BY EVANGELINE DE VERA

THE former commander of the Army’s 56th Infantry Battalion in Bulacan yesterday told the Court of Appeals he had no hand in the disappearance of activist Jonas Burgos in April last year.

Lt. Col. Melquiades Feliciano, who was relieved from his post after the license plate of the car used by Burgos’ abductors was traced to the 56th IB, took the witness stand at the continuation of the hearing on the writ of amparo petition filed by Jonas’ mother, Edita.

Burgos lawyer Ricardo Fernandez grilled Feliciano as to his former battalion’s role in Jonas’ disappearance, particularly on the arrest of a certain Lt. Dick Abletes last March 26 for allegedly passing classified military information to two suspected members of the New People’s Army.

Burgos, according to the military quoting intelligence reports, is an intelligence officer of the NPA in Bulacan. He was abducted a month after Abletes’ arrest, or on April 28 last year.

Feliciano confirmed Abletes was arrested by a team of military intelligence officers. He said he ordered the arrest after surveillance revealed Abletes was transmitting vital information to the NPA.

"There was a team organized and some of them were under me. They did the monitoring and surveillance and there was one incident that he was seen talking face to face with unidentified members of the NPA," Feliciano told the court.

Feliciano said Abletes was overheard saying things against the military organization and seen giving classified documents to the suspected NPA members.

After his arrest, Feliciano said Abletes was turned over to Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano, Army chief.

Feliciano denied having knowledge as to the identities of the suspected NPA members who allegedly received documents from Abletes.

He dismissed Fernandez’ insinuation that Jonas was one of the suspected NPA members that Abletes was seen talking with. Feliciano said he was not able to get more information from Abletes as he was immediately turned over to higher headquarters following his arrest.

Earlier, Fernandez noted that based on newspaper stories, Abletes’ arrest might have something to do with the abduction of Jonas.

The prosecution reiterated its motion to have Yano and AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon subpoenaed to give more details on Abletes’ arrest.

Burgos was abducted while in a restaurant in a mall in Quezon City. The license plate TAB 194 seen on one his vehicle’s abductors belonged to a vehicle impounded at the 56th IB headquarters in Norzagaray, Bulacan since July 2006 in connection with illegal logging operations. The military has said the plates could have been stolen.