Near the end of the movie “Furious 7” the main character Dominic Torreto (Vin Diesel) silently left the beach party after agreeing with the rest of his crew that his brother-in-law and former cop Brian Connor (played by the late Paul Walker) should be allowed to retire and lead a normal life away from their gang which just survived a dangerous mission.
As he drove off, he was met by Connor at the stop sign and both men said their goodbyes before speeding away in their cars in separate directions. The film then flashed a title card that read “For Paul”, the production’s sendoff message to Walker, who died of a car crash in November 2013 just as the movie was being made.
The film’s ending and tagline, “One Last Ride”, which is spoiler free thanks to word of mouth, both mainstream and online, may very well describe the farewell tour of PNP Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, who’s visiting police precincts across the country ahead of his eventual retirement in July this year.
Espina marks his farewell tour, the most recent visit being in Cebu days before the Holy Week break, with the shadow of the deaths of 44 Special Action Forces (SAF) commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province last Jan. 25 still hanging over his head.
The memory of that tragedy may very well be etched in his mind long after he left the service. He said as much when he called on the Cebu police to “serve with “honor in memory of the fallen SAF 44.”
But Filipinos across the country will also remember Espina’s heartfelt message of regret, outrage and condemnation for the deaths of the 44 SAF commandos that he punctuated with an appeal for justice.
That search and call for justice continues to elude the families of the slain police officers and remains unanswered by the Aquino administration.
If there’s anything beneficial that came out of the deaths of the 44 SAF commandos, it’s that the national government was forced to take a long hard look at the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), perhaps listening to public demand, have indicated some willingness to accept the amendments being proposed by Congress.
But for the families and Espina, who was kept in the dark by his superior who insisted on remote controlling the whole operation from the comfort of his camp, the price was too high. It’s understandable for the families in the grief, not to see the bigger picture and they can only take consolation in their belief that their loved ones are “in a better place.”
Barring any unfortunate incident, Espina will leave the service with his head held high and a conviction that the memory of the fallen SAF 44 will also be honored by generations of police officers to come.