THE military unit linked to the abduction of
activist Jonas Joseph Burgos might be trying to get off the hook
by saying the license plate seen in the suspect’s getaway
vehicle was stolen from its custody, but it could still be held
liable under forestry laws for the loss of evidence in an
illegal logging case.
An official of the Department of Environment
and Natural Resources yesterday said the loss of plate TAB 194
under the custody of the Army’s 56th Infantry Battalion should
be attributed to the soldiers’ apparent neglect of duty.
Sosio Quintana, DENR-Central Luzon regional
technical director for forestry, said the 56th IB has "no
excuse" for the loss of the plate as the area where the vehicle
was impounded is "under strict security."
Quintana is the head of the team formed by
DENR-Central Luzon executive director Regidor de Leon to check
on the status of the vehicle impounded at the headquarters of
the 56th IB in Norzagaray in Bulacan.
A locally assembled XLT jeep with license
plate TAB 194 was impounded at the 56th IB headquarters in June
last year after it f4igured in an anti-illegal logging
apprehension.
The plate was seen by witnesses on a maroon
Toyota Revo into which Burgos was shoved after being snatched
from a restaurant at the Ever Gotesco Mall in Quezon City on
April 28.
Television footage showed that the XLT jeep
was still at the 56th IB headquarters, with the Army saying the
plate was stolen by illegal settlers nearby.
Quintana insisted the Army is "responsible
for the loss of any part (of any vehicle under its custody)."
Quintana explained that the impounded
vehicle, including its license plate, are "material evidence to
be used in court" as its owner, Mauro Mudlong, is now facing an
illegal logging case at a Malolos court.
Maj. Gen. Juanito Gomez, commander of the
Army’s 7th Infantry Division, to which the 56th belongs, said
the headquarters of the 56th IB is not actually a camp but a
civilian property leased to the military for one sack of rice a
month. He said the battalion has been staying in the property
since 2002.
He also said the license plate was stolen
between November and March when the battalion was out of the
province for training, bolstering the military’s position that
it had nothing do with Burgos’ abduction. Only a few soldiers
were left to provide security, he said.
It was not clear if these have been
interviewed by Army and AFP Provost Marshal investigators.
Wilfredo Marbella, internal deputy secretary
general of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, called as a
"pathetic excuse" the line of the military that the plate was
stolen.
"Would any person in his right mind try to
steal a plate of a vehicle inside a military establishment?" he
said.
When he was abducted, Burgos was active giving agricultural
training to members of KMP. – Reinir Padua and Victor
Reyes