EDITORIAL - Military nuances

Army Maj. Gen. Romeo Dominguez was indignant yesterday. Some senators, he said, had "zero knowledge of military nuances." It was Dominguez’s reaction to the Senate’s recommendation for his court-martial in connection with the mysterious escape of the Abu Sayyaf from a military cordon in Lamitan, Basilan last year.

That story refuses to go away. Dominguez headed the military task force that was supposed to go after Abu Sayyaf guerrillas who raided the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan on May 27 last year. The guerrillas, with 20 hostages in tow, managed to cross the vast Sulu Sea for several days without being challenged by the military. They docked in the town of Lamitan although government troops were supposed to be on high alert, then took over a compound housing a church and a hospital.

Soldiers ringed the compound, but on June 2, the kidnappers managed to slip out with all but three of their hostages. The three – millionaire contractor Reghis Romero II, a female companion and a child – are widely suspected to have bought their way to freedom. And the military – according to Lamitan residents led by parish priest Cirilo Nacorda – are widely suspected to have been in collusion with the Abu Sayyaf, which allowed the kidnappers to escape.

Members of the Senate committee on national defense appear to agree with Nacorda and the other witnesses. The senators are recommending the court-martial of Dominguez as well as Col. Juvenal Narcise and Maj. Eliseo Campued, who were involved in the operation in Lamitan. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has promised to initiate court-martial proceedings against the three officers as soon as the final report of the Senate is out.

Dominguez, who was relieved of his command after the fiasco but later received his second star, is understandably worried. But the military has long been suspected of coddling the Abu Sayyaf, and suspicions persist that public officials receive a share of ransom payments. Basilan residents’ distrust of the Philippine military is a major reason for the warm welcome enjoyed by American troops during the six-month Balikatan war exercises. The best that Dominguez can do is to see this as a chance to enlighten everyone about military nuances and decisively clear his name. Suspicions must be put to rest and the nation must know the truth.