Chapter 3 - Military Raid & Arrest of Pastor Rudy Bernal in Cawayan, Carles, Iloilo

                                                 Chapter  3

               Military Raid  & Arrest  of   Pastor Bernal in  Cawayan, Carles, Iloilo

It was  in November 1973,   about 5:00 A.M. when  elements of the Philippine Constabulary arrested me, rather “invited” me, to  go with them to their headquarters in Sara, Iloilo, about 40 kilometers away.  .

That  morning,  about 5:00 A.M., I came down from our house.   It was still   dark. I was,  carrying a small  lantern  with kerosene.   I usually carry a lantern  when working at nights,    guide my way and  helped drive  mosquitoes away. I went directly to our vegetable   gardens. 

I have planted some 25 plots of Spring Onions, 1 meter wide and 50 meters  long in our  vegetables gardens. That was my project. I intended to plant some 100 plots of Spring Onions that time. That will provide us  some income, during this hard times of martial rule.

My father, mother and  younger  brother and sisters have  planted other  vegetable  – amargoso, eggplants, string beans, pechay, alogbate and pepper leaves. We plant vegetables and sell  to neighbors and earn little income for our needs,

It was still   dark when I came down.  But the  easterm sunlights   was peeping on the horizon.  I was busy pulling weeds from my onion plants. Then, I saw a man, standing  beside a coconut tree.   He was about 40 meters away. He moved  slowly  towards  me.  He  was  dressed  in black Jacket and black pants.  He was holding a 45 caliber pistol.  

About 3 meters away, he greeted me.  He said “Good Morning”. I answered him. “Good Morning, Sir.”  And I stood slowly.   He came nearer    me.  We talked.   He asked my name. He said. “What is your name?    I answered his question softly and clearly. Then, he asked where’s Capitan.  I told him father  was perhaps still sleeping.

   He  

Then, slowly,  from around,   I heard  rattles of Armalite’s bolts  being released. I  saw  soldiers,  in full  battle gears,  emerging from different places around our house.  They have surrounded our hosue for 6 hours, while we were sleeping.

The   soldiers  came   near  us.    They were holding their armalites.  Some with their barrels pointed up. Some guns’  muzzles were pointed on the ground.   The 11 soldiers just stood there silently   surrounded   us,  as   I and their officer talked.    

The officer asked me some questions. “Where you from UP?”   I answered.  “No, Sir. I am from  Lyceum of the Philippines in Manila”.  “What course did you take there? I told him, “I took Political Science.”  He asked me.  “When did  you arrived  in Iloilo?”  I told him,  “I’m  in Iloilo for nearly two years”  

He asked me, “ What’s your work in Iloilo?”  I told him,  “I help  train  farmers on Land Reforms  and  help organized them”  Then he said: “Let’s go up your house. Let’s have coffee with the Capitan.”  My father, Restituto Bernal, Sr. was the Barangay Captain of Cawayan. He served five  terms as Barangay Captain,

We went upstairs.   I called my father. I told him he has visitors.  The officer  and  6  soldiers followed us inside the house.   The  5 other constabulary   soldiers stayed down,  on   different places  near the  house.

After shaking hands with the soldiers,  my  father requested my younger brother and sisters   to   help  brew  coffee.  My father gave   coffee to all the soldiers.  The officers, then  told my father. “Capitan, , our  Commnader is  ‘inviting’  Rodolfo to see him in the headquarters.”   My father asked:  “Why?  What is the problem?  What crimes   have my son committed?”  

The officer told my father. “Our  Commander would just  like to see  him. He have questions to ask Rodolfo.  I was inviting him to our headquarters.”  I learned later, their commander was Captain Montano.

I dressed myself.  I told  to myself.  “I will go. I will go with the  soliders.  I was invited by their  Commanding  Officer.  I cannot say no.  I  must go.    For it was   an   invitation that I cannot    say   No.  It was   a command.”

Then, we went.   We   walked  to the place where the soldiers   jeepney was left that night. I joined them.   It was  long way to their headquarters, some 40 kms away.  After we left, my father sent a relative to   Carles Chief of Police, Felipe Bernal,  his   cousin ,  informing him, I was  picked- up by the constabulary. The Chief of Police, sent an emissary to asked the Constabulary Officer why I was picked-up.  It  was a way to make sure,  I will not be put in a disadvantaged, or hurt  while being invistegated at the police headquarters.

We left   about 7:30 AM.  On our  way to Sara,  in the  area with  heavy sugar cane plantations,  the jeepeny stopped.  The constabularies went down the vehicle. They said, they will  urinate.  One officer asked me to go  down and urinate.   But I did not. I told him I am not urinating.   But my stomach seems to burst. I want to urinate. 

