Palace admits justice remains elusive for SAF 44
MALACAÑANG on Thursday, January 25, acknowledged the slow pace of justice for the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) troopers who were slain in a bloody encounter with Moro combatants in Mamasapano, Maguindanao three years ago.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. gave assurance that President Rodrigo Duterte would exhaust all efforts to "uncover the truth" behind the bungled Mamasapano operation.
Roque said Duterte was keen to avoid a repeat of "such a waste of lives" as the country's troops continue to fulfill their mandate to protect and serve the Filipino people.
"Three years after the tragedy in Mamasapano, the cry for justice for our fallen SAF 44 heroes remains elusive," Roque told reporters in India.
"President Rodrigo Roa Duterte does not wish a repeat of such a waste of lives and promising future of gallant Filipinos even as he vows to uncover the truth behind this botched operation and find a just closure for the bereaved families who lost a husband, brother, or son," the presidential spokesperson added.
The SAF, elite force of the Philippine National Police, commemorated the heroism and sacrifice of the 44 SAF commandos.
Led by newly installed SAF director Noli Taliño, the SAF conducted a simple ceremony which started with a mass offering at the Memorial Park at the SAF headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa Taguig City.
Also present during the event were the families of the slain commandos and former SAF director Getulio Napeñas, who led the
operation against Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Abdul Basit Usman in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on January 25, 2015.
Marwan was one of the most wanted terrorists and bomb makers in Southeast Asia, with a $5-million bounty on his head under the Rewards for Justice Program of the US Department of State and a 7.4-million reward from the Philippine government.
The SAF troopers neutralized Marwan while Usman was able to elude arrest, although he was later killed in another operation.
As the commandos pulled out from Marwan’s lair, Moro rebels engaged them in a firefight. Eighteen members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and breakaway faction Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters were also killed.
To remember the gallantry of 44 slain SAF commandos, President Duterte on February 21, 2017 issued Proclamation 164 declaring January 25 as “A Day of National Remembrance for the Heroic Sacrifice of the Fourty-Four Uniformed Personnel of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force.”
He had also vowed that justice will be attained for the SAF44 under his watch.
A day after the President met with the bereaved families, the Ombudsman filed criminal charges against Napenas and then PNP chief Alan Purisima while charges of graft and usurpation of authority were filed against former President Benigno Aquino III were file a month later.
Julie Cayang-o, wife of one of the 44 SAF commandos, said they are now optimistic that justice will soon be in their hands.
“It’s almost 3 years from now, and for the past years, we feel that hope is not really coming to us. But presently, when President Rodrigo Duterte had finally sat on that powerful throne, we now feel that we are able now to see the sun shining upon us,” she said.
“We believe that step by step, I see that the perfect day will come and punish those people involved in that unacceptable day,” she added.
Roque said the entire nation honors the “heroic sacrifice” of 44 members of the elite police force as it commemorates the third year anniversary of Mamasapano clash.