Army unit won’t try troops in B’laan slays

Spokesman of the 10th Infantry Division Lieutenant Colonel Lyndon Paniza: Capion is bandit. Photo from https://rudedolfo.blogspot.com

DAVAO CITY – Court martial proceedings for the 13 soldiers accused of killing B’laan antimining leader Dagil Capion’s wife and two sons last month face delay as the 10th Infantry Division (ID) begged off from constituting the military court.

Lieutenant Colonel Lyndon Paniza, 10th ID spokesman, said the division instead asked the Philippine Army’s main headquarters to form the military court.

Paniza said the 10th ID has direct supervision over the 27th Infantry Battalion (IB), the unit where the accused soldiers belonged to. They are 1st Lt. Dante Jimenez; Sergeants Dennis Murillo and Rommel Ballenas; Corporals Robert Godio, Ayiha Namla, Brucekhan Sahali, Bashir Said, Julah Majid and Jemson Jadjuli, and Private First Class Marlowe Gayamot, Joel Lopez, Darryl Tayamora and Richard Julian.

He said because it has direct supervision over the unit of the accused soldiers, the 10th ID wanted to avoid suspicions of a whitewash.

“We would like the truth to come out so we requested headquarters to create the court and hear the case to avoid (perceptions of being) biased,” Paniza said by phone.

Last week, the board of inquiry formed by the 10th ID said it found probable cause to charge the soldiers with violating the Articles of War for the deaths of Juvy Capion and her sons, Pop, 13, and John, 8, during a military operation in Barangay (village) Kimlawis in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, on October 18.

While maintaining that the deaths of Capion’s wife and sons resulted from a clash, investigators said Jimenez and his men had committed tactical lapses.

While 27th IB commander Lt. Col. Alexis Bravo was not on the list of those to be charged, Paniza said he had resigned his post.

“[This is] to allow other third party groups to investigate freely and to prove that there is no cover-up in the search for truth,” he said in a statement sent by e-mail.

Paniza said Bravo’s resignation took effect immediately and he was replaced by Lt. Col. Shalimar Imperial. Ayan Mellejor and Orlando Dinoy, Inquirer Mindanao