21 tagged in soldier’s death due to ‘reception rite’

COTABATO CITY — The 6^th Infantry Division (ID) had placed under restrictive custody 21 soldiers blamed for the death of an incoming private reportedly subjected to a strenuous reception rite over the weekend.

Officials of the Army’s 6^th ID in Camp Siongco in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte said on Monday that Major Gen. Donald M. Gumiran had ordered an inquiry on the incident that went viral on Facebook.

The 21 personnel of the 6^th Infantry Battalion (IB), a unit of the 601^st Infantry Brigade under 6^th ID, were tagged as responsible for the demise of Pvt. Charlie G. Patigayon for subjecting him and several others to a physically taxing traditional military reception procedure at their headquarters in Datu Piang town in Maguindanao del Sur in the Bangsamoro region.

Mr. Patigayon and other privates, virtual newcomers to the 6^th IB, submitted themselves for the initiation procedure without hesitation, according to officials of 6^th IB.

Lt. Col. Roden R. Orbon, 6^th ID’s spokesperson, said they are asking for just a little time to wind up the division’s investigation on the issue.

“We are still initiating an extensive probe into the incident. The division does not tolerate practices that can endanger the lives of its troops. A proper investigation must be done to determine the culpability of those accused of having caused the death of this soldier,” Mr. Orbon said.

Mr. Patigayon passed away in a non-military hospital in Cotabato City, where he was rushed by 6^th IB personnel after he complained of breathing difficulty and fainted.

Superiors of Mr. Orbon in the 6^th ID, among them Col. Rey C. Rico, the division’s civil-military relations officer, said the 21 soldiers will be subjected to “due process” and shall be penalized appropriately if proven to have misbehaved.

“We just have to do it the proper way, under the so-called due process principle,” Mr. Rico said.

Mr. Patigayon, born and raised in Kulambogan in Lanao del Norte, has just finished an Army candidate soldiers’ training course at Camp O’Donelle in Capas, Tarlac and reported for duty, along with several others, at the 6^th IB’s headquarters in Datu Piang just last week.

His remains are now at 6^th ID’s chapel in Camp Siongco, not too distant from Cotabato City. — John Felix M. Unson