Army officer uses men as bait to locate Muslims' snipers

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

“Son of a gun, so the PC had the likes of  Colonel Amado Espino while the other branches of service had their heroes. Were you familiar with Army’s hero Julius Javier (PMA '70) and legendary artillery man Army General Rodolfo Canieso (PMA '56).?" I posed to Congressman Pol Bataoil.
 Si Julius Javier may movie pa titled the Scout Ranger!” I enthused.

 Bataoil, a former police two-star general, emphatically told me the feats of Javier, an Ilonggo like me.

Filipino elite soldiers Scout Ranger

“Even as company commander he joined patrol and engaged the Muslim rebels in Mindanao in a fire fight. There was an incident where Moro snipers were hiding on the trees in the forest and they were pinning down his troop”

Bataoil recalled how Javier ordered one of his men to run as bait for the sniper.

“Ninerbiyos ang sundalo but he had to comply while running as the sniper tried to pin him down. Javier watched where the shot came from then Javier fired at the location of the sniper”.

Sometimes the sniper, the solon explained, could not be hit and he had to order another soldier to run as bait.

“One of the soldiers dreaded that he would die would not comply with the order. An angry Javier then asked him to watch and fire where the shot came from as he would use himself as the running target.

After he ran, he shouted at the nervous soldier if he hit the shooter from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF).

“Hinde po sir,!” the soldier shouted back.

Javier asked the soldier to run as bait. The soldier hesitated.

“Javier shouted pag di ka tumakbo, ako ang babaril sa iyo!”

The former two- star police general said the poor soldier complied as Javier trained his Armalite rifle to the whereabouts of the Moro’s marksman.

“Sir, may mga tall tales about Canieso, an ilonggo and kanyonero, I heard among non-officers when I visited Awang Dinaig , Maguindanao Air Force base where my father was assigned in the late 1970s,” I said.

“Totoo ba sir na iyong mga (Army) draftee, still wet behind their ears, sa Liguasan Marsh kinankanyon ni Canieso sa likuran nila kasi tatakbo sila from the MNLF who were armed with Belgium made FAL or Fusil Automatique Léger assault rifles given by Libya president Muammar Gaddafi? At ang sabi pa ni Canieso to his worried commanders dahil andaming patay sa Army na huwag ma-mrublema kasi marami pang Ilocano sa Luzon na puwedeng hakutin sa eroplano para ilaban sa Moro?

Batoil told me his version: 
He said that battle ensued in Jolo. President Ferdinand Marcos called probably via radio Canieso and asked why a lot of casualties on the side of the government.

“He told the president that the huge death happened too at the side of the rebels. Normal lang daw sa giyera iyong casualties. He said: “Mr. President do not worry about the casualties on our side. We can still bring a lot of Ilocanos from Luzon to fight the rebels to the end” the solon stressed.

“Kinabukasan relieved na si General Canieso in his post,” Bataoil amusedly told me.
“Lenti iho de puta gid!” I mumbled in our vernacular

When Cory Aquino became president after Marcos was toppled in 1986, Aquino appointed Canieso as the 28th Commanding General of the Army of the New Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Face Book's posts of Philippine Army's hero retired General Julius Javier to me and my brother Gabriel Ortigoza, an Airborne and former Military Professor at the Philippine Military Academy - the place where we were born. You can read the article of these FB's exchanges at Shocked mailman, wife invited to presidential dinner

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At 3:30 pm of October 26, 2016, while waiting at the gate of the Sual Wharf for my identification card as my clearance for the Presidential Security Group to enter and cover the Philippine’s president, I saw military top brass like those in the Navy and Marines and police generals with ranks up to three stars waiting there too for President Duterte.

When Regional Director Greg Pimentel (PMA Class ’85) , who was in a huddle with two colonels, clad in camouflage uniform from the army special forces and navy, he called me and told the duo I lived in PMA before.

“What class po kayo?” I posed to the young officers and gentlemen whose names were Navy Captain (Colonel) Erick Kagaoan and Army Colonel Batle.

“I’m 1987,” Kagaoan smiled.’

“Oh, mag ko-commodore (one star general) na ito, sir,” I told General Pimentel.

Kagaonan, commander of the Naval Forces Northern Luzon, told me he was waiting for his star anytime this year. He said he is the president of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association (PMAAAA).

“Ako ang president ng Triple A this year,” he told Batle.

He said as part of the social activity of the Triple A he and staff visited Muntinlupa to see how four prisoners who are members of the PMAAA have been doing there. Two of them were Army General Carlos Garcia and Police Colonel Dionesio Borromeo who is actively doing his pastor calling.

The amiable Batle, told me he was Class 1988.

I told them something that could make them reminisce (including the PMAyers probably from Class 1980 to present who read this blog/column) PMA.

 “Don’t you know that Susan or Sunzu the supervisor of the waiters and waitresses of the bachoyan (a noodle soup made with pork organs and others) of retired Colonel Orlindo C Caingcoy located at the bowling  has a son who joined the PMA?”

PMAyers at the wharf including those air force pilots eavesdropped at our conversation.

Kagaoan said that Colonel Caingoy, an ilonggo from Iloilo and former PMA professor, has a son in law who is a commodore in the Navy.

“Son in law ni Colonel Caingcoy si Commodore Sam Felix”

“Oo, nakikita ko sila pag nagsisimba ako doon sa protestant church when I go to PMA,” I told them.

(You can read my selected columns at
mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)