ISULAN, Sultan Kudarat. – A retired Scout Ranger officer on Saturday received the “Distinguished Ranger Award” for successfully negotiating the surrender of 54 New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Senator Ninoy Aquino town in this province.
Retired M/Sgt. Rodolfo Ecija Sr., 65, received the award from Col. Harold Cabunoc, commander of the 33rd Infantry Battalion, in his room at the provincial hospital here past 2 p.m. Saturday, the 67th foundation anniversary of the First Scout Ranger Regiment.
Ecija, who joined the elite Army unit in 1975, is known for his negotiating skills. When Cabunoc took over the 33rd IB in February this year, he tapped Ecija to help in the military’s counter-insurgency program.
The 33rd IB is based in President Quirino town and has operational jurisdiction over three towns here and seven in Maguindanao.
Ecija then became the 33rd IB’s “chief negotiator” for NPA rebels operating in the towns of Senator Ninoy Aquino, Esperanza, Lebak, Kalamansig, and Bagumbayan.
The 54 communist rebels surrendered between May 21 and November 2.
“Without him, we cannot have that number of rebel returnees. It’s our way of honoring the outstanding effort of a fellow Scout Ranger,” Cabunoc said in an interview here.
http://malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/retired-scout-ranger-honored
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