I have  heard  stories  in some places,  here in  Panay and Negros. Many   activists were   picked-up   by the military and  gunned down. They were asked by the officers to urinate in the bush. Then, they were shot dead.  The military  said, he was gunned down for trying to escaped. Or trying to grab  his gun.

At the Constabulary headquarters, I was ushered to one of the houses – the home and office of Captain Montano. I was introduced by the soldiers  to him. “Sir,  Rodolfo  Bernal.” He’s now here.”  Captain Montano talked to me. He asked me where did I study in Manila. He asked me what was my work here in Carles. How long I stayed here in Cawayan. I answered him.  Then, Captain Montano left. He went to the other room and   talked  with  several people who  came to  his office.

I tried to sized up Captain Montano.  “He was about 3 inches taller than me.  I think, he was a brave fellow.  Fast moving person. I think, he was  not trigger happy. He has a mission to fulfill under the martial law regime  of President Marcos. He was committed to follow the orders given by his upper officers. But, I think, he had a heart and could listen.”

Three  soldiers stayed  around, near me. They were doing  different works.  One was sweeping the floor.     Another   was   preparing    breakfast.     Another   soldier   repairing  the  door.

They were all there  in the small room with me.  I think, they were observing me closely.  

They did not talked  to me.  They were just doing there  own things. At about 10:30 AM, the soldiers served breakfast. 

These   were fresh fish from Carles and Estancia. Merchants  gave fresh fish to  the camp for the officers food.  I eat  breakfast  alone.  The other officers eat,  but they  did not talked.   Captain Montano later joined,  as we eat.  He talk about his work.  “Damu problema di sa North Iloilo. Damu inaway”  ( Many problems  in North Iloilo. Many  fightings).  

He asked me some  questions. “Diin ka nag-esuela sa Manila? San-o ka di nag-abut sa Iloilo?.  Diin ka gaobra subong?  Ano ang ginahimo mo sa Cawayan?” (Where  did you study in Manila? When did  you arrived here? What’s your work here? What are you doing in Cawayan?)  I anwered softly and clearly all the questions of Captain Montano. I tried to make sure that he could get clearly  my answer. I think it  good, to  be honest and told  him, all what he wants to know about me, except  questions that will incriminate me.  

“Sir, I studied at Lyceum of the Philippines. I took Political Science there. I came here in Iloilo about 2 years ago. I am Secretary for Education of the PANELFU, a Labor organization. I was a newspaper reporter of the Philippine Herald  and News Editor of French News Agency before. But I resigned and joined the Labor Union.  We do labor education and organzing. In Cawayan, I am helping farmers organized themselves and help implement Land Reforms in the area.”

He told me, he heard I have been  in Municipality of Sara, San Dionisio and Concepcion. He asked me about some  conflict among farmers and land owners in San Dionisio.   I  told  Captain Montano:   “The   the problems Sir,  between the  farmers and the landowners. But this problems were legal in nature. The Department of  Agrarian Reforms were  helping the farmers get organized. 

At this time, there were conflicts for the   farmers were pushing for Land Reforms and  implementations of the 75% shares of harvest for farmers and 25% share of the landowners. The landowners do not like these and were fighting hard and resist.”

I told him that was  a  peaceful action of the farmers to protect their rights, called for by the  new  Land Reform Law. After listening for sometimes, Captain Montano left again.  I was  left setting for  another hour. It was a hard experience setting alone, waiting for the Officer, and not knowing what was  in his mind.

About 1:30  PM we were served lunch. I told the soldiers, I’m still full. I will not eat lunch. Thanks them for the offer. When he returned, Captain Montano asked me what  organization, I was a member.  “Sir,  I am a member PANELFU. I am Pastor of Cawayan Bapist Church.   I  am the Chairman of the Education Committee of PANELFU, a labor union duly registered by the government.  Our  Legal Counsels were Atty. Nicolas Centeno and Atty. Cesar Beloria.” Then he left again.

Captain Montano went to the other room.  He met with the other soldiers.   Only  one soldiers was left in a room with me. He was doing some works. They have some discussions.   Later,  in the afternoon, at about 3:00 PM, Captain Montano came back.  He talked to me again. 

He  told me, I can go home.  “But  I will  go home. But you will come and see me very end of the month. About the 2^nd and 3^rd day of the months. I will wait for you. And we can talked again.”  I told Captain  Montano, I will come and see him at the end of the month.

He told me to take the next bus to  Balasan.  He  offered me some money for  my fare. I politely said, I  have some amount for fares. He extended  his hands.   We shook hands.

