Army officer kneels, asks for forgiveness for accidental slay

From the Manila Bulletin (Oct 24): Army officer kneels, asks for forgiveness for accidental slay

In an exceptional gesture of apology, an Army colonel knelt before the tribal leader of two  civilians who were accidentally gunned down by two of his soldiers last Oct. 12 in New Bataan, Compostela Valley.

Lt. Col. Michael Logico, commander of the 66th Infantry Battalion (IB) which figured in that misencounter that killed farmer Lando Sabado Dagansan, 48, and his son, Felix, 16, met with the tribal leaders of the Mandaya tribe to which the two victims belong and took full responsibility for the incident.

“I felt that, as the commander, I was the only one capable of fixing the damage. Before I knew what I was doing, I stood up, walked over to Arturo (tribal leader and a Dagansan relative), knelt in front of him and begged for his forgiveness,” Logico said in a statement.

Logico had sought the dialogue with the Mandaya elders immediately after the shooting incident which happened in the wee hours of Oct. 12 at a pitch-black trail in Sitio Taytayan, Barangay Andap.

Elements of the Scout Platoon of 66th IB were conducting security operations when the point man was taken aback by a beam of light that flashed just five meters from the patrolling soldiers.

Then the platoon heard frantic shouts of “Sundalo! Sundalo! (Soldiers! Soldiers).”

Blinded by the sudden flash of light and sensing that his and his comrades’ lives could be in danger, the point man leveled his weapon in the direction of the blinding lights and fired away, killing the Dagansans on-the-spot.

“I was informed of the incident that same day. Through cell phone, I called my brigade commander and the division commander. I told them that I’ll take full responsibility for what happened,” Logico said.

Four days later, Logico found himself face-to-face with irate Mandaya tribe members who demanded the death of the point man and another soldier who fired their weapons at the victims.

“I told them that inasmuch as I recognize their customary laws, I could not grant their demand. The soldiers were my responsibility. If I turned them over to the tribe, their blood would be in my hands”, Logico said.

Instead, Logico offered to take his men’s place since he “was the commander who sent them there.” But the tribe declined.

The Army officer explained to the tribal leaders that surrendering his men to them would only prolong the cycle of violence and it would only show that he could no longer control his command.

Thus, Logico reiterated his offer of financial and material support for the family of the victims that would be in keeping with tribal custom.

“During recess, I approached the members of the tribe one by one and personally apologized, in behalf of the battalion. I assured them that we will not shirk from our responsibility and obligation”, Logico emphasized in the statement.

When the dialogue resumed, the tribal council said that it was convinced that the intentions of Logico was sincere.

“Instead of the deaths of my soldiers, we were obliged to pay indemnity (Balukas). I agreed to all except for one, the surrender of the two M-16 rifles to the tribe,” he said.

And it was when the dialogue was about to conclude that Arturo Dagansan, spokesperson for the council and a relative of the victims, “broke down in tears when asked to speak before the members of the council.”

According to Logico, it was at that point that he could no longer control his emotions, prompting him to approach Dagansan and knelt before him to ask his forgiveness.

An agreement was signed by the tribe and the 66th IB that was witnessed by the members of the council and other officials who were present during the dialogue.

Logico said he and his men were thankful that the problem was resolved through the customary laws and tradition of the Mandaya tribe, and that the soldiers now can pursue their peace and development mission in the area.

What only remains unclear is the legal aspect of the case.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) had been tasked to investigate but has not come up with a report on the Oct. 12 incident.

http://www.mb.com.ph/army-officer-kneels-asks-for-forgiveness-for-accidental-slay/