BY Cheryll D. Fiel
Davao Today
Posted by Bulatlat.com
COMPOSTELA VALLEY — The New People’s Army (NPA) released last Sunday November 28 a soldier they seized at a check point in Sitio Mabatas, Barangay Upper Ulip in Monkayo town, Compostela Valley province.
Corporal Daiem Amsali Hadjaie of the 25th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army was on board a motorcycle when flagged down by NPA guerillas on November 16.
“We sensed something was different with the way he looked and the way he moved. When we checked his bag, we found an army uniform inside. We learned he was a member of the 25th IB,” William, a young guerilla fighter who was part of the team that captured the soldier told davaotoday.com in an interview.
The 25th IB, according to William, is the unit responsible for the case of 13 farmers of Monkayo who were picked up by soldiers on a military operation last March 7 and brought to their barracks.
The farmers, four of them were women, and two of them minors, complained to the Commission on Human Rights XI that while in detention, they were beaten up by soldiers as they were forced to admit that they were NPAs. They were released four days later. (See story here: Thirteen Monkayo Farmers Tortured and Detained)
The military had accused the NPA of “hostaging” their soldier. Even Davao City Vice-Mayor Rodrigo Duterte called it a hostage-taking act.
But the NPA pointed out that Hadjaie was “an enemy who had fallen in their power within the guerilla territory,” and thus a “prisoner of war.”
Hadjaie is an “MNLF integree,” one of the troops of the other Moro revolutionary group, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), who was integrated into the Philippine Army after his group signed a peace agreement with the Philippine government in 1996.
A statement signed by Rigoberto F. Sanchez, spokesperson of the Merardo Arce Command, Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command was read out to the public after the customary march of flags and the singing of “The Internationale.”
“The order to release Cpl. Hadjaie is an exercise of the revolutionary forces’ own political authority,” the statement read.
“This is consistent with the revolutionary movement’s long-standing policy of humane and lenient treatment of POWs” and its “serious adherence to international humanitarian law and the Geneva conventions,”it added.
The statement also pointed out that Hadjaie’s case is being archived but he was released to “give consideration to the appeals made by sincere individuals, a Moro organization and allies including local officials of the Aquino government.”
According to the statement, Hadjaie’s rights were “fully respected by the NPA custodial unit and that his necessary health and medical care were provided under guerilla conditions,” including “sensitivity to his religious persuasions.”
“This is a striking contrast to the dirty war played by the Philippine armed forces who took to killing thousands of unarmed civilians and activists, and torturing of NPA fighters they captured,” the NPA statement read.
The NPA also effected Hadjaie’s release to pose a challenge to the new administration to release all political prisoners in the country in response to the goodwill they have shown.
There are almost 400 individuals, according to human rights group Karapatan, who are kept in prisons throughout the country for mere suspicion that they have links to the NPA.
Hadjaie appeared in washed denims, shoes, t-shirt and backpack when he emerged to a waiting chopper brought by Duterte to the release site.
Members of the media, representatives of church organizations, a medical doctor and some staff of the local government office were also present to witness the turnover.
It took almost half a day for them to reach the release site but the program lasted for only about 30 minutes.
Duterte refused to give any statement to the media regarding Hadjaie’s release. “What you see is what you get. I don’t want to be accused of playing hero here again,” he told members of the media.
Duterte briefly exchanged words with the NPA and chatted with the lumad settlers who were present at the release ceremony.
Briefly before take-off, Duterte told Hadjaie to give his thanks. “Pasalamat ko sa mga kauban sa inyong pag-alaga sa akoa (I thank you comrades for taking care of me,” Corporal Hadjaie said addressing the NPA guerillas.
Duterte shared with the guerillas what was left of the chewing gum pack he brought with him and raised a clinched fist to the on looking crowd as the chopper was making its ascent.
Duterte, who came with only the chopper pilot and his personal assistant, flew Hadjaie back directly to Camp Panacan the headquarters of the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army in Davao City.
Lt. Col. Medel Aguilar, public Information officer of the 10th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army said in a local television interview that Hadjaie will undergo “stress debriefing” and “psychiatric diagnosis” as the soldier “might have also been influenced by his captors.”
Based on the partial list of POWS released by the NPA, which was contained in a book published by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Human Rights Monitoring Committee in December 2009, the NPA in Southern Mindanao Region captured and released the following POWs since the capture of Brig. General Victor Obillo and Captain Eduardo Montealto in Davao City in February 1999:
1.) PFC Marjun Gatela, assistant detachment commander of the 72nd IB, PA who was captured by the NPA Front 3 Operations Command, Alejandro Lanaja Command, Merardo Arce Command, Southern Mindanao Operations Command in August 2007 in Monkayo, Compostela Valley;
2.) Sgt. Raul Reyes, Detachment Commander of the 72nd IBPA in Montevista, Compostela Valley who was captured by the same units of the NPA in October 2007 in Montevista, Compostela Valley;
3.) Sgt. Huberto Corbita, of the K9 Unit, Special Operations Command, PA and Sgt. Napoleon Gerasmio of the Armed Forces Reserve Command who were captured by the NPA Front 20 Operations Command in April 2008 in Monkayo, Compostela, Valley;
4.) Police Officer 3 Eduardo Cruzada Tumol, a member of the 1105th Provincial Mobile Group of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Cateel, Davao Oriental who was captured and released by the NPA Front 15 Operations Command, Antonio Nerio Antao Command, Merardo Arce Command, Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command in November 2008 in Cateel, Davao Oriental;
5.) 1st Lt. Vicente Cammayo, Company Commander of the 11th Special Forces Company, 3rd Special Forces Battalion who was captured and subsequently released by the Merardo Arce Command, Southern Mindanao Regions Operational Command in November 2008 in Monkayo, Compostela Valley;
6.) Private Ronnie Trinidad of the Charlie Company of the 66th IB who was held as POW and released by the NPA’s Front 25 Operations Command & 5th Pulang Bagani Company, Ruperto Tuyac Command, and Merardo Arce Command in April 2009 in New Bataan Compostela Valley;
7.) Sgt. Joselito Manlangit of the 36th IB who was captured and released by the Front 20 Operations Command, Conrado Heredia Command, and Merardo Arce Command of the NPA in May 2009 in Monkayo, Compostela Valley and;
8.) Cpl. Dominador Alegre of the 72nd IB who was captured and released by the 4th Pulang Bagani Company and the Merardo Arce Command in November 2009 in Monkayo, Compostela Valley.
Just last June , the Crucifino Uballas Command of the New People’s Army (NPA) released three soldiers and one member of the Citizen Armed Force Geographical Unit (Cafgu) belonging to the 72nd Infantry Battalion in the upland town of Maco in Compostela Valley after holding them for one month. (Cheryll D. Fiel, davaotoday.com)
