Nine rebel soldiers released

There were no yellow ribbons when Pfc. Ian Matematico arrived at his house at Signal Village in Taguig City. But the loving embrace of his wife and being able to hold and kiss his two children, who were both born while he was in detention for particpating in the Oakwood mutiny in 2003, were enough to make him feel how much his family missed him.

Matematico is among the nine Army Scout Rangers that were released yesterday after charges against them for their alleged involvement in the failed July 27, 2003 Oakwood mutiny were dropped by the military court martial for insufficiency of evidence.

The nine Army soldiers, after three years in detention, walked out of the Custodial Management Unit of Fort Bonifacio, with their faces beaming with relief, exclaiming that they would never allow themselves to suffer the same fate again. They proceeded to the Military Police Battalion office where they are set to undergo a counseling and retraining program, which would last from a minimum of 45 days to four months, prior to their reintegration to the service.

Maj. Ernesto Torres, Army spokesman said that as a matter of policy, Matematico, Sgt. Michael Llamas, Sgt. Dante Bulawan, Cpl. Ramon Pedregosa, Cpl. Alberto Garde, Cpl. Jonathan Calcada, Cpl. Arnold Gregorio, and Pfc. Ronnie Cabaltera, and Pfc. Marlon Cesar, would not be reassigned to the First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR) based at Camp Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan.

Instead, the freed soldiers would be assigned at the MP Battalion while undergoing counseling and retraining.