By TESSA JAMANDRE
EXACTLY three years ago today, hundreds of soldiers of the Philippine Marines marched in full battle gear outside the Marine headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, defending their commandant who was then accused of mutiny. The soldiers and their officers said theirs was a legitimate cause: They were merely protesting what they said was the fraud-ridden 2004 elections which Gloria Macapagal Arroyo won.
The lives of those officers and men have changed, especially the 28 officers of the Philippine Marines and Army Scout Ranger who remain detained for what government said was a mutiny. Yet so far, the prosecution has only presented seven witnesses who have yet to pin them to the charge. Today also marks the 36th court-martial hearing of the 28 officers.
It was the afternoon of Feb. 26, 2006, while the country was under a state of emergency, that 600 Marines protested the relief of their commandant, Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, who was being linked to a destabilization plot. Thousands of civilians, including former President Corazon Aquino, also braved the emergency rule and showed up in Fort Bonifacio armed only with prayers and fighting spirit in support of the Marines.
The people knew there was more to Miranda’s relief as commandant. Armored personnel carriers suddenly rolled in front of the Marines headquarters and the six-foot-tall Lt. Col. Achilles Segumallian led the march of combat-ready Marines, saying, “Ang gusto lang naman namin ay isang malinis na halalan (All we wanted was clean and honest elections).”
After Miranda accepted his relief, everyone returned to barracks except for nine officers, among them the only two living Medal of Valor awardees in the Marines: Col. Ariel Querubin and Lt. Col. Custodio Parcon. The nine officers, including Miranda, were detained along with 19 other officers from the elite Army Scout Rangers led by Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim whom the government also accused of “conspiracy to attempt to create and begin a mutiny.”
Forty enlisted men of the Scout Rangers were also jailed, although only for over a year. But life in and out of detention, the enlisted men say, has not been kind to them. They were never given their day in court, and were dismissed for following orders from their superiors. Now out of jail, they say they cannot find jobs because they were dishonorably discharged.
For the 28 Marine and Scout Ranger officers, meanwhile, three years in detention at the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) and Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal have been marked by births, illnesses, and deaths in their families, and by livelihood ventures and spiritual enrichment.
At least five babies were born to the officers while behind bars. Army Capt. William Upano had no such luck for many years until he was detained. His second baby is on the way. Maj. Jason Aquino was blessed with another baby just when his daughter was already in high school. Lt. Col. Nestor Flordeliza, a Scout Ranger who is near retirement, can only be thankful for his first boy who celebrated his first birthday last week. And Capt. James Sababan’s only daughter—he has three boys—was christened last Christmas in Camp Capinpin.
When son Amiel was born two years ago, the wife of Capt. Ervin Divinagracia, Marlyn, wished her husband was with her in the hospital. Last November he was with her in the hospital; she died in his arms as she lost the battle to leukemia. Marlyn left him to raise their two children, a tall order for someone in detention at the ISAFP.
Also last year, Aquino lost a sister to breast cancer. He never got a chance to see her before she died.
Detention has denied the Marine and Scout Ranger officers a chance to see their sick loved ones. Capt. Allan Aurino wasn’t there to care for a wife who underwent surgery to remove a myoma, while Miranda can only wish to be with his wife who is undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Miranda had issued two statements urging the release of everyone else, offering to face trial alone. After he retired from the service last December, he said the court has lost jurisdiction over him and sought to be released to the custody of a military defense counsel.
But the detained officers have been making the most out of detention, especially to help their wives who now bear the brunt of earning for the family. While the lieutenants make cheese pimiento spreads, the captains tend a vegetable garden and a tilapia pond and raise poultry in their detention facility in Camp Capinpin. The major and colonels held at ISAFP have tried soap-making.
Some of the detained officers in Tanay have also enriched their spiritual lives through the “Purpose- Driven Life” experience.
Three years in detention, however, have apparently not quenched the detained officers’ fervor for truth and justice. Last week, they issued a manifesto declaring that they have formally united under the leadershp of Lim.
Some have interpreted this to mean that they were prodding Lim to run for public office in 2010, just as detained Navy Capt. Antonio Trillanes IV did in 2004. Although a senator, Trillanes remains in detention at Camp Crame.
Lim has responded to the declaration of support through a statement released by his lawyer: “Not one to shirk away from the challenges and responsibilities, I accept the mantle of leadership bestowed upon me by the collective wisdom of the leaders and followers of the various reformist groups. I will do justice to the trust and I commit myself to the attainment of the aspirations for a country of peace, progress and prosperity.”