by Victor Reyes
Col. Roberto Caldeo is the third soldier to commit suicide apparently from stress or trauma over a bloody assault on an Abu Sayyaf stronghold in Basilan in 2000.
This was disclosed yesterday by officers who were also involved in “Final Option,” an operation to rescue a priest and dozens of teachers and students taken hostage by the Abu Sayyaf.
Caldeo was then commander of the 1st Scout Ranger Battalion that assaulted the bandit camp at Mt. Mohadji in Sumisip, Basilan.
Caldeo, 48, a bemedalled officer, was found dead Thursday in his quarters in Fort Bonifacio. He had a gunshot wound in the forehead. Police investigators said a suicide note and a .45 gun were found near his body.
Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ernesto Torres said there is a procedure for stress debriefing. But, he said, it is not fully implemented because of lack of medical experts, among others.
He added ground commanders tend to be creative, doing debriefing and stress management themselves by talking to their men or sending them home to their families.
“Those engaged heavily are the ones given the priority,” he said.
One of the officers said Caldeo had continued to talk about the fighting long after the operation that left six of his men dead along with 20 bandits. Fifty-two other soldiers were wounded
Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the officers said Caldeo harbored ill feelings over how AFP officials treated their feat which resulted in the recovery of the teachers and students although Fr. Roel Gallardo was killed by the retreating bandits.
“Instead of praises, we got blame,” one of the officers said.
Mocked,berated
He said Caldeo even challenged then AFP chief and now Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes to try him in a court martial if he indeed blundered during the operation. This was after Caldeo was relieved as battalion commander and re-assigned to head the 33rd Infantry Battalion in Sulu.
“It did not push through; he (Caldeo) was pacified,” the officer said.
He said Caldeo’s brigade commander mocked Caldeo’s credentials as a Scout Ranger officer and berated him over the delay in overrunning the Abu Sayyaf lair and the increasing number of casualties.
This prompted the formation of a 14-man team that assaulted the lair from the rear of the camp. The team led by then 1Lt. Herbert Dilag climbed three days the steep mountain that led to the unguarded rebels’ rear.
Told that the military gave awards to the soldiers for the feat, one of the officers said the recognition came only three years later.
Dilag and M/Sgt. Lucio Curig, a team member, got the Medal of Valor, and several others, including Caldeo, got the second highest award, the Distinguish Conduct Star.
Two more suicides
The officer said two other soldiers involved in the operation, a lieutenant and a sergeant, committed suicide years after the Mt. Mohadji operations, but did not give details.
He said the lieutenant was wounded in the head.
The sergeant committed suicide after serving in a peacekeeping mission abroad.
Sleeping with the dead
The source said Caldeo killed himself because of lack of stress management in the AFP unlike in other countries.
“The military does not look after the welfare of its men,” he said.
He said officers oftentimes see their comrades dying in operations. They even sleep with the dead if aircraft for their evacuation do not arrive on time.
“They (soldiers) carry the dead and sleep with them if they are not immediately evacuated. Everyone has his limitation on psychological pressure,” he said.
When asked how they cope up with stress in battles, the first source indicated they go barhopping.
Torres said the death of Caldeo appears to be a case of suicide.
Caldeo’s body was discovered by the wife of an officer-neighbor who rushed to Caldeo’s quarters after hearing a gunshot.
‘Brilliant leadership’
Caldeo’s classmate in the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1983, Col. Daniel Lucero, said Caldeo had a “brilliant brand of leadership” and described him as “one of our warriors in the class, battle-tested.”
Lucero was class president.
Caldeo was also a recipient of the Gold Cross medal, the third highest award.
Asked if Caldeo had mentioned any problem to him, Lucero said: “All of us have problems.”
“One of the things that he shared with us is. a number of his soldiers died under his watch. We have to be aware that (they are there) to follow his orders.I believe you understand how it is to be leading,” he said.
Lucero said Caldeo had also been concerned for the families of his slain men. “These were human beings who also had families,” he said.
The Taguig police said the suicide note apparently left by Caldeo did not state what his problems were.
“In the note, he was just asking for forgiveness. May problema daw siyang hindi na niya kayang dalhin,” said Supt. Alfred Corpus, Taguig police chief.
He also said the note indicated he might have had marital problems.
He said they belatedly learned that Caldeo had a wife in the United States.
“We thought he was single,” he said adding it appeared they have been separated for a while.
Corpus also said investigators were still verifying whether the suicide note was indeed from Caldeo. – With Ashzel Hachero
May mga nagsuicide na kaya sa mga laging sumasagupa sa mga ralyista at mga malalapit sa Malacanan? Envelop lang, wala ng stress.
My condolence to not just the family of this troubled bemedalled officer but to the still trying hard to be noble, respectable and honorable members of the Philippine military.
I must admit that when I first read about this suicide, I could not feel anything but contempt for the bad system prevailing in the old country that actually made my parents decide to leave the Philippines with broken hearts. I could not help shedding a tear or two not in sympathy but because I was consumed by hate and anger.
I thought that this could have been murder, not suicide, as it possibly could be to discourage anyone in the military to rise up in arms against the wannabe dictator, who, unlike Marcos, was never elected to office but has made a lot many of them in the AFP to act more like criminals, etc. instead of guardians of the Philippines and the Filipino people from foreign invaders with their loyalty checked and rechecked to make sure that the creep can remain in power even when her rating continues to plummet down.
How this soldier must have hated himself for him to want to kill himself for what they have been made to look like by the creep his fellow soldiers have even helped to cheat. For that, I pray that God will be merciful to forgive him.
