UNDOF commander rejects Pinoy colonel’s resignation

The commander of the peacekeeping force in Golan Heights has rejected the resignation of a Filipino colonel who quit his post due to differences with one of his superiors in handling the recent standoff there.

Instead, Col. Ezra James Enriquez, the third ranking officer in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), was put on administrative leave, Armed Forces public affairs chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said in Manila on Wednesday.

Quoting a message from Enriquez, Zagala said: "The force commander did not accept my resignation. I offered my resignation but he put me on administrative leave until the final repatriation of our troops" in October.

Zagala said that during the standoff, Enriquez defied UNDOF Force Commander Lt. Gen. Iqbal Sing Singha's order for them to lay down their firearms to ensure the safety of Fijian peacekeepers held captive by Syrian rebels.

The Fijian peacekeepers — at least 44 of them — had been seized by Syrian rebels who overran their position last week.

Their 75 Filipino counterparts, who were manning Position 68 and 69, meanwhile figured in a standoff that ended over the weekend after the soldiers escaped following a seven-hour firefight with the rebels.

Sudden change

Zagala explained that Singha originally ordered troops of Position 60, 69, and 68 to reposition.

However, "He changed his orders, we do not the reason why he changed his orders, and that's why they got into a disagreement," he added.

Zagala noted that since Filipino troops were not repositioned, "the possibility of an attack was imminent."

"The orders of the force commander as relayed by Col. Enriquez was for Filipino troops to raise the white flag and give up their arms," he added.

Zagala noted that after Fijian peacekeepers were held captive by Syrian rebels, Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. asked Singha to "look out for the safety of our troops and that we will not give up our firearms."

However, during the height of the crisis, Catapang attempted to talk to the force commander, "but Gen. Singha did not talk to him."

Full support

Meanwhile, Zagala said the AFP supports Enriquez' decision during the crisis.

"I think Col. Enriquez took a stand for our country... The leadership of the AFP and our government will support him and what Col. Enriquez did was to defy an order that is against all logic," he said. "We believe that Col. Enriquez justifiably did what he had to do."

The Philippine military has already called for an investigation on Singha, an Indian national, for allegedly endangering the safety of the Filipino peacekeepers when he ordered them to surrender their firearms to Syrian militants. —Amanda Fernandez/KBK, GMA News

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