February 27, 2006 · Posted in: In the News, State of Emergency
Who is Col. Ariel Querubin?
COLONEL Ariel Querubin, the Marine officer who figured in yesterday’s seven-hour standoff in protest of the supposed voluntarily relief of his commandant, Maj. Gen. Renato Miranda, at the Marines headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, is no ordinary soldier.
Presently the commander of the 1st Marine Brigade, Querubin is a recipient of the military’s highest honor in 2002 for the most exemplary heroism and sacrifice displayed in combat — the Medal of Honor. As a lieutenant colonel, he commanded a Marine battalion landing team that engaged an estimated 300-strong, fully armed band of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in a 24-hour gun battle in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte from March 18 to 19, 2000.
Though outnumbered and facing heavy artillery fire, his forces succeeded in breaking the last line of defense of the rebel stronghold, resulting in the capture of Camp John Mack, the MILF’s most strategic staging area for operations.
In the citation, he was described as having inspired courage in his men with his daring maneuvers, unmindful of his own safety, moving positions and drawing fire towards himself with the end of pinpointing where the enemy fire was coming from.
Interestingly, Querubin’s wife was pregnant and about to give birth in a few weeks at the time. The colonel was said to have admitted that her wife’s situation didn’t occur to him for a while. “All I thought about was that my men depended on me,” he said.
Now 49, Querubin is a proud father of seven. While the Medal of Valor award afforded him such perks of getting prioritized in promotion to the next rank, medical benefits, scholarships and tuition privileges for himself and his dependents, he still works in the field most of the time, coming home just once a month for no more than a week at any given time.
Interviewed for the Marine corps newsletter once, Querubin said he makes sure to spend quality time with his kids since he is away most of the time. “My wife will tell me, pagalitan mo si ganito, si ganun, and I would say, hindi ako, gusto ko pag uumuwi ako masaya sila at nami-miss nila ako.” He believes his distance should not give his children a reason to be even more distant.
In the active service for almost three decades now, Querubin has always wanted to become a Marine. “Love of country talaga ang nagtulak sa akin,” he said. “Naramdaman ko na rito ang calling ko.”
Querubin is proud of the kind of discipline that the Marine corps as an institution practices. “We make sure na ang mga tauhan, marunong rumespeto ng ibang tao,” he said, pointing to the high credibility enjoyed by the Marines. "‘Pag may lapses, seryoso kaming wag marumihan ang reputasyon (ng Marines).”
Querubin’s career, however, has also been marked by involvements in "military adventurism." As co-founder of the military fraternity Young Officers’ Union (YOU), he and his men joined about 3,000 rebel troops in the bloodiest coup attempt against the Aquino administration in December 1989. They were imprisoned but later pardoned and reinstated in the service in 1995, after retired general Fidel Ramos, who was elected president in 1992, granted amnesty to military rebels.
Only recently, Querubin was implicated in the alleged thwarted plot to unseat Arroyo. Querubin confirmed yesterday that he planned to join street protests last February 24, taking with him a "majority" of the 400-strong Marine officer corps.
25 Responses to Who is Col. Ariel Querubin?
penpenpen88
February 27th, 2006 at 12:47 pm
if given a choice between a decorated hero.. and a “im the only person for the job” pa hero kuno… id take the hero any day.. are we alryt mam?
watcher
February 27th, 2006 at 7:41 pm
it seems the dark side is winning.
INSIDE PCIJ: Stories behind our stories » Government crackdown intensifies
February 27th, 2006 at 8:20 pm
[…] The list, however, does not include Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, who the military said was a leader of the aborted attempted "withdrawal of support" from the Arroyo government that took place last Friday. Also excluded from the list is Col. Ariel Querubin, the commander of the 1st Marine Brigade, who admitted in yesterday’s standoff at Fort Bonifacio that he had intended to join last Friday’s protests. […]
schumey
February 28th, 2006 at 3:45 am
I hope the military would realize that they should be the protectors of the constitution and not the bodyguards of GMA. They should not allow themselves to be used by GMA to insure her survival. The Philippines is not GMA, we the Filipinos is the Philippines.
Kung sa konsensiya niyo ay mali ang inyong mga pinuno, hindi ninyo sila dapat sundin. To disobey an immoral leadership is not wrong, what is wrong is to allow one’s self to be a tool for suppression.
MitaMS
February 28th, 2006 at 11:49 am
He was the one who led the siege in Makati in 1989, right? I was there and it was not a pleasant time.
