Filipino commander in Golan is back in Manila

MANILA, Philippines – Colonel Ezra “Iking” Enriquez, the commander of the Philippine Battalion in the Golan Heights, is back in Manila.

Military spokesperson Major General Domingo Tutaan said Enriquez requested to be repatriated. He is scheduled to report to Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Catapang Jr on Thursday, September 11.

“He has been repatriated. He will report to the chief of staff first before we make a statement. He requested to be repatriated,” Tutaan said.

The rest of the Filipino peacekeepers are still in Golan and are expected to finish their tour of duty in October.

Enriquez is not only the commander of the Philippine Battalion in the Golan Heights. He is also the chief of staff of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), making him Number 3 in the overall command of UN peacekeepers there. 

Enriquez defied UNDOF commander Lieutenant General Iqbal Singha’s order for Filipino troops to surrender their firearms to the Syrian rebels who attacked the UN facility they were manning. The Filipinos fired back at the rebels and later escaped with the support of Enriquez and their commanders in Manila.

Enriquez returned about a week after the successful but unauthorized escape of the Filipinos from the Syrian rebels, which Singha called an “act of cowardice.” 

Enriquez, in a Facebook post, maintained that he made the right decision. Malacañang and the military separately announced a heroes welcome for the Golan troops when they arrive in October.

It is not clear if Enriquez will return to Golan to finish his tour of duty. – Rappler.com