By Mortz C. Ortigoza
In the past two weeks, two of my blogs cum
columns went viral as based on the statistics of blogspot.com that gauge how
many readers around the world opened it and read. Online techie called the number
of readers that run to thousands as “hits”.
Controversial and intriguing are two words I
learned in my almost three decades column writing as bait for the number of
curious readers to gravitate in a column and thus spike the number of hits, and of course the ads there teh he, when
I became online writer sometimes in years 2010s.
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| A soldier fires his service hand gun. |
When former two-star police general Leopoldo
Bataoil became a source on my second blog, he told me about his and members of the
Triple A or the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association (PMAAA) pep talk
with cadets of the PMA after the brutal killing through hazing of Cadet 4th
Class Darwin Dormitorio. Some of Bataoil, now a mayor of Lingayen, Pangasinan, remarks
tackled too the physical abuses of officers who were either graduates of PMA
and Officer Candidates School to the soldiers in the field.
Those who want to read the various comments
from soldiers affirming and collaborating with their posts that these abuses
ensued can go to the comment section at the bottom of that second blog.
Here however are the selected comments of those active and
retired officers and non-officers that the verbal, psychological, sexual, and
physical abuses of officers cost them their lives:
VERBAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSES
A grim incident ensued in 1997 at a building
in the Logistic Command of the General Staff College in Fort Andres Bonifacio,
Taguig.
Coldwell Guevara said that after the gun firing of the officers and enlisted
men of the GSC at the firing range, a Scout Ranger’s master sergeant of the
deputy of the GSC went back to the building to get the gasoline card of the
latter. He was ridiculed by a Navy Commander or a rank equivalent of a Lieutenant Colonel in the army.
“Sabi ng commander na may hawak ng gas card
hinde ba Scout Ranger ka master. “Yes
sir sagot ng EM. Pinahiya sa maraming tao. Sayang ang pagka Scout Ranger mo
dami mo AWOL na bala. Hinde nakayanan ni master sergeant ang bugso ng damdamin
dahil sa pagkapahiya bumunot ng cal.45 si master sergeant at pinutokan ang opisyal
sa ulo ang tama”
When the office sergeant, a Marine, saw that
the Scout Ranger shot the naval officer he opened his drawer to get his .45
handgun and fired to the ranger. The ranger retaliated and both of them
including the commander died there.
“Baron ng PMA class ang napatay na navy officer,” Guevarra said.
Alfred P Bazar said a commanding officer (CO)
was shot dead because he did not allow the Army’s private first class (PFC) to
have a pass for his wedding.
“Meron
nangyari na nagpaalam yong PFC sa CO niya dahil ikakasal siya. Hindi pinayagan
dahil uunahin niya pa daw iyon kasal niya kaysa operation. Instead na unawain
yong PFC pinagalitan pa. Iyon binaril ng PFC iyong CO niya habang nasa
operation. Iyon ang isa sa mga officers na mahina ang leadership. Sabi nga:
Always Look for the Welfare of your men”.
Here was a condescending and brusque Naval
Commander who came from the Department of National Defense (DND) and was the
former aide- de- camp (ADC) of then Defense Secretary Fidel V. Ramos, popularly
known as FVR, who later became Philippines president.
“Hambog at mayabang kamo na officer. Kawawa ang mga sundalo
minumura lang niya, sinisigawan, at kinatakutan din siya doon. Galing siya sa
DND ADC dati ni FVR sa DND nalipat sa LOGCOM. Siga pa rin. Isang hapon nag
paalam ang master sergeant ng emergency pass may namatay ata sa family niya.
Pero tinanggihan siya ng officer, sinigawan, minaliit dahil sundalo lang sa
harap ng military and CE staff ng office nila. Napahiya ng husto ang master
sergeant”.
The senior sergeant, according to Bazar, went
out and came back menacingly wielding an M-16 automatic assault rifle. He
peppered with bullets the high handed officer who died. After he emptied the
bullets in the magazine of the M-16 he reloaded with another 30 bullets' magazine and shot again with a volley
his superior.
“Pagkatapos nag surrender. Ayon ang pangit sa
officer na mayabang at nanghuhusga komo officer siya,” Bazar deplored.
“Totoo iyan nangyari iyan sa unit namin noon doon sa Sibuco, Zambo Norte. Pinapahiya
ng officer ang EP (enlisted man) napikon ang EP umuwi kumuha ng M16 at binaril
buti hindi napuruhan pero na disable,” Nestor Bernido agreed on
the narration of Bazar.
