Army colonel in Burgos kidnapping, 23 others promoted

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang has promoted 24 senior military officers, including a controversial Army colonel implicated in the 2007 disappearance of peasant activist Jonas Burgos.

Promoted to the rank of lieutenant general were former major generals Glorioso Miranda, commander of the Nueva Ecija-based 7th Infantry Division, and Mayoralgo dela Cruz, commander of the Zamboanga City-based Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom).

Given their second star (major general in the Army and Rear Admiral in the Navy) were former brigadier generals Arnold Rafael, Job Yucoco and Benjamin Madrigal; Commodores Bayani Gaerlean, Rafael Mariano and Jorge Amba.

Amba is currently commander of the Puerto Princesa City-based Naval Forces Northwest, a naval unit whose primary task is to secure the country’s maritime domain in the West Philippine Sea, including the disputed Spratlys.

Also promoted to star rank (brigadier general and commodore in the Navy) was former Air Force colonel Restituto Padilla, spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

Getting their first star along with Padilla were Roberto Arevalo of the Army, Elvin Velasco of the Marines; Dinoh Dolina; Arnel dela Vega, Gerry Amante, of the Army; former captains Francisco Gabudao Jr. and Danilo Rodelas of the Navy; Melquiades Feliciano, Rodel Mauro Alarcon of the Army; Werner Elpedes of the Air Force; David Diciano Sr. of the Army; Nelia Valmonte of the Nursing Corps, Allan Martin and Gener del Rosario of the Army and Jose Cabanban of the Marines.

Melquiades, whose last assignment was in Mindanao, has been linked to the abduction of Burgos while the latter was meeting with some activists inside a mall in Quezon City on April 28, 2007 to map out their reported Labor Day mass action.

At the time of Burgos’ disappearance, Melquiades was an Army battalion commander in Bulacan, an Army unit then heavily engaged in counter-insurgency operations against communist rebels.

Despite a series of attempts to pin him down in the Burgos case, Melquiades was cleared of any involvement.