Bong-bong was only 17. His classmate who witnessed the incident went to the province, afraid that something might also happen to him.
A few days after the incident, Continente said that one of his interrogators, a certain Sgt. Bolsico told him, “Di ka nagsalita, pinatay na kapatid mo. Baka may isusunod pa sa pamilya mo.” (You refuse to talk and your brother was killed. Other members of your family may be the next victims.)
Continente said, “Gusto nilang hawakan ang kapatid ko para pagsalitain ako. Isang buwan na nila akong hawak, wala silang makuha…Sino mga kasamahan ko, anong partisipasyon ko.” (They wanted to get hold of my brother to force me to talk. I’ve been in prison for one month and they could not get any information from me… Who are my companions and my alleged participation to the killing of Rowe.)
He said the military also subjected him to physical torture to extract information. He said he was repeatedly hit with the butt of an M-16 rifle in the chest and was made to undergo the water cure. Water cure, now called “water boarding” in US military parlance, is a form of torture in which the torturers pour water continuously at the nose and mouth of the victim.
Continente said it is only the military who had the intention to abduct his brother. He said his brother had no enemies, did not belong to any fraternity and was well-loved by the community for being a good basketball player.
Other cases
Rogelio Calubad (right) and son Gabriel . (Photo from Katarungan Bikol)
In 2006, relatives of two consultants to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace panel were also disappeared.
Rogelio Calubad, NDFP consultant and his son Gabriel, 29, were abducted by six suspected military men on June 17, 2006 in Bangkuruhan village, Calauag town, Quezon province.
Gabriel, an only son and a radio technician, was not involved in any organization.
A witness account documented by Karapatan said that father and son were riding a motorcycle on the way to a relative’s farm when two men on a motorcycle blocked their way and forced the Calubads’ motorcycle to crash to the ground. Four other men alighted from a dark blue van and took Rogelio with them. Gabriel was made to ride the abductors’ motorcycle. The Calubads’ motorcycle was left lying on the ground.
The two remain missing to this day.
Another NDFP consultant Prudencio Calubid was abducted along with Antonio Lacno, Ariel Beloy, Calubid’s staff member; Calubid’s wife, Celina Palma, and sister-in-law, Gloria Soco on June 27, 2006.
They were headed for Calubid’s hometown in western Samar aboard an A-2000 Mazda van when an alleged military intelligence unit blocked their way at around 5 p.m. along Maharlika Highway near Sipocot, Camarines Sur. Only Lacno escaped, the four others remain missing to this day.
