Widow of slain commando: We’re not closer to truth
WALK FOR SAF 44 Some 1,000 active and retired police officers who are graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy and some civilians brave the morning sun as they make their way along Edsa on Sunday. The 44-kilometer march from Dasmariñas City in Cavite province to Quezon City was held to honor the “Fallen SAF 44.” LYN RILLON
MANILA, Philippines–“It has been 44 days and each day has not been easier. We wake up daily to the realization that we lost them for good. We wake up to the reality that 44 days since their deaths, we are not closer to knowing the truth.”
Holding back tears and her voice breaking, the young widow of Senior Insp. Ryan Pabalinas repeated an emotional appeal that was first voiced to President Aquino during the nationally televised necrological services for the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos slaughtered in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, on Jan. 25.
“Again, I say, Mr. President, please help us gain justice and know the truth. I say again, Mr. President, please serve us justice and truth,” Erica Pabalinas said during a Mass at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Quezon City on Sunday, or six weeks after the bloodbath in Mamasapano that claimed the lives of her husband and his fellow commandos.
“Our cry for justice seems to be slipping from our grasp. We don’t seek to blame anybody, we seek justice. Why is that justice seem so hard to gain?” she said.
The 9 a.m. Mass was the highlight of a 44-kilometer march from Dasmariñas City in Cavite province, organized by the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Alumni Association. It was originally scheduled to be held at Quezon City Memorial Circle, but city authorities withdrew a permit for the event at the last minute.
Authorities in the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and Camp Crame likewise turned down requests for permission for a march and a rally on PNP headquarters grounds.
Senior Supt. Jerome Baxinela, the president of the alumni association’s chapter at Camp Crame and one of the organizers of the march, sent a text message to its members before the weekend, dissuading them from attending Sunday’s activity.
“Whoever issued that warning, I ask, what is wrong about grieving? What is wrong about sharing the grief,” Catholic priest Robert Reyes, who celebrated the Mass, said in his homily. He said the group left at past 1 a.m. to re-create the commandos’ situation in Mamasapano: “It was dark. They were scared and vulnerable.”
“Let us not be afraid to be real people, to grieve and be angry when needed. Let us not be afraid to sacrifice our lives like the 44 SAF heroes,” Reyes said.
Pabalinas recalled her husband as a law enforcer who committed himself to the service, delivering justice, upholding the law and helping out those in need.
“That is why it is so hard for us to understand why the justice they unselfishly served and delivered to those who needed it, seems to elude them. They serve for justice, but where is justice for them?” she said in remarks made on behalf of the widows and relatives of the Fallen 44.
The widow’s tearful plea to the President on Jan. 30 has been replayed countless times to introduce talk shows on radio and television dealing with Mamasapano, fueling widespread outrage over the incident that threatened to scuttle peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The SAF commandos were on a mission to take down Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” and his Filipino accomplice, Basit Usman. Marwan was reportedly killed but Usman escaped and is now being hunted in a military operation in Maguindanao province. As they withdrew, the troopers were ambushed by forces of the MILF and other rebel groups.
No closer to truth
Pabalinas said waking up each morning was not getting any easier. The days are swiftly passing by and yet she still does not know who killed her husband and his 43 fellow officers in Mamasapano.
With Reyes holding her hand, the widow joined the march from Camp Crame to Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Quezon City.
Wearing shirts with the logo of the SAF, the marchers—composed of the PNPA alumni, both active and retired, as well as some civilians—braved the morning sun as they made their way along Edsa.
The 1,000-strong group finished the 4-kilometer walk in less than two hours, arriving at the church for the 9 a.m. Mass.
Gabriela, led by Rep. Luz Ilagan, joined the march from Camp Crame, with women wearing violet shirts to celebrate International Women’s Day, also on Sunday.
Ilagan said Gabriela respected the PNPA alumni’s request not to inject antigovernment sentiments into the protest and that her group was supporting the widows and the other women who lost loved ones in the Mamasapano incident.
The marchers also came across a small group of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) on East Avenue in front of Philippine Heart Center. However, the Bayan contingent—holding placards with antigovernment slogans—did not join the activity but said they supported the participants.
Personal belongings
Pabalinas lamented that up to now, many of the families had not yet recovered the personal belongings of their loved ones.
While admitting that her husband’s job as a law enforcer was full of danger, she said she never imagined that he and his 43 comrades would die in such a tragic and brutal way—some of the wounded shot and killed at close range.
“Forty-four days later, we still don’t know who their killers are…. Forty-four days may have passed, but our hearts are still crying for justice for our brave men,” she said as she tried in vain to hold back her tears.
The families, she said, are eagerly monitoring the developments on the several investigations of the incident—but the waiting has burdened their hearts as the days pass by.
Not 44 months or 44 years
While thankful for the assistance, help and support given by the government and the private sector, the widow said relatives of the SAF 44 were not after blood money but justice and truth.
She expressed optimism that truth and justice would be served soon—“not 44 months, 44 years or forever.”
Similar marches were held on Sunday in Zamboanga City and in Cagayan Valley.
The group of 10 runners and a couple of cyclists were joined by the families of the slain commandos after an almost six-hour run and walk—billed as “Walk with the Widows, Run for Our Heroes”—from Dasmariñas to Camp Crame.
The march pushed through despite the revocation of permits by authorities along the route from Cavite to Camp Crame.
Led by Father Reyes, the group left Central Mall in Dasmariñas at 1:30 a.m.
They did not carry any political placard or streamer, as Reyes had earlier said that the march was not a move to push President Aquino out of office. Some in the group of runners were civilians but many were active members of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.
In Las Piñas, a handful of activists lined the roadside with placards saying, “We call for truth, justice and accountability.”–With a report from Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon
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