Another massacre of officers happened when a
private first class ran amuck inside the conference hall of the Philippine
Marines in Fort Bonifacio in the 1990s, according the Coldwell Guevarra.
“Maysakit
ang asawa niya imbes na tulungan minimura at pinagsabihan ng masasakit na
salita. Five opisyal patay. Iyong mabait sa PFC hindi niya binaril pinadapa
lang,” he cited.
“Walang
ganyan sa amin sa 2 ID, PA pero may nabalitaan kami na officer na nabaril sa
likod,” according to Erick Parlat Manalo.
He said one of their officers was
treacherously shot at the back. He was a finance officer who pocketed some
salaries and allowances of the soldiers.
“Lalo na
ang savings sa subsistence allowances at delay na release na combat pay. Pag
reklamador ka daw sa pera ang ganti sa iyo ayaw kang payagan kahit three days’
passes,” Manalo added.
SEXUAL ACT WITH SOLDIER’S WIFE
Salvador Shigyo Limsiaco, a company officer of the 2 LAB, cited two incidents
of molestation and carnal knowledge by officers to the wives of enlisted
personnel:
“I remember an incident where an enlisted
man from 27IB shot and killed an officer at Camp San Gabriel, Davao City
because the officer molested his wife. Another incident was a former CO of 39IB
stationed then in Lebak - Kalamansig was shot to death by his own man because
that officer was ‘playing fire" with the enlisted man’s wife’s aside from money
matters”.
The unsolicited advice of Limsiaco to officers
to take good care of their men’s morale and welfare.
“Wag ninyo pakialaman ang asawa ng tao ninyo at give what is due
to them. They will die for you if you are a good officer,” he said.
PHYSICAL ABUSES
Six military commissioned officials died after
a soldier, humiliated after an officer slapped him in front of his family,
unleashed a volley of gun fire.
According to Jose Parcia Jr.: “May nangyari niyan sa Pamplona, Cam Sur kung
di ako nagkamali 1986 yon, niratrat ng isang EP ang mga officers sa conference
room kung saan six yata ang namatay noon, tapos nagbaril siya sa sarili, quits
na. Nag ugat din yon sa pananampal ng isang opisyal sa EP habang kasama ang
pamilya. Hindi ko na e mention kung anong unit iyon at branch of service, pero
iyong mabait na opisyal pinadapa daw muna bago rumatrat”.
“l agree to that sir may insidenteng ganyan katulad noong
after Rebulusyon sir labde pa tayo that time. Si Major Alias Pistolero binaril
at napatay ni PFC Cabading dahil pinahiya niya sa harap ng gf niya sir,”
Rogelio Fuerte said.
“Si Captain Cabrillos iyon si Cabaquing laya na siya,” Benjamin Biala retorted.
A company commander mauled a private in an
Army headquarter in Jolo, Sulu. The private shot to death the young first lieutenant and those around him, according to Nick Diaz.
“Mas
matindi nangyari sa amin 1978 headquarter 18th Infantry Battalion, San Raymundo,
Jolo Sulu. Radio man naming Private Samiao binugbog ng company commander
namin. Iyon binaril niya company commanding officer 1LT Renato Bagasol Company
Ex O, 2LT Dante Grafil Class 78 PMA. First Sergeant Staff Sergeant Joves, Draftee
Renato Pingen, PFC Edgar Madamba. Lahat patay at marami wounded muntik ako
nakasali buti na lang naka alis dahil perimeter guard ako. Ang nag imbestiga si
Brigadier General Jose Magno ng 1st Infantry Division noon na nasa Busbus, Jolo,
Sulu”.
A soldier begged his commanding officer (CO) to punish him after his family left the camp but the official still slapped him infront
of the lowly enlisted man’s wife and child, according
to Rolle Mario.
“Ito ay sa kabila ng pakiusap sa kanyang CO
na pagmakauwi na pamilya niya ay saka na lang siya parusahan kung ano man
kasalanan nya, pinahiya sa harap ng pamilya niya kaya nagdilim ang pag iisip
noong ka batch ko kaya tinira ng M -14 sa ulo ang CO niya”.
Rolle Mario said the lamentable
incident happened in a Naval Station in Ulugan, Palawan.
“Dumalaw iyong pamilya ng ka batch ko dahil matagal nang hinde
nakakauwi ang ka-batch ko dahil sa call of duty. Pinahiya at sinampal ng CO sa
harap ng pamilya”. He said the gunman was incarcerated but later acquitted by the court and still retired with a pension in
the uniform service.
READ MY OTHER BLOG/COLUMN:
(You can read my selected columns at
http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can
send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)
