Following the series of rebel attacks launched in the early 1980s in several towns of Davao Oriental and Davao de Oro, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), in order to contain these bloody raids, drew an integrated security plan (ISP) that would give the governors, city and municipal mayors wider supervision over the police and paramilitary forces in their jurisdictions to put in place military officers as acting overseers.
Installing military personnel to perform purely civilian functions is not new. Years earlier, the provinces of North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, then affected by threats from the Ilagas and the Muslim Black Shirts, were placed under quasi-military governance to contain nuisances, which were the spillovers of the Davao insurgency. Col. Carlos Cajelo was installed as North Cotabato acting governor with Col. Benjamin Duque assuming the same designation in Sultan Kudarat. Both active officers served only a couple of months in civilian assignments. Gen. Simeon Datumanong, a World War II veteran was appointed Maguindanao governor.
For the ISP to be effective and the desired results achieved, it was suggested that then Davao City Elias B. Lopez would temporarily go on furlough, and in his place an AFP official, for a maximum of three months, would take over and spearhead the hunt for city insurgents.
Only one name—i.e., Col. Rodolfo Biazon, commander of the Marines contingent—was suggested to take over Davao City Hall to stand equal to the situation. Given his expertise, training, commitment, and negotiation skills, he was fit for the challenge to remove the obstacles that jammed the promotion of peace and order. The officer, who grew up in the slums of Pasay City, was not an ordinary soldier. Among the insurgents, he was respected because of his pro-poor crusade, and among the rebel-infested villages, he was a folk hero.
Col. Biazon’s skill in addressing crucial challenges was nearly legendary. For instance, in Barangay Mandug, where his unit was posted, the insurgents were advised against staging an ambush of soldiers belonging to his company for fear this would be construed an affront to the grassroots. Obviously, the colonel’s persona and charm were not lost on the rebels.
In another incident, transport strikers blocking the access at Bankerohan Bridge were mouthing the usual communist lines, asking for the overthrow of the government and clamoring for the reduction in oil prices. Due to a transport strike, traffic flow was stalled. When told about the ruckus, Col. Biazon hurried to the place of the rally and met the protesters. Unlike the ‘maximum tolerance’ the police invoke, Col. Biazon, his six-foot ramrod stature visible from a distance, approached the protesters and asked if anyone was the child of a public transport driver. Several hands were raised while the other protesters, their eyes focused on him, kept silent.
Having gotten their attention, the colonel cleared his throat and started appealing to the hearts of the young strikers, telling them that blocking the road to traffic was not to the drawback of anybody but their fathers who had to drive all day to have food on the table for them. Obviously, the message resonated quite well. He followed his request by telling them to continue the protest but without obstructing the traffic, especially those delivering products to the public market.
The most inspiring display of leadership was in the 1984 student protest led by Danilo Dayanghirang, later city councilor. Cornered by Philippine Constabulary (PC) soldiers armed to the teeth at San Pedro Cathedral, the situation became tense. Luckily, someone relayed the incident to the colonel who showed up with his escorts. Upon seeing the troops carrying Armalite rifles, he admonished them for overreacting, telling them the protesters are unarmed students who are simply airing their grievances. he ordered them to return to their barracks.
The plan to appoint Col. Biazon as acting city mayor did not materialize.
