DOJ delays SAF slay raps by a week

Families of the Special Action Force (SAF) commandos killed in the Mamasapano clash in January 2015 will have to wait for another week to determine whether someone will be charged in court for the deaths of their loved ones.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) failed to meet its self-imposed deadline to resolve the criminal complaints filed against 90 persons belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and private armed groups (PAGs).

The joint task force of the National Prosecutors Service and the National Bureau of Investigation ( NBI) has tagged the three groups in the killing of 35 SAF commandos during an operation to arrest Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan in Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano in Maguindanao.

Acting Justice Secretary Emmanuel Caparas had promised during the first commemoration of the bloody clash last January that the resolution on the complex crime of direct assault with murder complaint that the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed against 90 MILFs, BIFFs and PAGs over the killing of 35 SAF operatives during the encounter would be released in February.

This, however, did not materialize as no resolution has been issued as of yesterday.

Though he did not offer any reason for the delay, Caparas told reporters the resolution would be released next week.