NPA frees captured sergeant
The New People's Army (NPA) Ruperto Tuyac Command released on June 9 Sgt. Ramiro Lawas of the First Scout Ranger Regiment in an undisclosed barrio in Compostela Valley. The NPA released him to the custody of the International Committee of the Red Cross, which in turn transferred him to the custody of Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte as well as Fr. Roberto Batawan and Sr. Annie Oser of the Diocese of Butuan City.
Lawas was wounded and captured on April 4, 2002 in a victorious NPA ambush in Barangay Nabunga, Boston, Davao Oriental. Lawas' entire unit was almost wiped out in the ambuscade launched by combined forces of the 2nd Pulang Bagani Company and the Conrado Heredia Command-Front 20. Ten soldiers were killed and 12 wounded while the NPA did not sustain any casualty. Seized were eight M16s, an M203 and a 60 mm mortar.
In a media interview, Lawas said his wounds were tended by the NPA, who treated him well while he was in their custody. They did not treat me like a captive, he said. He added that due to his long period of integration with the Red Fighters, he now understands why the NPA is waging revolution. "They are here to free the people from oppression," said Lawas.
Lawas also expressed admiration for the camaraderie and equality that he witnessed in the NPA. He particularly praised the practice of criticism and selfcriticism. He said that the NPA was really very different from the "bourgeois military." Lawas added that the AFP gave a very wrong portrayal of the NPA to its soldiers. Before Lawas' release, the military at first reported him missing and later gave him up for dead. He said that the AFP did not exert enough effort to look for or rescue him.
According to NDF-Mindanao spokesperson Jorge "Ka Oris" Madlos, Lawas was released on humanitarian grounds. He added that Sgt. Lawas' release and his humane treatment show the NPA's compliance with the Comprehensive Agreement on Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (CARHRIHL), the Geneva Conventions and other international humanitarian laws.
In contrast to Lawas' humane treatment, four hors de combat Red fighters were summarily executed by the military in Davao Oriental. Nerio Dioso, 33; Rodrigo Ungayo, 42; Ruben Tanoy, 34; and Ruby Jean Custodio, 21 were captured, tortured and killed by the 4th Special Forces Coy in Sitio Kauswagan, San Isidro, Lupon on June 4.
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