MANILA, 22 April 2005 — The remains of a Filipino peacekeeper who was killed in an ambush by Haitian rebels last week is now on its way to the Philippines, the Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
In a press statement, the DFA said Staff Sergeant Antonio M. Batomalaque of the Philippine Army was flown out of Haiti after a military ceremony on Wednesday in Port-au-Prince, capital of the war-ravaged Caribbean island-nation.
During the ceremony, Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero, commander of the 135-member Philippine contingent in Haiti, read a statement of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo paying tribute to the fallen soldier, the DFA said.
“Heroism for global peace is what we see in the death of Staff Sergeant Batomalaque,” said the president’s message. “His death will be a constant reminder of our commitment to multilateral peacekeeping and the rule of law everywhere.”
Sergeant Batomalaque is considered to be the first Filipino peacekeeper to be killed in action while serving in a United Nations peacekeeping mission.
An earlier report by Lucero to Ambassador Lauro L. Baja Jr., permanent representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, said the 51-year-old Batomalaque was died of a bullet wound as he was driving officers of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) during security operations at the notorious seaside slum of Cite Soleil on April 14.
Batomalaque was reported to have been hit in the head, with a bullet piercing his helmet.
In his eulogy, Lt. Gen. Augusto Ribeiro Heleno Pereira, MINUSTAH force commander, said: “I can tell you from the depth of my soul that standing here, saying goodbye to Sergeant Batomalaque is difficult. He was a brave soldier who traveled from the Philippines to join the United Nations in the service of peace.”
“We honor the service of this courageous soldier by tirelessly pressing on with our mission to ensure a secure and stable environment and to facilitate political and human rights for the people of Haiti,” he added.
Other officials of the UN and the various peacekeeping contingents also paid tribute to the soldier.
Hocine Medili, the deputy special representative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said Sergeant Batomalaque was killed while helping the population of Cite Soleil recover from violence and intimidation by armed groups and to promote stability and social progress in Haiti.
“The Philippines, a great peacekeeping nation, has lost a son who gave his life for the United Nations in the pursuit of peace and stability in Haiti,” he said. “All efforts will be made to arrest and bring to justice the perpetrators of this criminal act.”
During the ceremony, General Pereira and Mr. Medili placed a wreath on Sergeant Batomalaque’s closed casket, drapped with the UN flag and flanked by Filipino peacekeepers.
“A Filipino priest, Andrew Labatoria, CICM, gave his final blessings and prayers after which the casket was carried by members of the Philippine contingent to the funeral hearse that took the remains to the Port-au-Prince airport for the flight home,” said the DFA press statement.
Batomalaque's body is expected to arrive in Manila tomorrow.