This should serve as a lesson to the military. IF you break rank and fight it out against your government and fellow soldiers…you should be made to pay as the law prescribes. Why wasn’t he court martialled back then? The law says he should have been. Special treatment again? And so it goes…
The military has to police its own ranks, they even have their own judicial system. If they have internal problems, they shouldn’t take it to the people or on the streets with guns and violence.
jr_lad
February 28th, 2006 at 1:03 pm
the coup plotters of 1989 led by honasan were pardoned by the ramos administration the reason why they were not court martialled.
querubin’s sacking is expected. he defied the command leadership. but glue-ria has a big scare in the stand-off that happened last monday. the voting was 9-6 against withdrawal of support. that was CLOSE! it’s evident there is restiveness within the ranks already. their call is for an honest elections also. before it was isolated to the junior officiers only but now star ranking officers are getting involve. for how long can they contain it?
ge-em-ei
February 28th, 2006 at 8:15 pm
going back to the question…sino nga ba siya?
ummm an officer of courage, dignity, high moral, and strength…confuse nga lang…
ge-em-ei
February 28th, 2006 at 8:17 pm
going back to the question…ummm…he is an offcer of courage, strenth, dignity, and high moral…confuse nga lang..
penpenpen88
February 28th, 2006 at 10:22 pm
querubin’s sacking is expected. he defied the command leadership. but glue-ria has a big scare in the stand-off that happened last monday. the voting was 9-6 against withdrawal of support. that was CLOSE! it’s evident there is restiveness within the ranks already. their call is for an honest elections also. before it was isolated to the junior officiers only but now star ranking officers are getting involve. for how long can they contain it?
— sad to note.. na kung sino pa yung honest sila pa yung pinapatalsik sa serbisyo.. querubin was a decorated soldier a hero.. lim was a decorated soldier a hero na up til now wla pang sarili nyang bahay.. as oppose to yung mga naglalakihang bahay ng ibang generals dyan.. even querubin’s comandant miranda was a decorated soldier a fair comandant who was caught in between a defiant subordinate and a vindictive government. was made to resign because he stood up for said subordinate..
— ganyan ang government natin.. mga mabubuting mga kawal na di nila nakokorupt pinatatalsik nila.. matitira nyan yung mga katulad ni gen garcia.. magnanakaw ng millyones.. at hangang ngayon di pa din na proprosecute.. kawawa tlga tayo sa pamamalakad ni pandak.. before we know it lahat ng taga militar e corrupt na.. pano kaya if mas maging corrupt pa sila sa amo nila.. military rule na tayo nyan.. babala lang sa mga fence sitters dyan.. dis may come to pass..
MitaMS
February 28th, 2006 at 11:37 pm
ang mabuting kawal sumusunod sa chain of command…ganyan ang role nila sa buhay. kaya nga ba ayoko din noon sa CAT nung high school….kung independent-minded ka hindi bagay militar sa yo.
kahit anong bait ng isang tao, o gaano kagaling ng kanyang karera, minsan lang syang lumabag sa batas – dapat ba syang kasuhan at ikulong? kahit anong paglalabag sa batas…dapat iniintindi at dinadala sa nararapat na institusyon.
yan ang batas na dapat sinusundan…sa atin kasi hindi sinusundan kaya paulit-ulit na lang ang gulo. The RULE OF LAW must be UPHELD because if not, we are no more than a Banana Republic.
penpenpen88
February 28th, 2006 at 11:56 pm
ang mabuting kawal sumusunod sa chain of command…ganyan ang role nila sa buhay. kaya nga ba ayoko din noon sa CAT nung high school….kung independent-minded ka hindi bagay militar sa yo.
— incomplete po di lang po dapat sumunod sa chain of command.. he has to discern for himself what is right from what is not.. if your superior asked u to fire at the masses at a rally at a whim..will u blindly follow? have you seen the movie “A few good men? ” in the end those soldiers who accidentally killed a fellow marine because they were ordered to do by their superiors were dishonorably discharged from the service.. reason? coz mali ginawa nila.. lesson here? dont take things at face value.. di ito yung nakita mo sa news na nagrebelde sila.. agad opinion mo mali ginawa nila.. there are underlying reasons here which before you judge someone you must know discern and weight the merits off..
— yup your right its hard to be straight and follow orders when your superiors are crooked.. such is the state of our military.. that such honorable men are made into criminals.. while the criminals laf themselves all the way into the bank.. as sure as all these are not addressed there will be more querubins and lim’s out there.. if la.. dyan na tlga tayo patay as a country.. by then were goin to be a country of thieves criminals and law breakers..
