6 of Morong 43 'now back with NPA' – Army

MANILA, Philippines - Six of the 43 health workers earlier arrested and tagged as communist rebels have gone back to the mountains with the New People's Army (NPA), an Army official said.

Col. Ivan Samarita, commander of the Army's 202nd Brigade, said the six are now serving as political and medical staff of the rebel group.

They were identified as Janice Javier, Franco Remoroso, and Yolanda Macaraig operating in Batangas; and Myrna Olarte, Romeo dela Cruz and Pearl Irene Martinez in Rizal.

"They are really NPAs. They said before they were not NPAs but this proves they are," Samarita told defense reporters.

The 43 health workers were arrested in the mountains of Morong, Rizal in February 2010, thus earning them the title "Morong 43." They were accused of being communist rebels, which they vehemently denied.

Police and military personnel then said they confiscated several explosive components from the group. However, of the 43 health workers, five have admitted to being NPA rebels and remain under military custody, while the remaining 38 were eventually released after the government withdrew charges against them.

"It was really a political decision that we in the Armed Forces had to abide by because it's the President who ordered it," Samarita said.

Last month, eight of the "Morong 43" filed torture charges against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and several police and military officials.

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Abigail Kwok | InterAksyon.com | June 8, 2012 | Article Link

‘Morong 5’ to testify for military

Being comrades apparently has its limits.

Five members of the so-called “Morong 43” are willing to testify against their former comrades who have accused the military of torture when they were arrested as communist rebels two years ago in a private resort in Morong, Rizal.

Ellen Carandang said she and the four others who have swung over to the government side were willing to testify that they were not tortured in case of a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation.

The “Morong 5” have confessed to being New People’s Army (NPA) members and chosen to stay in Camp Capinpin as rebel returnees. The camp is the headquarters of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division.

“I want to tell our former comrades that we are ready to testify against them, to tell the truth,” Carandang, speaking in Filipino, told reporters in Camp Capinpin on Saturday.

“You can say that some are legitimate (medical practitioners), but they help the NPA,” she added.

“Their claim that there was torture, that’s not true,” said Jenilyn Pizarro, who last year married a soldier she had met in the camp. She was then 19.

Carandang, Pizarro and Valentino Paulino faced reporters in the presence of Maj. Gen. Eduardo Del Rosario, the 2nd Infantry Division commander. Two other members of their group—Cherilyn Tawagon and John Mark Barrientos—did not show up.

No torture

Last week, a lawyer for eight other members of the “Morong 43” filed a case of torture at the DOJ against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, two former military chiefs and 16 other security personnel. The eight claimed they were tortured while detained at Camp Capinpin.

Del Rosario said that since Carandang and the four others were not tortured, it would follow that the others also were not tortured.

“The five told the truth,” Del Rosario said. “They are members of the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines). They were conducting a seminar on how to give first aid in case someone is wounded in an encounter.”

Carandang claimed one of the eight complainants, whom she said is a doctor, taught emergency surgery very well. She also said the owner of the resort where they held the seminar did not know about what the group was doing.

Military claim

Carandang, Pizarro and Paulino said they were all being treated well in the camp. “No good would have come out if we had continued to stay in the mountains. We would only have further neglected our families,” Carandang said.

Her husband has stayed behind with the NPA with one of their children. They have had no communication for a year, she said.

The Morong 43 were health workers arrested in the military raid on  Feb. 6, 2010. The military claimed they were NPA cadres training in making bombs.

President Benigno Aquino III has ordered the charges against them withdrawn. They were freed before Christmas that year. Six of them later sued Arroyo for damages.

On Thursday, eight members of the group also accused Arroyo and 18 others, including military and police officers, of torture.

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Dona Z. Pazzibugan | Philippine Daily Inquirer | May 14, 2012 | Article Link

AFP: ‘Morong 38’ not tortured

The military on Friday said it would fight the criminal charges brought against some of its officers by eight left-leaning health workers and prove the complainants wrong.

Speaking to reporters at Camp Aguinaldo, Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr., the military’s spokesperson, said the military had evidence to show that the so-called Morong 43 were not tortured while in detention.

The Morong 43 were health workers arrested in a military raid on a resort in Morong, Rizal province, on Feb. 6, 2010. The military said they were communist New People’s Army (NPA) cadres training in making bombs. President Aquino, who took over from Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in June 2010, ordered the charges against them withdrawn. They were freed before Christmas that year.

Six of the Morong 43 have sued Arroyo for damages.

On Thursday, eight more accused her and 18 others, including military and police officers, of torture in a complaint filed in the Department of Justice. It was the first human rights case involving criminal charges brought against a former Philippine president.

Burgos said the military officers involved in the arrest of the Morong 43 had received commendations and promotions.

He said President Aquino recently promoted Maj. Gen. Jorge Segovia, the commander of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division based in Tanay, Rizal province, at the time of the arrests, to commanding general of the military in Eastern Mindanao.

‘It’s Morong 38’

“We will do everything to come up with the best defense for our soldiers who were just performing their duties and responsibilities, and who have attested that there was no torture committed,” Burgos said.

“It is never a policy of the [Armed Forces of the Philippines] to commit human rights violations, more so torture. We have long condemned this practice in our ranks,” he added.

Burgos said it was wrong to continue to refer to the group as Morong 43 because five of them have admitted to being NPA rebels.

The five remain in military custody. They are treated as rebel returnees.

“It’s not Morong 43, but Morong 38. The other five have a big role in supporting the claims of our soldiers and in refuting the charges against them,” Burgos said.

