Daisy Jane Apit and Amal-Ryan Rinabor
Davao Today interns
SOMEWHERE IN COMPOSTELA VALLEY – New People’s Army guerillas released an Army officer here after holding him for 19 days amid repeated requests from the soldier’s wife and brokers from Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and a religious group.
The Comval-North Davao South Agusan Sub-regional Command of the New People’s Army released at 12:40pm Wednesday Sgt. Jeric Curay of the Army’s 72nd Infantry Battalion, who the NPA declared as prisoner-of-war (POW) after they captured him last April 4 in a checkpoint in New Bataan, Compostela Valley.
Curay emerged from a hut wearing plain white shirt, brown cargo pants and a pair of slippers. He was handcuffed and escorted by two NPA guerrillas.
Ka Caloy, who acted as spokesperson of the NPA, said they made no demands to release him.
The release followed a short program and a formation and parade of an NPA platoon, and a physical check-up on Curay.
Ka Caloy said Curay was “investigated by the responsible organ of the NPA custodial force and no sufficient evidence was established to warrant his prosecution for serious crimes committed against the Filipino people and the revolutionary movement”.
“Kaning mando sa release nagapakita sa konsiderasyon sa NDFP (National Democratic Front of the Philippines) sa mga apilar sa pamilya sa bihag sa gubat ug sa hangyo gikan sa sinsiro nga mga indibidwal nga nagpadayag sa ilang supurta ngadto sa usa ka negotiated settlement kabahin sa isyu sa mga bihag sa gubat ilalom sa gambalay CARHRIHL (Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and And International Humanitarian) o sa Geneva conventions ug sa mga protocol niini (This order of release shows the NDFP consideration to the appeals of the family of the prisoner-of-war and some sincere individuals who expressed their support for a negotiated settlement under the Carhrihl and the Geneva Covention and its protocols),” Ka Caloy added.
“Akong pagpasalamat sa tanan nga mitabang sa akong release, sa mga miyembro sa non-government organization nga maayo akong pagkarelase. Wala ko nila hilabti sa sulod sa disinuwebe ka adlaw. Pasalamat ko nitamod sila sa balaod sa gubat kung CARHRIHL. Sa akong pagbalik sa akong unit sa akong pamilya Dako kayo kong pasalamat nga karung adlawa mahuman ang maong paggunit sa ako (I thank all those who helped in my release like non-government organizations as my release was made safe. They (NPA) did not harm me in the entire 19 days. I am grateful that they respected the laws of war of Carhrihl. I am thankful that my being captive ends today and return to my family and my unit) ” Sgt. Jeric Curay said.
Asked how the NPA has treated him, he said that he was most of the time handcuffed but was occasionally released when he requested it.
“Kung man pagkaon nila, pagkaon nako. Mukaon man mi tanan ug unsa’y naa (I eat what they (NPAs) eat. We all eat what is available,)” he added.
He said they move around when the NPA detects troop movements in the area to “ilaha ko ilikay para dili ko maapil sa maong unsay mahitabo (they secure me so I will not get caught in what might happen).”
“I have adjusted (to being POW) but what worried me was my family as they have no idea what has happened to me,” said Curay.
Curay said he was in civilian clothes when he drove into a checkpoint of what he believed as police officers but are actually NPA guerillas in disguise.
“Wala man ko’y nahimu kay nag-paila ko dili man di ay sila police mao tong nakuha ko nila (I can no longer do anything because I already identified myself (as a solider), but they were not actually police officers so they got me),” said Curay.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who arrived later in a helicopter said he “(n)agapasalamat ako sa New People’s Army sa ilang pagdawat sa akong hangyo sa pagrelease sa us aka sundalo (I thank the New People’s Army for accepting my request for the release of a soldier (Curay).”
“Ang akong papel diri, nia ko sa tunga. Makigstorya ko sa NPA, makigstorya ko sa mga liderato sa Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), makigstorya pud ko sa gobyerno ug unsa lang akong matabang para sa kaayuhan. Kutob lang ko dira (My role here is to be at the middle. I talk with the NPAs and the CPP and I talk with those in government on what good I can contribute),” Duterte said.
“So niana ko karun naghangyo na madala ko ni sa iyang pamilya, i-surrender ko ni ngadto sa iyang mga superior mao rana’y akong trabaho (So I am here now asking if I can already bring him (Curay) to his family. I will then surrender him to his superior, that’s my job,” Duterte said.
The release is witnessed by representatives of the International Commission of Red Cross (ICRC), church groups and media practitioners.
It was 10:20 am when reporters and news photographers reached the release site, somewhere in an interior village of Monkayo, Compostela Valley.
Meanwhile Curay also said that he would like to return to service and if granted, would like to take a vacation with his family.
A statement from the 72nd IB said the capture of Curay “was a Carhrihl violation” and that he “will undergo physical and psychological stress debriefing in the Camp Panacan Station Hospital for further evaluation.”
Duterte brought Curay on his helicopter to the Army’s Easten Mindanao Command Headquarters in Panacan, Davao City. (davaotoday.com)
