the Philhealth officer added.
Mendiola said he wanted to stay mum
on the issue but he and the bishop were being made to appear as if they were
lying.
“Kung magmumukang sinungaling kami
ni Bishop hindi naman maganda yun kaya nagsalita na ako”
(It is not good if the bishop and I would seem like lying so I decided to speak
up).
Weeks before Oronan’s release,
Mendiola said the Sangguniang Bayan ng Pampanga petitioned for a SOMO but the
local government and the military did not heed the request.
Although wary of his safety,
Mendiola said he was glad he was able to help in Oronan’s safe release despite
the absence of SOMO declaration. Bulatlat © 2006 Bulatlat
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