MitaMS
March 1st, 2006 at 9:12 am
penpen, kaya nga ba hindi dapat dinadala sa taumbayan ang problemang militar dahil hindi natin alam lahat. isa pa, meron silang sariling sistema ng hustisya (JAG) so dapat labas na tayo.
besides, to start a gun battle within the metropolis with innocent civilians around is NEVER right – no matter which side wins.
isa pa, ine-example mo pelikula lamang…hindi base sa katotohanan…walang merit yan sa debate
devo
March 2nd, 2006 at 7:00 pm
hindi yan confused, niloko lang yan… madaling maloko ang taong dissatisfied…and that, is a fact! kung ano ano nanaman siguro ang ipinangako…. simulan mo at tatapusin ko…marami na tayo…. konting tulak na lang sasama na sila….. at nang walang sumegunda, siempre tago muna at baka makulong nanaman…. kung malapit nang matapos dun na lang lalabas ang nangako…. ayos querubin… tapos ka ngayon…. sayang….
ge-em-ei
March 3rd, 2006 at 12:38 pm
sa aking napanood sa telebisyon sa isang panayam kay querubin…ayon mizmo kay querubin ay siya mizmo ang sumbungan ng mga lower class men niya…paano siya maloloko o lolokohin ng mga underclass niya…eh sa kanya umaasa ang mga iyun…
i was a cadet officer in my college days, and finished it up to MS 43…i can relate myself to the underclass idealistic young officers…because they know kung sino ang matinong official na pwede nilang hingan ng sama ng loob…though the culture in the military is obey first before you complain, they do still practice democracy among themselves and it happen all the time…usually these young officers are always been idealistic from the time they joined the academy at the age of 16 y/o up to 21 y/o (at that time ako ay idealistic din ang mga views ko, at halos lahat ng mga kabatan ganun din- not all naman)…but they have been crooked or been politicised whenever their ranks go up higher…just look to our generals of today from 2001…sino pa ba ang naaalala mong general na namuno ng AFP sa daming ina-appoint at sa iba-iba pang position…kaya maraming underclass ang nag-aalburuto because they know na hindi lahat deserving…just look back in FVR’s military days during Marcos time…hindi siya punong heneral, kundi si Ver (na ROTC vanguard graduate din tulad ko at hindi sa PMA or Westpoint)…anong ginawa nya, ayun nag-coup at naging EDSA 1 na…
devo
March 3rd, 2006 at 3:18 pm
ge-em-ei, ang dami mo namang sinabi pero di moko naintindihan. di ko sinasabing mga underclass niya ang nanloko sa kanya… aba e pu-puede ba yon?…. hindi ganun katanga ang isang taong makaka-abot ng rangko ng colonel sa marines…. siempre upperclass lang nya ang puedeng manloko sa kaniya…. saan pa ba siya kukuha nang lakas ng loob? sa mga underclass niya? yung mga nakatatandang hinayupak na ayaw lumabas nang lantaran at manguna sa gustong palabasin… yan ang mang-gagamit na lang ng underclass na puedeng ma-tonto. malas niya at nagpaloko siya… sayang… sayang na sayang….
penpenpen88
March 3rd, 2006 at 6:22 pm
penpen, kaya nga ba hindi dapat dinadala sa taumbayan ang problemang militar dahil hindi natin alam lahat. isa pa, meron silang sariling sistema ng hustisya (JAG) so dapat labas na tayo.
— in an ideal system.. i think u think na nasa states tayo.. that applies.. e panu pag yung leaders mo corrupt din? who do u turn to now? papa sa dyos mo nalang?
besides, to start a gun battle within the metropolis with innocent civilians around is NEVER right – no matter which side wins.
— have to take the whole matter into this mita.. if violenteng mga tao yan why not rpg malacannang and be done with it.. col. querubin already approached his superiors.. senator biazon.. etc.. in the end la namang nagyari eh.. corrupt officials protect their own.. or does that fact escape you still?.. and now that an honorable soldier .. two of them in fact were forced out of military service in their stead we have lackeys of arroyo.. does that make us winners?
isa pa, ine-example mo pelikula lamang…hindi base sa katotohanan…walang merit yan sa debate
— movies have basis po.. di naman yan basta basta sinasabi lamang to add drama.. hehe..but i guess only in movies lang tlga does the good guy win.. in reality yung corrupt ang nagwawagi..
tambuli
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:37 pm
cguro, dapat din natin tignan ang punot dulo ng nangyayari ngayon, admittedly, col querubin is a decorated officer, siya ang titingalain ng mga lower ranking officers, and from what i know, the marines are one of the most disciplined and decorated units in our AFP, bakit sila ganon? kasi meron silang nakikitang pagkakamali, you cant turn a blind eye when you see something wrong diba? saka its not really obey first before you complain, obey only legal orders … meron din bounderies and pag sunod nila sa mga nakakataas sa kanila.
