Raids, Arrest & Detention of UIM Staff & Seminar Participants in Cabudian Baptist Church in Feb. 29-Mar.1, 1984

M E M O R I E S: Life and Time of Pastor Rudy Bernal, his Glimpses on History & the People’s Struggle for Freedom

Chapter 40– Raids, Arrests & Detention of UIM Staff & Seminar Participant in Cabudian Baptist Church. Duenas, Iloilo February 29 & March 1, 1984

In February 29-March 1, 1984, the CPBC UIM and NFM staff, pastors, church and community leaders who attended a 2-days seminar held in Cabudian Bapist Church in Brgy. Cabudian, Duenas, Iloilo were raided and arrested. The seminar was participated by 38 participants and staffs.

It was held from 9:30 AM on the first day and went on until about 9:30 P.M. on the first day. Then it was to continue at 8:00 AM -12:00 noon on the 2nd day, from 1:30 P.M to 4:00 P.M. on the 2nd on the last day. It was a live-in seminar and participants stayed in the church –-the women with some families. Some men were were living in the parsonage. Some men were in family homes.

The participants were leaders and officers of the rice farmers and sugar workers associations. They were elected officers. They have participated in labor education and were members of the sugar cane workers associations in the villages.

They were mostly residents of the villages with wide sugar cane plantations. Most were working as laborers in the sugar cane industry – planting sugar canes, caring for the plants, fertilizing, harvesting and transport. They were paid very low daily pays. With there associations, they can negotiate for a better pay, with other benefits from the sugar planters in the villages.

During that time, sugar cane was heavily planted in the towns of Passi, Duenas, Calinog, Bingawan and Lambunao. Some 38 participants were targeted for the UIM seminar. We have already selected the most potentials, after previous seminars for this training. This group will serve as leaders of the farmers association, as it expands its operation in the next villages.

On the first day of the training, Rev. Job Santiago started at 9:30 AM with participants self-introductions and sharing, of their activities, involvements and works they were doing and their hope of the future. At 10:30 – 12.OO noon, I led on situationers in the sugar industry. We have lunch at 12:20.

At 2:00 PM, Dr. Domingo Diel, Jr., CPBC General Secretary was the speaker. He spoke on the need of this kind of studies among farmers and sugar cane workers. He called on them to get organized. He shared that in Germany, more than 90% of the people were organized – whether they were working in factories, as farmers in the grapes and wine industries. Even pastors and church leaders were organized.

He continued until 4:30 PM and the open forum followed. It was a very lively sharing and discussions. Down to earth studies. At 5:30 PM, Dr. Diel left for home in Iloilo City. He was driven by Noling, the CPBC driver. The place and area around the seminar venue that day was peaceful. We have supper at 6:00 PM. And another study continue from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The cooks, were instructed to prepare breakfast at 4:30 so that it will be ready at 7:00 AM.

But at 5:40 PM., or about 10 minutes after Dr. Diel passed by, according to the report I received later, the military secured the road from Cabudian to the national highway going to Iloilo City. The military put bamboo barricades on the road. Several military officers secured the area. All who passed were subjected to questionings.

At 6:30 PM, Bonifacio Castronuevo, Hecor Belloga and Hernani Bautista, who were sent for an errand to the market of Calinog, were stopped by the soldiers. They were riding their Honda motorcyles, all painted in red. The military knew them immediately. They were from the UIM project. For months, they were under surveillance. They were stopped and questioned. Then they were brought to the military headquarters at back of Calinog Municipal Hall. They were held for questioning until the following morning.

But Hernani Bautista was separated from the two staff. He told me later,that he was brought to a room and put on heavy questionings and pressures. He said, after some hours of questionings, he was blind folded inside the room, and then brought out to another place. He thought, he was brought to the field. His questionings was intensified. A barrel of the 46 calliber pistol, was placed on the back of his head, or rested on the table before him, while he was being questioned.

Many questioned were directed at him related to his work. He was also questioned about the Center for Education and Research, a program of the Convention where Hernani Bautista worked before.

He was questioned on his work as staff of trhe Urban Industrial Mission. He was questioned about the labor education they were doing. He was threatened to be killed if he will tell the truth. He was subjected to different kind of torture. Once, his head was submerged several times on the Toilet Bowl. Hernani Bautista, was weeping softly, as he shared the hardship he faced under military interogations, by men of President Marcos, the dictator.

But at 4:30 AM the following day, March 1, 1984, while the seminar participants were preparing-- some were taking baths and some readying themselves for the morning devotional, two pastors came on there motorcycles. They told me that our other staff – Castronuevo, Belloga and Bautista were arrested. They were held in the military camp. They do not know what happened to them. It was only that time, that I learned that the 3 staff, who were sent for an errand in Calinog, were arrested the night before.

