Sue alleged abusive soldiers, Army dares

By MART D. SAMBALUD
Correspondent

DAVAO City — The Army’s 10th Infantry Division dared Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao to file cases in courts against soldiers whom he believed committed abuses in the performance of their duty as state security forces.

“As we have always said, we call on the good congressman and all others who are making allegations against our units and troops to file the appropriate complaints in the proper investigating government agencies and courts,” said Capt. Rhyan Batchar, spokesperson of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, in a statement sent to media on Sunday.

On May 5, the militant lawmaker demanded the immediate pullout of military troops from Compos-tella Valley province following the death of  Fedeico “Pande” Plaza, a Lumad farmer-activist and a village indigenous people mandatory representative of Poblacion in Maragusan, Compostela Valley who was gunned down by unidentified assailants at 4 p.m on May 3, Wednesday.

Casilao blamed the Army’s 71st and 46th Infantry Battalion to be responsible for Plaza’s death. Both the army units based in Compostella Valley province are under the jurisdiction of 10th ID.

Batchar, however, denied the allegation of Casilao that the AFP was responsible for the alleged killings of farmer-activists in Compostella Valley province.

“We call on Casilao to go beyond mouthing the usual propaganda of the communists against the AFP and instead bring these alleged abusive soldiers before the bar of justice,” he said. “We will be very grateful to those who will bring formal complaints against any of our erring officers and personnel, as this will help us purge our ranks of misfits and abusive personnel.”

The army spokesperson has called on the militant lawmaker to bring alleged abusive soldiers before the bar of justice by filing complaints to the proper courts. (davaotoday.com)