Thursday, December 19, 2002
Army to Karapatan: We did not maul ‘rebels’
By Claudine C. Dumalag
Lt. Col. Jon Aying, commander of the 61st Infantry Battalion, belied the allegations of militant group Karapatan-Negros that the military mauled six persons, believed to be guerillas of the New People’s Army who were arrested last Nov. 13 in Sitio Binus-ay, Manlocahoc, Sipalay City.
“I am not tolerating the wrongdoings of my soldiers. In fact, 14 of the soldiers have been discharged while 12 others were demoted in my 24-month stay in the province,” said Aying.
But Karapatan maintained that the 61st I.B. troopers mauled and tortured the six persons namely Moises Arcadenia, Ely Arcadenia, Demetrio Belongga, Marcelito de la Cruz Romano, Eddie Arcadenia, and Moreto Arcadenia.
They were arrested and were subsequently tagged as “suspects” two hours after the encounter between the 11 troopers of the 61st I.B. and the NPA rebels in Sitio Bangobangko, of said barangay.
Aying said after the six “suspects” were apprehended, they admitted that they were among the NPA rebels who engaged in the firefight with the Army troopers.
The encounter resulted to the death of Cpl. Angras Mosqueda who was shot in his chest, while injured in the firefight was Pfc. Allan Cahuya, who suffered a gunshot wound in his right leg.
Karapatan claimed that the “suspects” were tortured by the military, one of whom, Arcadenia, suffered severe physical torture, which led to his confinement at the Silliman University Medical Hospital, in Dumaguete due to his serious condition.
Moreover, the militant group has likewise questioned why the military changed Arcadenia’s name into Antonio Titar when he was brought to said hospital.
But Aying said they changed Arcadenia’s name for security purposes.
“The case is still subject for investigation. In fact, Brig. General Reynaldo Alcasid, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division, dispatched marshals to further investigate the matter,” he said.
Aying added that after his arrest, it was found out that Arcadenia was suffering from hepatitis, ulcer, and migraine, as confirmed by their detachment’s medical officer based in Sitio Barasbasan. CCD |