Thirty-five of the health workers were released in December 2010 on orders from President Aquino following a finding by the Department of Justice that the warrant for their arrest was defective.

Three remain in detention, as they are facing other criminal charges in court.

The eight health workers who sued Arroyo claimed they were tortured and made to suffer other abuses in the Army’s Camp Capinpin in Tanay.

Sued with Arroyo were two former military chiefs, Generals Victor Ibrado and Delfin Bangit; Segovia; Brig. Gen. Aurelio Baladad; Army Colonels Joey Reyes and Cristobal Zaragosa; Police Superintendents Marion Balonglong and Allan Nobleza; Maj. Manuel Tabon; Lt. Jovilee Cabading; a certain Vicente Lopez; female jail guards identified only as Calaoagan, Cea and Idloy; a certain Bulaklak; a John Doe, a Jane Doe and a Mickey Doe.

Executing arrest warrant

Burgos said the military personnel involved were adamant that the health workers were never tortured.

He said the military was obliged to provide legal assistance to its accused personnel.

“It was a legitimate operation. Together with the Philippine National Police, they were only executing an arrest warrant issued by a civilian court,” Burgos said.

But Ibrado and Bangit have to get their own lawyers, as they are already retired.

Ibrado and Bangit were sued for command responsibility, Burgos said.

There was no further word Friday from the Arroyo camp about the suit. On Thursday, Arroyo’s spokesperson, Elena Bautista-Horn, said the former President would answer the charges against her at the proper time.

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Dona Z. Pazzibugan | Philippine Daily Inquirer | May 5, 2012 | Article Link

Officials tagged in Burgos, 'Morong 43' cases next targets of AFP witch-hunt?

MANILA, Philippines - After fugitive retired Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, military men accused of being involved in the disappearance of peasant leader Jonas Burgos and those behind the arrest of the so-called “Morong 43,” would be the next target of an alleged ongoing witch-hunt in the military, a senior military official said Friday.

 “We in the active service know that there is an ongoing witch-hunt. Do you think this will stop with Palparan? The ones who are next are those accused of involvement in the Jonas Burgos and Morong 43 cases,” he said.

The officer said that even if Palparan, now in hiding, is put behind bars, key leftist personalities in government will continue to demonize him to destroy the military as an organization.

He said the wanted posters of Palparan still in military uniform, distributed to hasten his arrest, is already enough proof to show that certain quarters are out to demonize not only Palparan, but the entire military organization.

The official warned the government that if the military is hard-pressed by the witch-hunt, the government should be ready for the consequences.

The officer issued this statement after an association of active generals and flag officers issued a manifesto calling certain quarters to stop exploiting the Palparan case at the expense of the entire military.

Leftist groups have tagged the military as the abductors of Burgos, who was snatched by unidentified armed men at a restaurant along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City in April 2007.

Leftist groups likewise accused Army troops of illegally arresting and detaining the so-called Morong 43, whom they claimed were not rebels but rural health workers.

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By Jaime Laude The Philippine Star Updated January 01, 2012 12:00 AM

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AFP unfazed by reports of 'witch hunt' vs soldiers in Palparan case

MANILA, Philippines - The military is unfazed by reports of an alleged witch hunt against soldiers who took part in operations against persons and groups accused of conniving with communist rebels.

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) spokesman Col. Arnulfo Burgos Jr. said they have faith in the justice system and would cooperate with higher authorities when necessary.

“We fully trust our justice system which is working effectively and tirelessly for the benefit of our people. The AFP remains firm in upholding the rule of law and shall continue to promote and respect human rights in all its undertakings,” Burgos said when asked about the supposed witch hunt against the military.

“Every member of the AFP understands that the steps undertaken by any judicial body is part of the judicial system under the Constitution which we have sworn to defend and uphold at all times,” he said.

Amid the controversies stirred by some of the military’s operations, Burgos said they would remain transparent and open to the public.

“If summoned by higher authorities, we will provide necessary documents needed by any legitimate investigating body and we will make available the concerned personnel,” he said.

Last week, a senior military officer revealed that soldiers tagged in the disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos and the arrest of the so-called “Morong 43” would be the next targets of an ongoing “witch hunt.”

The officer made the claim after state agencies had ordered the arrest of retired general Jovito Palparan Jr., who was implicated in the kidnapping of student activists Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno.

“We in the active service know that there is an ongoing witch hunt. Do you think this will stop with Palparan? The ones who are next are those accused of involvement in the Jonas Burgos and Morong 43 cases,” he said.

The officer said leftist figures in government would continue to demonize Palparan to destroy the military as an organization. The officer cited the wanted posters of Palparan in military uniform as among the efforts to discredit the AFP.

The Philippine National Police has offered a P500,000 reward for information leading to Palparan’s arrest.

Activist Jonas Burgos was seized by gunmen in 2007 and dragged into a Toyota Revo van whose license plates were later traced to another vehicle impounded by the military in Bulacan.

The Commission on Human Rights has asked the Supreme Court to hold the military liable for his disappearance.

On the other hand, members of the Morong 43 were suspected rebels nabbed on Feb. 6, 2010 for alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

The military had alleged that the Morong 43 members were holding a seminar on bomb making.

Militant groups, however, claim that the suspects were just rural health workers attending a medical symposium.

They have accused the military of fabricating evidence and using torture to obtain confessions from the suspects.

Five of the Morong 43 have admitted that they are rebels and have availed of the government’s amnesty program.

In December 2010, President Aquino ordered the dropping of charges against the suspects after the Justice department declared that the procedures conducted by the AFP in their arrest were questionable.
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By Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) Updated January 02, 2012 12:00 AM
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