My Dublin sojourn

Tuba, Benguet – Four Army officers were reportedly captured by New People’s Army (NPA) guerrillas in Abra on Tuesday but  released later when their captors found that they have no “blood debts” and human rights violations.

On May 15, communist guerrillas reportedly seized four officers of the 77th Infantry Battalion at around 10:30 a.m. at a checkpoint they set up between sitio Villa Conchita, Barangay San Ramon, Manabo town and Barangay Baoyan, Boliney town.

Seized were 2Lt. Jeron Labrador Etrone, commanding officer of the of “C” Company of the 77th IB; Sgt. Restino Angoluan Alabon; Sgt. Alexander Salvador Paulo; and Cpl. Benigno Eugenio Soriano Jr. The rebels confiscated two .45 caliber pistols from them.

The rebels gave the soldiers back their personal belongings, including their two motorcycles.

Col. Loreto Rirao, commanding officer of the 503rd IB of the Philippine Army, admitted the four Army officers were held for sometime by the NPA. “Na checkpoint sila. Ang intention was to snatch the ballot and not the soldiers,” he said.

Diego Wadagan, spokesman of the rebel command in Abra, said that the rights of  the soldiers as prisoners of war were respected.

“They were released to barangay officials and elders at around 2 p.m. on same day they were captured in Barangay Baoyan, Boliney,” Wadagan said.

According to Wadagan, the turnover was witnessed by the community. However,   Rirao claimed that the villagers asked the NPA to release the soldiers.

Wadagan said the soldiers also signed a waiver stating that they were treated well and accorded the rights and privileges of POWs.

He insisted though that the soldiers were released after the rebels urged them to resign from the AFP. They were also reportedly enjoined to uphold the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL) signed by the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front in 1998.

Four recent attacks in Boliney town, south-central Abra had claimed 10 Army soldiers and a militiaman. There were also seven troopers wounded, and four Army officers captured.

On May 13, the NPA launched operations on an Army detachment in Kilong-olao, Boliney, killing a militiaman. Then the reported May 16 ambush on the same area by NPA rebels against 50 soldiers belonging to the 3rd platoon of the Alpha company of the 41st IB.

Government troopers acknowledged only  seven killed and three wounded.

Wadagan claimed they also seized five M16s, a M203, two M14s, 1,600 rounds of ammunition, eight ammo pouches, and five backpacks during the attack.

While Wadagan claimed the ambushers even administered first aid to the wounded soldiers and “admonished them to abandon the Arroyo regime and defect to the revolutionary movement.”

Rirao alleged that the rebels planned to snatch ballots to rig the polls in Abra. He also did not confirm Wadagan’s claim that the 30-man secondary unit of the 41st IB scheduled to follow were ambushed at 9 a.m. two kilometers away from the first ambush site.