MANILA, Philippines — While attending the wake of his fallen 44 men, the country’s acting national police chief wished that he had personally led them into battle in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
Philippine National Police officer-in-charge and Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina said it would have been a great honor for him to say that the dangerous mission of the Special Action Force was accomplished at last.
“However, I was not given that opportunity,” said Espina during the flag raising ceremony Monday in Camp Crame.
A week after the massacre of 44 SAF commandos on a mission to arrest bomb makers Zulkifli Bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Basit Usman in Maguindanao, Espina faced his policemen given the pressing need to address the PNP following the fatal encounter.
He recalled that while attending the wake and honors for the fallen SAF troopers, he could not help but wished having personally led the mission.
“It would be an honor for me to be lying down in a casket with all of you, mission accomplished. It would be my greatest honor to be with my men during that time, reporting to the nation, that I have served the nation,” Espina mused out loud.
Monday was also the anniversary of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Camp Crame.
During the ceremony, the SAF through its erstwhile chief, Director Getulio Napenas, received an award. Senior Supt. Amando Clifton Empiso, the SAF chief of staff, received the award for his unit.
Espina, who took over the PNP following the suspension of PNP Director General Alan Purisima, had earlier said he was not informed beforehand of the dangerous operation to arrest Zulkifli bin Abdul Hir and Basit Usman.
Both he and Interior secretary Mar Roxas were kept in the dark about the operation, then led by Napenas who claimed he reported to President Aquino and Purisima.
Espina said he was only told of the operation an hour after the fire fight broke out early morning Sunday last week.
“I took this opportunity to talk to all of you because of the pressing need for me to address you during these very trying times for the PNP,” the PNP officer in charge said.
He acknowledged the many misgivings and questions raised by policemen about the massacre.
The PNP officer in charge urged the policemen to remain professional despite their grief, and to continue their mandate to serve and protect as a means of honoring those who died.
“Let us all remain professionals as they wish us to be. Let us seek justice for our fallen comrades. Don’t let those questions, false rumors, misgivings, get in the way of professionalism. Let us give justice to what our fallen comrades died for,” Espina said.
A day after the carnage, a board of inquiry was created to investigate what happened in Mamasapano.
The board will be led by the CIDG chief, Director Benjamin Magalong, with the director for research and development, Director Catalino Rodriguez, and Chief Supt. John Sosito, a representative of the Philippine National Police Academy Alumni Association, as members.
Espina said an operational audit team has been working double time under the board of inquiry. It is in charge of gathering evidence and statements from the SAF teams, which conducted the operation.
A total of 392 SAF commandos joined the operation. Forty-four died, while 14 were injured in the encounter with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. The PNP is getting the statements of all surviving SAF troopers.
Espina said the operational audit team would investigate from start to finish what happened, from the planning to the execution of the operation.
This operational audit team will be made up of Senior Supts. Benigno Durana, Cesar Binag and Robert Po, the PNP deputy spokesperson.
“This is one way of giving the people the justice that they need, and it is only through a proper investigation of all evidence that we’ve gathered that we can fully appreciate a factual and determinate appreciation of what happened. This will ultimately give justice to our heroes,” Espina added.
He reminded the 150,000-strong PNP to wait for the independent inquiry to submit its results.
“Let us do our jobs and be professionals, we should prevent the occurrence of crimes because this situation might be taken advantage of by criminals. We should keep on doing our jobs because this is how we can give justice to our fallen heroes,” he added.
INQUIRER
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