BARBARIC: SAF widows outraged by video leak
RESIGNED police chief Director General Allan La Madrid Purisima faces the Senate over his role in the Mamasapano operation that resulted in the death of 44 commandos from the Special Action Force of the Philippine National Police. (Inquirer)
Miriam: SAF 44 could still be alive had Purisima not meddled
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The wives of the two Cebuano members of the PNP-Special Action Force yesterday expressed their anger over a video that showed how the police commandos were killed and divested of their belongings during the Jan. 25 clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
The six-minute video was posted on the Internet and started spreading on Tuesday. The footage which shows an already wounded SAF trooper getting shot in the head at close range caused outrage among police officials as well as lawmakers attending Wednesday’s congressional investigation on the botched operation.
Senators attending the third day of the Senate’s own inquiry yesterday also touched on the video while questioning national government, police and military officials as well as Moro Islamic Liberation Front chief negotiator Mohagher Iqbal.
“I call this barbaric, how could they do that to them. In every war, there is what we call rules of engagement, but these people did too much in killing the forces of the government,” said Dr. Christine Cempron, the widow of PO1 Romeo Cempron, who was among the 44 SAF troopers who perished in the gun-battle.
Cempron said her family did not allow her to view the video and only read news accounts that described the footage.
“They (MILF) said that they only responded to an exchange of fire, and they did not know who they were firing at, but they went close to the wounded SAF and they saw that they were wearing uniforms, they knew who they were but they still did what they did,” she said.
Cempron said her husband’s body was bloated, his face disfigured, when its was recovered from the battlefield in barangay Tukalanipao.
During the wake held for the slain troopers at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan, Taguig, Dr. Cempron said over 30 caskets were sealed, indicating that the remains were “not in good shape”.
“It’s very unthinkable, what they did to the SAF members. The sad thing is, they are the ones who took the video and I’m sure they are the ones who uploaded it for everyone to see, because I know, it did not come from the families of the victims,” Cempron said.
Michelle Candano, widow of PO2 Windel Candano, said she was able to watch the video on the social networking site, Facebook.
“Wa jud sila’y batasan. Kita na sila nga samdan na ang pulis, di na makasukol nila, ila pa jud gitiwasan (They’re ill-mannered.
The policeman was already wounded and could no longer fight yet they still finished him off),” she told Cebu Daily News.
Candano said her husband, a combat medic, was shot in the head.
“Apil akong bana sa ilang gipatay unya gikawatan pa gyud sa iyang mga gamit. Wa gyud sila’y batasan (They killed my husband and they even took his belongings),” she said.
A day after news about the clash spread, Candano said she tried calling her husband but somebody else took her call. She then got a text message sent from her husband’s phone, telling her that he’s already dead.
Candano said because of the incident, she believes the MILF could no longer be trusted in the ongoing peace process in Mindanao. “Dili na sila kasaligan. Wa koy salig ana nila. Kapila na na nila gibuhat? Kung nabuhat na nila sa mga SAF mabuhat pa na nila ug balik, kita ray gibinuangan ana nila (They’re not trustworthy. How many times have they done that? If they could do that to the SAF, they could still do that again. We’re the ones on the raw end of the deal),” she said.
Death benefits
Vice President Jejomar Binay arrived in Cebu yesterday for a series of activities. He met with the two SAF widows and handed over P20,000 to each of them as beneficiaries of the Home Development Mutual Fund, better known as Pag-IBIG Fund. Binay holds the housing portfolio in the Aquino Cabinet where Pag-IBIG is attached.
The cash benefit came from the accumulated savings and dividends of the deceased policemen in Pag-IBIG, along with their death benefits.
“This is our humble way of honoring and showing our heartfelt gratitude to our heroes who remained true to their duty of ensuring peace up to their last breath,” the Vice President said.
Binay also said they are studying the possibility of providing housing and other benefits for families of the SAF members killed and injured in action.
Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma has denounced calls for an all-out war in Mindanao, saying that while he fully understands how it is to lose a loved one in a gruesome manner, revenge is not the answer.
“I know how it feels. It hurts. But as we always say, any form of retaliation is not Christian. We are a people who are after peace,” he said.
The archbishop also expressed his support to the idea of creating a Truth Commission that will look into the Mamasapano clash.
“It’s good to know the real story behind the event: how did it happen? who were supposed to be responsible? I hope they would bring out the whole truth about the matter and bring justice to those who perished,” he said.
“There are certainly lessons (to learn from this incident). The idea is nothing like this should ever happen again.”
The Archdiocese of Cebu will hold a Prayer Assembly on March 6 to mark the 40th day since the Mamasapano clash. (with Doris C. Bongcac and Ador Vincent S. Mayol
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