Former SAF chief Napeñas retires on Saturday

Special Action Force Director Getulio Napeñas. CATHY MIRANDA/INQUIRER.net

The embattled former chief of the Special Action Force (SAF) which lost 44 of its troopers in a bloody clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, will retire today as he turns 56, the mandatory retirement age in the force.

Director Getulio Napeñas, who led the ill-fated SAF operation in Mamasapano last January, has been on nonduty status since April.

The police official opted for nonduty status three months before his retirement to allow him to wrap up all pending affairs with the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Napeñas is a member of the Philippine Military Academy Sandigan Class of 1982, a mistah of the new PNP chief, Director Gen. Ricardo Marquez.

Napeñas was relieved of his post and was placed on floating status after the Jan. 25 Mamasapano incident where 44 SAF troopers were killed during a clash with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

The SAF operation was intended to arrest terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir aka Marwan, a Malaysian bomb maker, and Filipino terrorist Basit Usman. Marwan was killed during the operation. Usman escaped but was later killed by Moro rebels.

No charges have been formally filed yet against Napeñas for the Mamasapano incident.

This was because the results of the Board of Inquiry investigation submitted to the Ombudsman and Department of Justice has not indicted him yet.

A source said this meant Napeñas may retire from the PNP, but he could still face cases even after his retirement.