5 years after ‘Oplan Exodus,’ Palace hopes SAF 44 families will get justice

MANILA, Philippines — On the fifth anniversary of the Mamasapano incident, Malacañang expressed hope that justice will be served to families of the fallen Special Action Force (SAF) commandos, and that the incident will finally have its closure.

“We continue to pray for the eternal repose of the souls of these valorous men in uniform who were recipients posthumously of the Philippine National Police (PNP)-Medal of Valor (Medalya ng Kagitingan) and hope that justice will finally come to give closure to these officers and their grieving families,” Palace Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

It would be recalled that the 44 SAF troopers were killed in the botched “Oplan Exodus” operation of Jan. 25, 2015 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The police operation aimed to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan. He was subsequently killed during the operation.

President Rodrigo Duterte in February 2017  declared every Jan. 25 as a National Day of Remembrance for the fallen SAF 44 commandos.

Previously, the Sandiganbayan junked the usurpation charges against former PNP chief Alan Purisima and former SAF head Getulio Napeñas. 

Panelo said that as Filipinos pay homage to the fallen police troopers, he urged the public to “learn and reflect from the mistakes of this botched police operation and that it will never happen again.”

Edited by MUF