I looked and assessed the situation. I feel that with coming of daylight, the military will strike at us. I called some of our leaders and told them what happened that time. I told them to go to the homes and tell the participants not to go to the church for the seminar that morning. Rather, they must remain in the homes, and those who have ways, with motorcycle, may go home, by passing secondary roads. They must not passed the Cabudian-Duenas road.

I told them of the situation and the arrest the night before. I asked them to go and find way that the can leave the place and go home. They walked and find ways to reach there homes, most of them by motorcycles

By 6:00 AM that morning, when the sunlight just pepping on the east, I and our six ( 6), were already preparing to leave, after clearing the church with all materials were used in the study. I was already on the wheel of the jeepney and ready to go. Then, I saw 3 jeeps full of soldiers. They have bonnets on their heads. Upon arrival, they jumped from there jeeps and with their armalites on the ready, surrounded us.

I was my 3rd military raid and arrest I experienced the last 2 years. But, as in the past, I really felt, some kind of fears, uncertainty and danger. For, facing a military with loaded armalites, with the soldiers forefingers on the trigger guards of the guns, brings a kind of uncertainties and fears. For you could never, know what will happen, when you a soldier has a gun. In moments like that, I only breath words of prayer. “ Dear God, please….”

Some soldiers also surrounded the church. They went inside the church and looked. They tried to find if there were other people there.

Three soldiers came to me in the jeepney and questioned me. Then they ordered us
to follow them to the headquarters, which was at the back of the Calinog Municipal Hall.

We reached the headquarters before 7 A.M. I was brought to the office of the military leader. He made me set on the chair for quite long, nearly an hour. Then, he he returned and started to asked me questions. “What is your name. Where do you live? Where are you working? What is your job at UIM? What were you doing there? Why were you, a Pastor doing labor education and labor organizing. Why were you doing this jobs. Why were you doing labor organizing? He asked me about UIM.

He asked me about NFM. He asked me about Sharon Duremdes. He asked me of my inolvedments as Director of the New Frontier Ministries. I answered all his questions softly and clearly. And in my heart, I silently prayed. Always, asking God’s guidance as I answer the investigators questions.

The military raids of of UIM and NFM seminar at Cabudian Baptist Church in Duenas, Iloilo. At 7:00 o’clock in the morning, herding us to the military camp, showed the military’s wanton disregards of human rights. The arrest of Hernani Bautista that night, investigating him alone, with the barrel of a 45 caliber pistol on the back of his head and forcing his face inside the toilet bowl, shows some inhumanities of the military, indoctrinated by President Marcos and Secretary Juan Ponce Enrile.

Bonifacio Castronuevo and Hector Belloga were released that night. But they were not allowed to go home. They did not know what happened to Hernani Bautista, until about 4:00 PM when he was brought to me. I talked to him. But Hernani Bautista, was calm and just remained silent. He seemed to be dumbfounded. He looked at me. He smiled. But I knew, deep in his heart, the fears was strong and remained in his minds. The threat to his life and the military effort to make him helpless, under the hands of the powerful military organization, that were paid by our taxes to protect our lives.

When we were released that afternoon, the Military Officer, made me sign a very document, a weaver. I requested for a copy. But he said, that’s not possible. It was a military document. It said: “Released Prisoners of War”. Yes, the 7 UIM staffs together with me, were prisoners of war, that were released that day, by the dictatorial regime.

Then, I thought, what if Dr. Diel passed when the barricade was put and soldiers were questioning people who passed? Would he been questioned? Would he been arrested?

At that time, 2:30 PM, of March 1, my wife Hesther, who learned of our arrests in Cabudian that morning, went to our lawyer friend, Atty. Cesar Beloria to asked what to do. She said to Atty. Beloria: “Atty. Rudy and his 9 friends were still in the custody of the military in Calinog. They were arrested yesterday evening, and some early this morning at 6:00 AM. What can we do to hasten their release?” Atty. Beloria told her, he was preparing the needed papers that they will bring to the military detachment in Calinog the following day.

Hesther also, together with another friend went and visited Dr. Domingo Diel and asked him what happened, the day before. And what he could possibly do our released. But at 7:30 PM I arrived home. We talked. I shared with her my experiences of the last two days. And the hardship suffered by Hernani Bautista and some difficulties met by Hector Belloga and Bonifacio Castronuevo.

We talked about it. But Hesther never told me to quit. We prayed that night thanking God for life and experiences that give meaning to our lives and the commitment we made to God – a service to the poor and weak in the Philippines society.

And also that night, my son, Dolfus Riche, was 2 months old in her mother’s womb. To celebrare the day, in our family alter, we sung a song of our life and faith –“What a Friend, we have in Jesus”

“What a friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear,
What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer.

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.”