Army general in Morong 43 case gets 3rd star

MANILA, Philippines—An Army general facing charges of alleged torture and illegal arrest of suspected communist rebels claiming to be health workers earned his third star this week.

Four years after the arrest of Morong 43, Lieutenant General Aurelio Baladad remained associated with the group.

“I feel hurt even if I wasn’t part of the actual arrest. But that is part of the job,” he told INQUIRER.net on Wednesday, Oct.8.

Baladad was then the commander of 202nd Infantry Battalion, when he ordered the arrest of the Morong 43 in 2010 in Morong, Rizal.

In this file photo, one of the 43 health workers arrested by the military in a raid in Morong raises a clenched fist as they are returned to their bus on their way to Camp Capinpin Detention facility in Tanay, Rizal. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

The members of the Morong 43 were arrested in 2010 for alleged illegal possession of firearms and explosives. The military accused them of holding a seminar on bomb-making, which they denied. They claimed they were just holding a medical symposium.

They were detained for 10 months and President Benigno Aquino later ordered to drop charges against them.

Five of the 43 admitted that they were members of the New People’s Army. Eight of them filed robbery and torture cases against then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Baladad and 17 others in connection with their detention.

“Five of them returned to the government fold and admitted they were part of the NPA. One was later killed in an encounter after he returned to the NPA. These are the facts,” Baladad said.

In August last year, one of the Morong 43 members was killed in an encounter with the military.

For the military, it was a confirmation that they were indeed communist rebels.

New assignment: NPA hotbed

But Baladad’s association with the Morong 43 case did not prevent him from being assigned to prestigious posts. Among his assignments after the incident include: Deputy Commander of the Army’s 9th Infantry Division in Camarines Sur, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations at Camp Aguinaldo and chief of Army’s 3rd Infantry Division in Western Visayas.

Recently, he was named the commander of Eastern Mindanao Command.

Baladad, who holds jurisdiction of Davao, parts of Northern Mindanao, Caraga and Soccsksargen, said that about over 40 percent of the estimated 4,000 NPA nationwide are in his area.

He said that they would continue with the “policy of attraction” — by talking to rebels to return to the government fold.

Newly promoted generals 

Baladad was one of the newly promoted generals on Tuesday.

Military chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang donned the new ranks to eight officers at Camp Aguinaldo.

Rear Admiral Alexander S. Lopez, Commander of Western Command; MGen Vicanor M Vivar, Commander of Central Command; Baladad; and MGen Oscar P Lopez, Superintendent of PMA were all promoted to the to rank of Vice Admiral/Lieutenant General.

Meanwhile, Col Godfrey R Julio, Chief of AFP Real Estate Office; Col Buenaventura C Pascual, Chief of AFP Peace Process Office; Captain Edwin M Mackay, Commander of JTF Malampaya; and Col Rozzano B Briguez, Commandant of Cadets, PMA were promoted to the rank of Commodore/Brigadier General.