“And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. (Matt. 5: 30)
My condolences to Col Cageo’s family.
Fresh graduates from the PMA are almost always sent to Mindanao, Jolo or Sulu. Most of our marine officers and the special forces of the army are usually the ones sent right away. Some of them even tell tales of how they pick up the human heads and gather them in sacks after an encounter. Some of them get afflicted by malaria, dengue and the like. Yes, our soldiers surely go through a lot! Some of them, who fortunately end up in key positions, did not even get to go on a real battle mission. This is why some of the so called AFP generals do not know how to deal with their erring soldiers. THEY PUT THEM IN JAIL or just let them kill themselves!
Col. Roberto Caldeo, another good soldier left unattended by the current Asspweron’s AFP.
Lack of medical experts for stress/trauma debriefing? My foot!
Kaninong pocket napupunta ang budget para sa importanteng medical needs na yan ng mga sundalong nakaranas ng gera/labanan?
Believe ka rin sa mga sundalong pilipino, Chi, nakakatiis pa rin kahit na inuulol ng isang talandi. Nagtiyatiyaga pa rin silang maghintay na baka magkaroon ng pagbabago kahit na sa totoo lang ay wala namang makitang pag-asa lalo na ngayon. Golly, ang lakas pa ng loob na magsalita iyong mga tuta ni Unano sa Tongress gaya ni Nograles. Maghintay na lang daw ng 2010. Baka daw magkaroon ng malaking pagbabago.
Masaya siya! By then, kundi makaalis ng Pilipinas baka marami na ang patay na dilat ang mga mata!
This reminds me of the interviews I translated for the subtitles of the documentary we made last year on the Battle of Manila in Feb. 1945. Sabi ng mga witness na na-interview, marami daw ang nagutom sa Manila kasi wala nang makain. Iyon daw mga gutom, namamatay na lang daw ng walang imik. Akala mo daw nakaupo lang at may hinihintay, iyon pala patay na.
Namatay sa gutom! Ganyan ang baka masaksihan ng marami kapag nagkataon.
my heart goes out to Col. Caldeo and his family. for a man of honor to be dishonored by such injustice… too bad, some supposedly “honorable” people do not, if not “cannot”, get it–simply because they do not have it.
Col. Caldeo, sir, my salute.
Si Esperon, kelan makokonsensiya (kung meron)? Kung di niya kayang iputok sa sentido o bunganga yung pistola, i-firing squad na lang…ng patuwad!
Condolences to the family and my prayers for him. God with all His mercy and love for each of us..will grant him eternal rest..Dagdag sa mga kasalanan ni Gloria at Ass pweron..
Sa administration ni goria.. her mathematics of bawas dagdag ang mga kasalan niya ang laging dabdag at walang bawas..greed..corruption..etc. etc. etc.
..I can not believe that she would suggest that we should switch to camote and corns as there is a world wide shortage of rice..grabe mang insulto…or could it be that since the biggest camotes were discovered in Iloilo and corn is the favorite food of the Cebuanos..she would want us to be like siraulo and brenda and the cardinal in Cebu? Unbelievable!
Pagbobo ang bata, sabi ng teacher, uwi na lang at magtanim ng camote. This prophetic assessment of the Filipino child may now save us from the rice crisis (or is it price crisis?) Que bobo naman tayo, di natin alam kung anong crisis tayo. Well, whatever, lets enjoy the camote stigma.
Mga kaibigan ko sa Tokyo, nagbilihan na bg kamote gawa sa Kagoshima sa southern Japan at ipinag door-to-door na. Pero mukhang ayaw naman daw ng purong kamote daw ang kakainin sa tanghali at gabi. Kailangan pa rin ang kanin at hahaluan lang ng kamote. Pero dito hind kinakain ang talbos, sayang. Puede pa namang panggulay.
No wonder maraming sundalong pilipino ang gustong magtrabaho sa Iraq kahit delikado. Mamamatay din lang sila, doon sa makakabawi na sila. Golly, ang liit pa ng pension sa Pilipinas. Sabi ng isang matandang sundalong na-interview nga namin, pahirapan pa raw ang pagkuha nila ng benefits nila for serving in the last world war. 950 pesos daw ang pension nila ang they are now thinking of asking for a raise. Di gaya sa Tate for instance, kahit papaano inaadjust ang natatanggap ng mga beterano.
Pero sinasadya ng mga animal na magutom ang mga sundalo para madali silang matakot at makurap. Pasipsipan pa para makinabang doon sa pabuyang winawagayway ni Unano sa pirming maglo-loyalty check siya with the help of her mayordomo in cheating, si Assperon.
Nakakaawa ang mga ginagawng pataygutom! Kawawang bansa!
Nakakahiya talaga itong mga pilipino. Pati ba naman iyong mga benefits niloloko like the one supposedly for the WWII veterans. Ang dami nga naming naririnig tungkol doon sa mga nagpapanggap na WWII veterans para makapunta sa Tate tapos hakot ang buong angkan para doon na tumira sa America.
Tatay ko nga hindi na pinag-interesan ang makukuha niya sa US government pero nagulat kami nang makatanggap siya ng notice na qualified pala siya. Mas intact pa nga ang records niya sa Tate kesa sa Pilipinas sa totoo lang.
Noong maliit ako, ang issue noon iyong mga backpays na kinurakot ng mga ganid na ngayon naman ay napalitan na ng mga anak-anak nila na lumabas pang mas lalong garapal like Gloria Dorobo for instance na anak ni Dadong Macapal din.
Kawawang Pilipinas! Wala na ba talagang pag-asang mabago ang sistema at matanggal si Gloria Mafiosa?