i believe that the government should listen to them, kasi sila ang nasa grassroots, nakikita nila ang mga problema ng karaniwang mamamayan, you cannot just say na, hey nagkamali ka dapat kang court martial at ng maparusahan. kadalasan yan ang nagiging dahilan ng mga madugong rebolusyon at ayaw nating mangyari sa pinas yan
tambuli
March 3rd, 2006 at 7:39 pm
hahayaan ba nating corrupt lagi ang magwagi?? cguro upuan nalang natin to at antayin ang 2010 kung meron pang pilipinas by that time
eyesWideopen2
March 3rd, 2006 at 8:24 pm
😛 seriously guys?
are you thinking that GMA still wants to go down by 2010? anybody remembers her telling she wants to make the Philippines a First World Country in 20 YEARS?
With her pushing the cha-cha, that’s like forever for me.
ge-em-ei
March 5th, 2006 at 1:46 am
devo…ahh ganon ga? pwede din makalusot yung idea mo…: )
eyesWideopen2…ang lalim nyan ah…pero kung sa tutuusin suntok sa buwan yung pangako nya na in 20 years time 1st world country na ang ‘pinas…sa antas ng buhay sa mga probinsiya at sa kamaynilaan, at sa kaliwa’t kanang korupsyon…malabong maganap yun…kaya nga me naka-sked na lumabas na ng bansa para dun na manirahan at mag-hanapbuhay kasama ang pamilya ko…bumalabs mamuhay dito…buti na lang di pa natuloy yung coup (kung meron man) kundi yari na pati pasaporte ko…saka nyo na lang ituloy pag nasa ibang bansa na ako he he
Ellen Tordesillas » Blog Archive » Marines No. 3 man resigns in disgust
June 21st, 2006 at 8:44 am
[…] Another Marines officer, bemedalled Col. Ariel Querubin, was also relieved on Feb. 28 in connection with the alleged overthrow attempt. Querubin led Marines in protesting the relief of Miranda, causing the standoff at the Marines headquarters on Feb. 26. Sources said De Leon was among those who voted against Allaga’s assumption as commandant during a meeting of senior officers. […]
Current » Blowback and crying havoc
August 19th, 2008 at 6:13 am
[…] Related to this, we need to strengthen the Philippine Military by purging it of officers who acted as hired bodyguards of the present leadership and reinstate those who embody its true ideals and know how to fight. […]
Manuel L. Quezon III
August 19th, 2008 at 6:14 am
[…] Related to this, we need to strengthen the Philippine Military by purging it of officers who acted as hired bodyguards of the present leadership and reinstate those who embody its true ideals and know how to fight. […]
Ariel Querubin’s release and the mutiny – Sugod News Philippines
July 30th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
[…] more information, visit WikiPilipinas and PCIJ. [!] REPORT BROKEN LINKS AND INVALID CONTENTS Processing your request, Please […]
Bernadette Garcia
June 2nd, 2013 at 1:12 pm
ganyang mga klaseng tao ang kailangan ng Pilipinas. May prinsipyo at dignidad.Di kayang silawin ng pera, kasikatan at kapangyarihan. Ganoong klaseng tao ang hinahanap ng mamamayan upang makipagtulungan sa pagsugpo ng corruption sa Pilipinas. Saludo ako sa inyo Sir Querobin, at huwag po kayong mawalan ng pag asa. Darating ang araw na mananaig ang kabutihan laban sa kasamaan. Hindi naman pwedeng kasamaan na lamang ang magwawagi lagi. Pagod na po kaming mamamayan sa mga pangako at pamamayagpag ng mga tiwaling opisyal na nasa gobyerno. Kung hindi ninyo kayang magbago ng tuluyan (hindi pansamantala lamang), ay bumaba na lamang kayo sa inyong puwesto. Magkaroon naman sana tayo ng kahihiyan sa mga mamamayan at ibang bansa na nakatutok sa Pilipinas. Hindi po bulag ang mamamayan ng Pilipinas, alam po nila ang tapat at mga tiwaling opisyal ng pamahalaan. Iyon po ba ang ipinagmamalaki ninyong kayamanan at pinapakain sa inyong pamilya? Mga nakaw na pera mula sa kaban ng bayan? Nakakahiya at hindi dapat respetuhin, di po ba? Bato bato sa langit na lang po tayo, ang tatamaan ay iyong may ginawang palpak sa bayan