Manila: Philippine Army (PA) chief Lt. Gen. Antonio Nafarrete has ordered the temporary stop of reception ceremonies in all units following last week's death of a 22-year-old rookie soldier in Maguindanao del Norte reportedly while undergoing such activity.

According to Philippines News Agency, PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala stated in an interview on Wednesday that Lt. Gen. Nafarrete also instructed a review of the reception ceremony. This ceremony includes a series of physical exercises that new soldiers are required to perform when reporting to their units. "Meron siyang instruction na i-istop muna 'yun receptions within the PA (He has an instruction to stop for the meantime the reception ceremonies in all PA units)," Dema-ala explained.

The review aims to determine whether the practice remains necessary, added Dema-ala, who also clarified that the order applies only to newly enlisted PA personnel and not to civilians preparing for military training. The PA's 6th Infantry Division (ID) has launched an investigation into the incident in Maguindanao del Norte to ascertain the exact cause of Pvt. Charlie Patigayo's death. Patigayo reportedly collapsed on July 30 during the reception ceremonies and died the following day.

In response to the incident, two officers and 21 enlisted personnel who allegedly supervised the ceremony at the Bravo Company headquarters of the 6th Infantry Battalion (IB) have been relieved from their posts pending the outcome of the investigation. These soldiers are currently in the custody of the 6th ID as the investigation proceeds.

Col. Dema-ala also mentioned that the commander of the 6th IB was not aware of the reception ceremony conducted by the Bravo Company of his unit. Furthermore, he noted that new soldiers in two other companies did not undergo any reception ceremony.