Maj. Gen. Aurelio Baladad
ARMY chief Lt. Gen. Noel Coballes yesterday confirmed the designation of a senior military officer linked to the controversial arrest of the “Morong 43” as new commander of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division based in Capiz.
Coballes vouched for the integrity of Maj. Gen. Aurelio Baladad, outgoing AFP deputy chief of staff for operations, who has been charged with torture in connection with the arrest of the “Morong 43” at a farmhouse in Morong, Rizal in February 2010.
Baladad, then a colonel, was commander of the 202nd Brigade that arrested the Morong 43.
The military has said the Morong 43 are members of the New People’s Army. The group members said they are health workers.
“General Baladad won’t be given a key position if he is not upright,” said Coballes of Baladad, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1982, who is expected to assume his new post on Friday.
Coballes said the designation of Baladad as 3rd ID commander is effective June 20, the day Maj. Gen. Jose Mabanta retired from service.
The Army division is currently headed by 3rd ID deputy commander Brig. Gen. Jonas Sumagaysay in concurrent and acting capacity.
Information about Baladad’s new designation was leaked last week. The human rights group Karapatan said Baladad’s promotion is an “exemplary display of impunity” under the Aquino government.
Baladad, asked to comment on the criticisms from the Left, said: “As of now, the case is still pending. Where is the presumption of innocence there?”
Baladad said the Court of Appeals has already sustained the arrest of the 43 who, he said, are NPA rebels. “In effect, it was not illegal arrest,” he said.
Baladad said the Left is opposing his designation because they want to prevent an “effective officer” from getting promoted.
“To me, if they see a commander that’s effective, they don’t want that (officer) to go up…They will harass you so you won’t be too aggressive to achieve the mission,” he said.
Baladad said the case would not prevent him from doing his job.
“If a commander will show that he is losing his aggressiveness, then the NPA will achieve what they want to happen - for the commanders to lose their aggressiveness,” he said.
Baladad is facing torture charges filed by some of the 43 arrested in Morong. Five of them have confessed membership in the NPA.
Government prosecutors withdrew the charges filed against the 43 after President Aquino said evidence against them were inadmissible in court.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/index.php/news/nation/35507-officer-in-morong-43-case-belittles-leftist-allegations
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