MANILA, Philippines — Malacañang on Friday expressed concern about reports that the military had lost track of two suspected bombers due to the killing of four of its intelligence operatives by the police during a supposed “misencounter” in Jolo, Sulu.
“Nakakalungkot po na in addition doon sa nawalan ng buhay sa ating kasundaluhan eh nakawala po yung mga teroristang hinahabol ng ating hukbong sandatahan,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a televised press briefing.
Army spokesperson Col. Ramon Zagala said the four men who were fatally shot by Jolo policemen on Monday “were in the middle of a mission to capture the suspected bombers.”
The police initially reported the incident as a result of a “misencounter,” but Army commander Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay rejected the explanation and called it a rubout.
The intelligence operatives reportedly played a key role in a number of successful military operations like the rescue of British-Filipino couple Allan and Wilma Hyrons and the rescue of three Indonesian kidnap victims; the neutralization of several key Abu personalities like Abu Talha and their links to the Islamic State’s financing; the neutralization of two Egyptian suicide bombers; and the identification of Abu Sayyaf locations that led to numerous successful combat operations.
The chief of Jolo Municipal police has been relieved of his duty, along with the nine police officers allegedly involved in the killing of the soldiers, according to Brig. Gen. Manuel Abu, chief of Police Regional Office in Bangsamoro Administrative Region
The National Bureau of Investigation is already conducting an investigation into the incident.
President Rodrigo Duterte is also set to meet with military and police commanders in Jolo to discuss the incident.