The Philippine Army (PA) said Monday, Aug. 4, that it has relieved two ranking military officers and 19 enlisted personnel after a newly-minted soldier died during reception rites in Maguindanao del Sur last week, an incident that poses a significant test for newly appointed Army commanding general, Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete.

The fatality was identified as Private Charlie G. Patigayon, 22, of Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte.

A new member of the 6th Infantry Battalion (6IB) under the 6th Infantry Division (6ID), Patigayon collapsed while undergoing exercises as part of welcoming rites for new soldiers at the headquarters of the 6IB in Datu Piang town on July 30.

He was rushed to Camp Siongco Hospital at 6ID headquarters in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte but died a day later.

Patigayon's death could serve as a litmus test for Nafarrete, who has pledged to prioritize the welfare of the Army’s 110,00-strong troops under his leadership. Whether or not policy changes would be implemented to prevent a repeat of the incident would depend on the response of Nafarrete to Patigayon's death.

For now, the Army has initially extended its condolences to the family of Patigayon.

"The Philippine Army upholds a zero-tolerance policy against any practices that endanger the safety and well-being of its personnel. The individuals involved in the incident have been immediately relieved of their duties and are currently under investigation,” Army spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said.

He assured Patigayon’s family that the Army “is committed to pursuing justice” over the death of the young soldier.

“Should the investigation confirm wrongdoing, those responsible will be held fully accountable under the military justice system and all applicable laws,” Dema-ala noted.

He said the Army will provide assistance and support to the bereaved family of Patigayon.

“While no form of compensation can ever replace the life of a soldier, we are committed to honoring Pvt. Patigayon’s service and to easing the burden on his loved ones,” he added.

Major June Mark Matugas, 6ID spokesperson, said reception rites are traditional initiation ceremonies for recruits that involve physically demanding endurance activities and historically, they are considered a “welcoming” or baptism of fire for new soldiers.

“It is a traditional way of welcoming the newly reported enlisted personnel natin. May mga authorized exercises na ginagawa then after noon is ‘yung parang pagwewelcome sa kanila. Pero kinocover po ‘yun ng set of rules and regulations ng Army, parang tradition. Ginagawa po ‘yan sa lahat even sa PMA [Philippine Military Academy] sa mga recruits (It is a traditional way of welcoming our newly reported enlisted personnel. There are authorized exercises conducted, and after that comes a sort of welcome for them. But this is covered by a set of rules and regulations of the Army, it's part of tradition. This is done everywhere, even at the PMA [Philippine Military Academy], for recruits),” he said.

Patigayon, who was part of the Bravo Company of 6IB, underwent reception rites together with his comrades around 11 a.m. on July 30. They performed exercises such as squat thrusts, push ups, and sit ups among others, according to Matugas.

“Pareho lang po ‘yung pagdadaanan nila. Actually minsan ginagawa namin diyan kapag station siya, for example tatlong station, then lipat-lipat sila ng mga station. Bawat station ay may mga selected exercises na ipapagawa doon (They all go through the same process. Actually, what we sometimes do there is we set up stations, for example, three stations, and they rotate from one station to another. Each station has selected exercises assigned for them to perform),” Matugas shared.

After a few moments, Patigayon lost consciousness while performing the exercises. He was brought to the hospital where he later expired. What baffled the family of Patigayon was that the cause of death indicated in the soldier's death certificate was kidney failure.

The Army relieved two of its ranking military officers, particularly the company commander and platoon leader, as part of command responsibility, as well as 19 enlisted personnel of the 6IB.

“Initially ni-relieve muna sila sa posisyon nila kasi ongoing po ‘yung investigation. Mga taga companies kasi ‘yun, mga three infantry companies, dinala lang muna sa battalion headquarters nila for investigation (Initially, they were relieved from their positions because the investigation is still ongoing. They’re from the companies, about three infantry companies, and were temporarily brought to their battalion headquarters for the investigation),” Matugas said.

“Command responsibility po kasi activity po nila ‘yun (It falls under command responsibility because that was their activity),” he noted of the relief of the two ranking military officers.

The family of Patigayon requested the Northern Mindanao Police Regional Office (PRO-10) for an autopsy which will be done in their home province of Lanao del Norte.

As of writing, the 6ID said Patigayon was lying in state at the mortuary of the 6ID.