CEBUANOS will today mark the 40th day since the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos were killed in an encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao with a 5 p.m. Eucharistic celebration that archbishop Jose Palma will officiate at the Cebu Metropolitan Cathedral.
The Senate has declared March 6 as the “National Day of Healing for Unity and Peace” in honor of the fallen SAF commandos.
“The Mamasapano incident has grave implications to the continuing peace process and the lives of the people of Mindanao who continue to suffer from the debilitating impact of decades of armed conflict even while undergoing rehabilitation efforts,” said the approved resolution authored by senators Teofisto Guingona III, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV and Aquilino Pimentel III.
“In order to maintain calm and sobriety in these tension-filled times and arrive at an objective and impartial result to the ongoing investigations on the Mamasapano incident, there is an imperative and urgent need to pause and reassess our common aspirations to bring peaceful solutions to our nation’s problems,” the resolution added.
Senator Guingona said passage of the resolution is meant to “just remind everyone that it’s already 40 days since the death of the SAF 44 and we don’t know the whole truth yet.”
He said that while the senate has completed their inquiry on the death of SAF 44, justice has not yet been served on the SAF commandos and members of their families.
“After finding the truth, is there justice?”
Guingona said that until justice is served, “healing” in the country cannot be made possible.
“Can we now say that justice has been given to the SAF 44? I’m sure that if we go to the widows, if you go and ask do you feel that justice has been done already, they will say no,” he said.
With this in mind, Guingona said, he is pushing for the passage of a bill creating a truth commission that would consolidate all reports and recommendations coming from different bodies including the senate that are looking into the Mamasapano killing.
Guingona said justice will not be served unless recommendations in the report include the filing of cases against erring officials is done.
“Mabuti kung lahat nga findings ay parepareho. What if iba? What if conflicting sino ang mag re-reconcile ngayon?”
He is only waiting for congress to pass their version of the bill so he could have the senate version which he co-authored with Aquino and Pimentel presented in a plenary.