Soldier held and freed by NPA may be dismissed for drug use
DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The soldier held for 16 days by the New People’s Army before regaining his freedom on May 19 faces possible dismissal from service for violating Articles of War 97, according to a military spokesman.
Captain Ernest Carolina, spokesperson of the Eastern Mindanao Command based here, said Corporal Rogelio Rosales committed an act “prejudicial to good orders and military discipline and discredits the entire organization” based on the findings of a team of investigators commissioned by his mother unit, the 60th Infantry Battalion.
“Rosales reportedly admitted in a sworn statement his use of the illegal substance commonly known as ‘shabu,’ which was one of the accusations made by the NPA against him during his 16 days in captivity. In the same investigation, Rosales, however, denied involvement in illegal logging activities, which his captors had also publicized,” Carolina said in a statement e-mailed to the media on Saturday.
He said Rosales also admitted to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte that he used drugs.
The NPA earlier said Rosales was working for the Big Four illegal logging syndicate in Davao del Norte and was also into drug pushing.
But Carolina said Rosales was a drug user but not a trafficker or a pusher.
Nevertheless, drug use alone might be enough basis for his dismissal from the service, Carolina said.
Lieutenant Colonel Roberto Bunagan, 60th IB chief, said the urine and blood tests conducted on the soldier after his release showed negative results.
But he quickly said the test results were irrelevant as “he has already admitted to the use of illegal drugs in a sworn statement during his investigation.”
“This is a very grave offense with a correspondingly grave punishment in an organization with such a sensitive responsibility towards the people,” Bunagan said in agreeing that dismissal could be the better punishment for Rosales.
Lieutenant Colonel Norman Zuniega, public affairs chief of the 10th Infantry Division, said Rosales would not be the first soldier who would get punished for drug use.
“Our soldiers go through random drug testing, and each one is subjected to testing at least once per quarter. We have already caught and punished soldiers in the past through these tests,” he said, without giving figures and other specifics.
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