Chief Justice Sereno, Kris among those who paid their last respects
A family of one of the Special Action Forces (SAF) commando who perished in the Mamasapano, Maguindanao incident expresses grief during the necrological services at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City on Friday. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
MANILA, Philippines—Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te and President Benigno Aquino III’s youngest sister Kris Aquino, were among those who paid their last respects to the slain police commandos during necrological rites at the multipurpose hall in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig, Thursday evening.
Sereno, who witnessed the slow procession of 42 caskets brought one by one into the hall, described her visit to the wake as personal and a tribute from one government worker to another.
“I am here as a government worker like the policemen. We in the judiciary (are) filled with sadness over what happened. I hope justice is pursued,” Sereno told the Inquirer in the sidelines of the ceremony.
ID perpetrators
Sereno ordered all flags in the country’s courts to fly at half-staff to mourn the deaths of the police troops killed in a clash with Muslim rebels in Maguindanao on Sunday.
Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang also attended the wake and talked to some of the families of the Special Action Force troops.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima issued a statement assuring the families of the justice department’s commitment to pursue justice for the fallen Special Action Force men.
“But we need to first ascertain the full facts surrounding the whole incident, including the identification of perpetrators,” De Lima said.
She added: “We’re looking at criminal liabilities for various offenses, such as multiple murder, homicide, serious physical injuries, direct assault, illegal possession of firearms … obstruction of justice and others.”
Presidential sister and actress Kris, who talked to some of the families of the slain policemen, was seen handing out brown envelopes to them.
Tingting Cojuangco
Former Public Safety School president Tingting Cojuangco who saw the 42 caskets being brought in to the hall and said she knew some of the slain men personally as head of a police school, adding that the incident made her “very sad and angry.”
“I personally knew some of them and they (were) … good men (who) served the country. But they were not appreciated by the President,” Cojuangco said, referring to her nephew-in-law’s nationwide speech on Wednesday.
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