11 August 2005, NEW YORK—The Philippines will be formally seeking the assistance of United States authorities in tracking down two Filipino peacekeepers who abandoned their posts while serving with the United Nations mission in Haiti more than two months ago.

Ambassador Lauro L. Baja Jr., Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, said Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto G. Romulo wants the two deserters—Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Valentino Menpin and Marine Sergeant Geoffrey Geslani—located, repatriated and prosecuted for bringing shame to the country.

"No less than Secretary Romulo, during his visit to New York in June, gave instructions for us to exert all means to bring the two deserters back to the Philippines so they could be brought before a military court," Ambassador Baja said shortly after the Philippine media reported the disappearance of the two.

The Philippine Mission to the United Nations and the Office of the Defense and Armed Forces Attaché at the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. made initial representations with US authorities immediately after Col. Daniel Lucero, commanding officer of the 1st Philippine Contingent in Haiti, reported around the second week of May that Lieutenant Menpin and Sergeant Geslani have gone AWOL.

He said the Philippine Mission is only waiting for the formal notification from the Armed Forces on the filing of charges against the two for violation of the Articles of War before it formally requests the assistance of US authorities in locating the two.

"The two are a disgrace to the Philippines, the Filipino people and Filipino peacekeepers who are proudly serving in United Nations missions worldwide," Ambassador Baja said.

The two disappeared one after the other shortly after Army Staff Sergeant Antonio Batomalaque became the first Filipino combat fatality in a UN peacekeeping operation when he was killed in a firefight in Port-au-Prince on 14 April. The disappearance of the two also followed the almost daily harassment by Haitian gunmen of members of the Philippine contingent serving as the Force Headquarters Support Unit for the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).

Ambassador Baja said he was informed by Colonel Lucero that Mempin failed to report on schedule in late April after he was allowed to take his R&R in the US.   He is known to have proceeded to the Philippines from Haiti but returned to the US shortly after. Geslani, on the other hand, left for Florida to visit his brother, Gary, who is serving in the US Navy but failed to report for duty at the end of his leave on the first week of May.

The two were among the 155 peacekeepers the Philippines deployed in December last year to support a Brazilian-led multinational force that was dispatched to restore order and stability in Haiti. END