When I arrived home, the officers of our association and the church have met. They said, they will send some members to stay with me in the  camp, if I did  not arrived that afternoon.  

When I arrvved afternoon,  Ms. Teresita Villanueva, the store owner,  told me the constabularies   arrived in a jeepney about  11:00 PM.  They left their jeepney on the roadside and  proceeded to our home, about 400 meters from the road. They left quietely and walked silently to our home.

There I knew the soldiers surrounded our house from about 11:30 PM  to 5:00 AM  the following day. They  silently surrounded our house. They stayed there for 6 hours silently. 

Our family never knew, soldiers “guarded”  us. They stayed there,   silently  waiting for me to come out.

At the end of the month,   I went  to the PC  headquarters.  I have to visit and  say,  hello to Captain Montano and other  constabulary officers.  We  talked  for some minutes. He served breakfast or snacks and lunch. Then, he told me, I can go home after lunch.

I asked myself. “But, what could have happened, if I went down that night , without a  lantern?  What could have happened if, I  or some members of the family went down that night, due to call of nature? What could have happened, if while I was in my garden, a visitor, a friend came to see me? What  could have happened, if, I  came out of our home with a bolo, as I often did when the night was still dark?”

The following month, I did not report to Captain Montano’s office. On the 2^nd  month, on the 6^th day,  a constabulary officer came, Seargent Subron.  He’s  a friend.   He came and told me Captain Montano, said I did not come  to the headquarters. He wants to see me again.

I visited Captain Montano.  He asked why I did not come. I told him, I have a conference  with the leaders of our churches  in  the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches at  Camp Higher Ground in Barotac Viejo.

He said, in case you cannot come,  I will send him a  note. I can  write a note and gave it to the Conductor of  any Garnet Express.  “You  know Rudy, on that two dates, I don’t go out from the Camp. I have to be around when you came. I have invited you to visit every end of the month.”

Then he said. “I  wants to see you  only   every end of the  3 months.”   I went home and continued with my ministry, as  Assistant Pastor of Cawayan Baptist Church. I am still   under custody  of  the Philippine Constabulary. I have to see the Officer once every 3 months.

Four  months after my arrest,   I went to Carles Municipal Hall.   On the   hallway, I met the  3 soldiers  who,   picked  me   in Cawayan. \

We have started some conversations. And as we were  talking,  one    said.  “Pastor Rudy, we allowed you to go home that day. The plan was to arrest  and send you to the military stockade at Camp Delgado. But we observed you closely.  We thought, better to  send you home.”|

“You’re very  calm. You seemed  not  angry. You seemed  not afraid.  We thought you were a  peaceful person. And,  if we released  you, you will not  escaped.   We recommended you to   Captain Montano, to send  you home and report  only at the end of the months.”

As I looked back into this experiences, I think, prayer and trust in God  was the strength of my involvement.  I have committed myself  to a peaceful, but  strong and militant struggle in defense  of our  people’s rights and justice under martial law regime of President Marcos.    “I have surrendered my life to God.  He took care  of me.  I will just  do the best thing I could for my  life and leave all others  in  God’s hands.  He was always there, near me. 

That was my 3^rd   arrest.  The first was in Manila. The 2^nd was at the Deans Office, College of Theology, Central Philippine University.”  It was a hard experience, being  picked-up, arrested or “invited” by the military. 

After working in  Cawayan Baptist Church for  two years, I resigned. I  want to see some new challenges in the ministry. I believe God will use me, in some works, He knew I would be useful after my two years stint at Cawayan Baptsit Church.

Reflecting on the night our home was silently surrounded  by the military,  waiting for me nearly 6 hours that night,  there were   feelings that I  can’t  understand.  It bothered  me.  It was my helplessness, being unarmed  before armed  military forces.   But I realized it was also my strength. In the struggle, I am involved, arms and bullets, may not be necessary.  

We have different ways to fight for freedom and justice. And the Bible taught me great lessons on its pages. Some   Jesus friends fought with their sabers. Jesus fought with his words, ideas and truth.

Yet,  my experiences made me admit,   some  military and police  officers have also  good  hearts and minds. The worst soldier has a heart.  Except for some who were really trigger happy, police and military  moved with calculated risks. Generally, I think, they do not want to kill a person helpless in their custody.  Civilians,   must move under that circumstance with calmness and soft confidence.

In  moments like these,  we need   God’s  presence. 

  He guided  and  taught me what to think and say. He taught me how to  stand  calmly with faith,  even my heart shakes in fear.     He whispered  to me to be confident. In   moments of difficulties,  I must put  my faith  in God.