Probe of Samar misencounter under way
Police and military investigating teams have been formed to look into the misencounter between army soldier and a group of police counter-insurgency team in Samar Monday that left six cops dead and nine others wounded.
There are two teams probing the incident – the local Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Board of Inquiry (BOI) formed on orders of the national police leadership.
“We will be conducting a full dress investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident,” said PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde.
“I also directed all concerned PNP units to extend utmost cooperation and assistance to the investigation teams that were created to conduct a fact-finding investigation of the incident in coordination with AFP counterparts,” he added.
The local SITG is expected to look into specific details of operations by members of the 805th Mobile Company of the Regional Mobile Force Battalion (RMFB) 8 in Sta. Rita town, Samar that led to the clash with members of the 87th Infantry Battalion in Sitio Lunoy in Barangay San Roque at around 9:30 a.m. on Monday.
The BOI is headed by Director Rolando Felix, head of the Directorate for Integrated Police Operations (DIPO)-Visayas with seven members who are senior officials of various units which include the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and the Intelligence Group.
Based on initial information obtained, a platoon-size personnel of the RMFB was heading towards SitioCanunay in Barangay Rosal, Sta. Rita town when they were fired upon by another group of armed men.
The armed men who engaged the elite troops turned out to be elements of the 87th Infantry Battalion who have been conducting combat operation mission in the area for the past six days.
The soldiers were on the last day of their mission in the area when the incident happened, a military official confirmed.
When the smoke of gunfire cleared, six rookie policemen died while nine others were wounded. Both parties thought they were fighting communist rebels.
The army did not suffer any casualty.
Benefits “This is a very unfortunate event that nobody wanted to happen. Together with the DND, we will form a board of inquiry to investigate the incident in order to determine the cause of this unfortunate event and draw up measures to prevent the same from happening again,” said DILG officerin-charge (OIC) Eduardo M. Año.
Año said the Board will seek answers and summon concerned officials on why prior communication and coordination were not made between local military and police forces in the conduct of combat operations in the area.
“There are existing protocols between the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in field operations. We will try to determine why these were not followed and if these need review and modifications,” he added.
“On behalf of the DILG and the PNP leadership, my deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the policemen who died during this unfortunate incident. I have already given specific instructions to the PMO to expedite the release of the benefits and assistance to help you cope in this hour of bereavement,” he noted.
“We are really very saddened by this incident as both troops were just doing their jobs of going against lawless elements and protecting the community,” said Año.
A Special Finance Assistance (SFA) will be granted in two tranches to the beneficiaries of Killed in Action/Killed in Police Operation (KIA/ KIPO) in the amount of 1500,000; to Wounded in Action/Wounded in Police Operation (WIA/WIPO) with total permanent physical disability (TPPD) in the amount of 1250,000; and to WIA/ WIPO with major and minor injuries in the amount of 1100,000.
There will also be generous Shelter Assistance to families of KIA/ WIPO and WIA/WIPO with TPPD worth 1450,000; Health Care Assistance through coverage of premiums from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) worth 12,400 per year, and maintenance medicines provided by the Department of Health for qualified beneficiaries of KIA/ KIPO personnel; and Educational Assistance in the provision of annual stipends for up to two (2) children or other beneficiaries of KIA/KIPO and WIA/WIPO with TPPD. (With a report from Chito A. Chavez and Francis T. Wakefield)