ROTC
squealer found dead
by:
Marie Carisa U. Ordinario |
|
THE
MECHANICAL Engineering sophomore whose complaint of corruption
in the Reserved Officers Training Corps (ROTC) resulted in
the relief of the ROTC Commandant was found dead and decomposing
in the Pasig River near the Jones Bridge last March 18.
Mark
Welson Chua’s body was fished out of the river by employees
of the Tres Amigos Funeral Homes after it was discovered by
passers-by, police said. It
was only later that the body was identified as Chua’s because
of the dog tag. (Chua was a former ROTC cadet officer).
He
had suddenly disappeared on March 15 and was reported missing.
The body was wrapped in a carpet while the head was wrapped
with cloth and packaging tape, according to the victim’s father,
Welson Chua. The hands and the feet were bound with shoelaces.
Mr. Chua said investigators told him the manner in which the
body was wrapped was the work of the person who was a “professional”
and who could have a “military background.”
The
young Chua, 19, together with ROTC cadet Romulo Yumul, led
several students, in filing a complaint of bribery and extortion
against the Department of Military Science and Tactics (DMST)
with the Department of National Defense (DND) and the UST
Office for Student Affairs and community Services (Osacs).
The complaint became the subject of a Special Reports article
in the Varsitarian and was given due course by the DND, resulting
in the dismissal of several staffers of the UST ROTC. The
commandant, Maj. Demy Tejares, was also relieved.
According
to Yumul, Chua was supposed to meet last March 15 an “agent”
who had asked them to work as student intelligence networks
(SIN) in the University. Yumul refused the offer. The same
day, Thursday, at 10 p.m., the Chua family went to Jose’s
restaurant to eat dinner. Welson Chua asked his brother to
text Mark, and instruct him to follow. They texted him several
times but all they got was the reply, “m on my way dad.”
At
dawn of Friday, the family received a call from men who claimed
they had kidnapped Mark and asked for P3 million. The family
received another call later asking them if they had the money,
but Welson Chua said he did not have it. The person on the
other line said, “No money, no son.” That was the last time
they heard from the kidnapper. A source who refused to be
named said Mark had told him he saw someone seemingly casing
their condominium one night. But he shrugged off the incident.
The elder Welson said his son and Yumul had received a death
threat in the form of a letter. “We know who did it (but we
have to) get (sufficient) evidence. I hope his death won’t
make everyone afraid (to) continue what he was (fighting)
against. He paid for it with his life, I hope it meant something,”
said Welson Chua.
As
of press time, the body is at the Arlington Funeral Homes.
The interment will be on March 25, 9 a.m. at the Everest Memorial
Park, Memory Hills, Susana Heights, Cavite.
|
