Priest recalls Marawi siege capture

ILIGAN CITY -- A year after his escape from Maute militants, who laid siege to Marawi City, Catholic priest Father Teresito "Chito" Suganob said the whole experience has helped him become a better person as he continues his peace-building efforts in Mindanao.

"I will rise above the situation even of what happened to me. I will transcend from what had happened to me," Suganob said.

He and Lordvin Ocopio, a former teacher of Dansalan College, escaped on Sept. 16 last year when their captors were busy exchanging heavy fire with government forces. As they fled on foot, they were spotted by the military and brought to a safer location.

Suganob has been working for peace in Mindanao for 23 years since he was assigned to Marawi City, whose population is predominantly Muslim belonging to the Meranaw ethnic group.

"Nagkampanya ako para may cessation of hostilities at may ceasefire ang GRP at ang MILF dahil gusto ko may kapayapaan ang homeland Mindanao ko (I campaigned for the cessation of hostilities, that there would be ceasefire between the Government of the Philippines [GRP] and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front because I want peace in my homeland Mindanao) ," he pointed out.

Exactly a year later from their daring escape, the priest said he texted Ocopio to congratulate themselves for their "second life" as kidnap survirors.

“I texted him ‘Congratulations, we are already one year today in our second life,’" Suganob said. Ocopio did not yet reply but the priest said he understood, "because he also needs to take time and space."

Suganob said that in the one year since their escape, he has only spoken to Ocopio once, when he went to the latter's hometown in Iloilo, where Ocopio's family held a thanksgiving dinner for both of them.

“We talked about our close encounter with death, a close encounter with psychological death. It helped us moved on from the trauma. I was happy that I was with my fellow survivor,” the priest said.

In a phone interview on Monday, Soganub, who was en route to his hometown in Norala, South Cotabato, recalled the horror of walking the 2-km. stretch of Banggolo Center, Marawi's commercial center, with cadavers lying on the ground amid fierce gunfight.

“It was the greatest fear I ever felt. I was afraid of the terrorist. They might see us and shoot us. I was also afraid that we would be mistaken by the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) as their enemies and would shoot us without verifying who we were. It was a big risk,” he said.

Suganob said he celebrated the "first year" of his new life by attending a thanksgiving mass at a cathedral in his hometown, followed by dinner with friends, relatives, and neighbors.

"To my fellow hostages who did not survive, like my two altar boys (John Wilbert Aninon Pasiorco and Sam Mangumpit), I pray for you. For those who survived like me, God bless you," he added. (PNA)