He was the company commander of the 33rd Infantry Battalion who rescued Bishop Escaler of Ipil. With his leadership and courageous actions, “At 2 p.m. Feb. 25, 1985 deadline for the safe conduct passes given the negotiators by the military, a company of soldiers routed the 11 kidnappers in a surprise attack on the banks of the Tigbao river where the kidnappers had stopped for lunch. A continual 15-minute volley of gunfire was followed by 15 minutes of intermittent gunfire. Because of the physical condition of the hostages, who suffered from exhaustion, hunger and swollen feet, it took five hours for the rescue party to walk up the mountain to the helicopter. They were met at the Air Force base in Zamboanga City at 8:45 p.m. by Archbishop Francisco R. Cruces of Zamboanga.”

I have heard the story several times repeatedly since we were lieutenants from the reluctant “hero” during our light drinking moments, turning heavy. Him, pausing and strumming his guitar from time to time, singing country songs. Perhaps this is our way to overcome our Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during our younger years and even up to now; but we would always laugh reasoning out that our PTSD are not from our Mindanao campaigns but from our plebehood nightmares.

There was a time when Bishop Escaller concelebrated a mass with several military chaplains at the Army Chapel during its feast of Saint Michael the Archangel sometime September of 1998, in his sermon, he was looking for a Lieutenant Bolo to give his sincerest gratitude for saving his life. According to him, 1Lt Bolo has  distinguished himself conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life  and above and beyond the call of duty.  The bishop was no longer the Bishop of Ipil. He was already based in Manila as the Spiritual Director of Buklod ng Pag-Ibig and the Chaplain of AIM. I was the Deputy G5 (Staff for Plans) then; and the Lieutenant Bolo, whom the bishop was looking for, was already out of the service and working as the General Manager of Innodata, a foreign-owned global services and technology solutions company.

I have been telling my mistah that our stories will benefit the younger generations of PMA graduates – we can keep them alive through the lessons learned by us and other veterans! He told me, “Ikaw na lang magsulat Jess!”

His name is FIRST LIEUTENANT SEGUNDO S. BOLO O-8071, a proud member of PMA Mapitagan Class of 1980, my mistah! A candidate for Medal of Valor . . .

https://www.ucanews.com/story-archive/?post_name=/1985/03/13/ucan-feature-bishop-escaler-said-his-kidnapping-began-as-holdup-not-intended-as-abduction-of-bishop&post_id=32874