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Caskets containing the slain members of the PNP-SAF unit arrive in the
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For those still in the dark regarding this incident, allow me to provide a summary of events:
- There are three parties involved here: the members of the PNP-SAF; the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and its breakaway faction, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and two high-profile Malaysian terrorists with huge bounties on their heads.
- According to the plan, the SAF unit was to arrest the two terrorists in an area supposedly marked as MILF territory. Apparently, the MILF present there did not get the memo and proceeded to fire on the police officers "in self defense."
- Early into the encounter, the SAF troopers were requesting for military backup as they saw that they were slowly being overwhelmed by their enemies. Their military counterparts did not take the call seriously since as far as they knew, a ceasefire was in effect in the area. By the time military backup did arrive, the troopers were already falling down like flies.
- The SAF troopers got cornered in a cornfield by a river which did not offer much shelter from sniper fire. They were virtual sitting ducks being plucked one by one by the Muslim rebels. When the smoke finally cleared and their bodies were strewn all over the field, they were even divested of personal valuables and firearms.
- Meanwhile, as of this writing, it is still not sure whether the SAF unit's original targets were killed in gun battle or not. The Muslim camp says that they are still alive. Government intelligence sources, however, note that Marwan - the more prominent terrorist between the two - has been killed. Until a DNA sampling and confirmation is made can we be sure of his continued existence or death.
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For as long as I can remember, clashes with forces from the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), MILF, and all of their other factions have become commonplace already. Government attempts to put a stop to the war by offering its hand in peace, only to be bitten by a breakaway faction with a new set of demands. It has happened time and again, with no apparent resolution in sight.
That is, until recently when the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) was drafted after a series of power sessions with numerous representatives of Mindanao Muslim groups.
While the said law is still being deliberated on, both parties agreed to the cessation of hostilities.
The ceasefire is probably what set the operation for the arrest of the two Malaysian terrorists in motion.
Unfortunately, even in this supposed ceasefire, there are simply those who do not want an end to the war. These people are making a living out of this war through gun-running and terrorism, then they mouth words from the Koran to justify their thirst for power, money, and blood.
What better way to sabotage this ceasefire than by literally pulverizing an entire battalion of police forces then saying that they only did it because they felt that they were being "invaded" in their territory?
This particular trait of some Muslim factions is what prevents me from fully blaming their side for the deaths of the 44 SAF troopers.
It should already be a given that one cannot simply trust some of our Muslim brothers to keep their word.
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So once again, we ask the question: who really is to blame for what Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Mar Roxas now calls a "misencounter" in Mamasapano, Maguindanao?
One only has to follow the hierarchy of the chain of command in the PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) for an idea.
It is bad enough that the commander-in-chief himself was privy to the conduct of these operations.
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Sacked PNP Director General Alan Purisima (L) and Pres. Noynoy Aquino (R)
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Purisima was sacked several months ago by Malacanang due to growing pressure from the public
borne out of reports of his allegedly unscrupulous amassed wealth.
Several police sources note that despite being relieved from office, Purisima was still made to oversee the operation, Had it turned out to be successful and the fugitives brought to justice or killed in battle, that would make for a whopper of pogi points for the embattled general.
This was also the probable reason why several other government personalities like Roxas and the OIC PNP Chief Leonardo Espina were not let in on the nuances of the operation. There was the danger of them "stealing the thunder," so to say, from Purisima.
So...that's it, then. All these deaths for the sake of making an Aquino ally's name palatable to the public again.
Talk about an epic PR fail.
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And it seems that the epic PR fails of the Aquino administration just keeps on piling up one over the other.
It took some time before the commander-in-chief faced a nation in shock over the slaughter in Mamasapano. And when he did face the public, it was to tell us hapless citizens that it was not his fault.
Then when the caskets bearing the fallen SAF troopers arrived in the Villamor Air Base yesterday, the commander-in-chief was not in sight. At all.
Soon, he turns up at an inauguration for a car plant in Laguna.
His spin doctors in Malacanang hastily grab the microphone to clarify that he is not snubbing the rites for the slain men, and that he was to appear at the necrological services in Camp Bagong Diwa.
When he does appear, he arrives late at the venue. As for providing empathy in the slain SAF troopers' families time of grief, he instead brings back the attention to himself and his trauma brought about by the death of his father.
In both instances, never did he mention any accountability on the side of government.
And once again, we find ourselves smacking our foreheads with another collective facepalm in the light of this bloody comedy of errors.
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| (Photo from Tempo.com.ph) |
The nation is divided. One decides that there is no point discussing peace anymore with these Muslim groups whose words cannot be trusted. Furthermore, this sector believes that the only recourse now is to give them what they want -- an all-out war.
The other sector meanwhile believes that the ultimate sacrifice of the SAF unit in Mamasapano, Maguindanao will be all for naught if we do not press further on toward an agreement that would finally forge the foundation of lasting peace in Mindanao.
I tend to lean toward the latter. I simply cannot see any other option but to uphold peace in an area scarred by the ravages of war. It is easy to call out for war when one is just a spectator watching TV or surfing the Net from the comfort of his home. But given a situation where he, his family, and his friends are caught in the maelstrom of armed conflict, he might have a vastly different opinion.
Let me be clear, though, that this peace must come with conditions, considering that there are still armed groups in Mindanao who will definitely oppose this move. I cannot enumerate these conditions yet as I am still clueless myself on how to contain the traitors not just from among the Muslim ranks but from government's ranks as well. One condition does come to mind though - for whoever orchestrated this plan to lead a group of policemen to a virtual lion's den to be held accountable for these valiant men's deaths.
Let us see justice being served first before returning to the table to discuss peace.
This much, we owe to our fallen brothers in arms.
This much, we owe to the wives, parents, siblings, girlfriends, fiancees, and children they left behind.
