Lt. Col. Leonardo Pena (right) accepts his new flag of command responsibility as the new commander of the 61st Infantry Battalion. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Lieutenant Colonel Leonardo Peña, one of four Army officials
court-martialed in connection with the October 2011 Al-Barka bloodbath, has
already served his sentence and was recalled back to duty as a commander.
Nineteen members of the 4th Special Forces Battalion, then
under the operational command of Peña, and 18 other SAF members were wounded in
Barangay Cambug, Al-Barka, Basilan when they were attacked by hundreds of
combined elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Abu Sayyaf Group
(ASG), and private armed groups.
They were trying as to serve arrest warrants to hardened
criminals inside the MILF territory.
Peña then was barely three months at the 4SF Battalion.
The rebels and bandits were led by Long Malat Sulayman and
Furuji Indama of the MILF and ASG, respectively.
On Monday, Peña, a member of the Philippine Military Academy
Sambisig Class 1991, was installed commander of the 61st Infantry Battalion
based in Visayas. He is one of the marchers of his batch.
Aside from Peña, also subjected to court martial
were Col. Aminkadra Undug, former commander of the Special Forces
Regiment who was convicted for violation of AW 96 (Conduct Unbecoming an
Officer and Gentleman) and 97 (Disorders and Neglect to the Prejudice of Good
Order and Military Discipline); Col. Alexander Macario, former commander of the
Special Force Task Force-Basilan, who was acquitted of 96 and 97; and
Lt. Col. Orlando Edralin, former commandant of the Special Forces School,
who was also acquitted of 97.
Originally, Peña was charged for violations of AW
96, 97, and 84 (Willful or Negligent Loss, Damage or Wrongful
Disposition). He was acquitted of the charges for violations of AW 96 AND 84.
”The verdict against Lt. Col. Pena is
200 files down in rank and two years suspension both in command,” the
court martial CM panel member and now retired Col. Jose Feliciano Loy said.
”Wala tayong magagawa, Unang-una, hindi natin ginusto
ang nangyari, (We can’t do anything. Firstly, we did wish for it to
happen). As far as I am concerned I have to accept the verdict even with a
heavy heart. This I can tell you, dito ako nadapa, dito rin ako babangon
(I fell here, I rise here),” Pena then said.
The “200 files down” sentence provides
that Peña cannot be promoted to the next rank until the 200 officers
below him overtakes his current rank.
”He is also being denied command assignment for two years.
Meaning, magkasya muna siya sa (he will have to content himself with)
office jobs,” he said.
Peña, a native of Batangas, replaced Lt. Col. Victor
Llapitan.
Peña is a graduate of Master of Science in Defense Analysis
(National Security Affairs) in Naval Post Graduate
School in California ,
and Master in Public Management Major in Development and Security from the Development Academy
of the Philippines
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/119162/4-years-after--army-official-in-2011-al-barka-carnage-gets-new-command
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