AFP checking alleged Filipino deployment in Ukraine-Russia conflict

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday said it is coordinating with other government agencies following reports that Filipinos may have been recruited and deployed in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict.

In a press briefing, AFP spokesperson Colonel Francel Margareth Padilla said matters involving Filipinos in other countries fall under the purview of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) or the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

“Basically, anything that transpires in a foreign land, we address this to the Department of Migrant Workers and other agencies such as the Department of Foreign Affairs,” she said.

“So as we remain with our mandate to protect the people and secure the state, nandyan naman po tayo, nakikipagtulungan tayo in any manner po that the AFP can assist any agency,” Padilla added.

(So as we remain with our mandate to protect the people and secure the state, we are here cooperating in any manner that the AFP can assist any agency.)

AFP public affairs office chief Colonel Xerxes Trinidad said background checks are not automatically conducted by the military and should be coordinated with concerned government agencies.

“Our main concern right now is for the safety of our fellow Filipinos who were involved in this conflict. And we would like to check out, and of course, remind our public,” he said.

“Huwag tayong basta-basta, maniwala ng mga magagandang offers sa atin ng trabaho. Make sure lang po natin doon tayo sa may mga legal and lawful na mga agencies natin para makapagtrabaho abroad,” he added.

(Let’s not easily fall for good job offers. Let’s just make sure that we go to legal and lawful agencies so we can work abroad.)

The AFP officials made the remarks after a Filipino from Alcala, Pangasinan who allegedly fought for Russia is now a prisoner of war in Ukraine, according to Chino Gaston’s report on “24 Oras” on Monday.

A video of Raymon Santos Gumangan was posted on the “I Want to Live” Facebook page, a Ukrainian government project, on December 8. The Facebook post claimed that Gumangan was a mercenary recruited by Russians for a high-paying job in their country.

In the video, Gumangan said he was recruited for a logistics role, but was assigned a different job upon arriving in Russia.

The DMW said Gumangan is not in their database. Gumangan is also not in the database of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).

The DMW is now coordinating with the DFA to find out how Gumangan left the country and how he can be repatriated to the Philippines.

Last week, Ukraine’s military intelligence reported that a Filipino mercenary was killed in a clash between Russia and Ukraine. — JMA, GMA Integrated News