SAF man’s dying wish: P100 load

A FARMER sends his carabao to graze on the site of a gun battle between Moro guerrillas and Special Action Force commandos in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province, where 44 commandos died, many after making their last mobile phone calls to their families. JEOFFREY MAITEM/INQUIRER MINDANAO

SAN LUIS, Aurora—A P100 mobile phone load may have been an unusual request in the midst of a gun battle. But it was, at the time, the most important one for PO2 Nicky Nacino Jr., one of the Special Action Force (SAF) commandos slain in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province. It let him reach his family for the last time.

When Roselle heard the voice of her husband and the sound of gunfire in the background when he called her around 3 p.m. on Jan. 25, she sensed something was wrong.

“Why is there gunfire?” she asked.

No answer came. Instead, Nacino asked her to send him a P100 load credit. “Just send me a P100 load credit. Hurry up,” she quoted her husband as saying.

Afterwards, they lost touch.

“Then, I became uneasy,” she said.

Nacino made another call about an hour later and, this time, he managed to talk to his father, Nicky Sr., Roselle said.

Unanswered question

“Why is there gunfire?” Roselle asked again. Nacino ignored the question, apparently to avoid sending Roselle into panic.

“He just told us that he might not come home soon. Then, the line was cut off,” said Roselle.

Nacino, “Dondon” to family members, was one of the 44 SAF commandos killed in a gun battle with Moro rebels in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao on Jan. 25.

Since his remains arrived in Barangay Ditumabo in San Luis town in Aurora province last week, hundreds of people have been flocking to the family’s house to mourn with his family.

Roselle said Nacino went home on Dec. 20 last year and left for Zamboanga City on Jan. 10. She remembered him staring at her and their newborn, Nathan Iñigo, then weeping.

Roselle said she asked her husband why. “He said it was difficult to leave because of our baby,” she said.

Then came what would turn out to be a last instruction. Nacino had asked Roselle to take good care of their child. “He told me that he will make sure that our child will have a comfortable life in case he dies,” Roselle said.

Nacino’s father said President Aquino promised to help the family cope with the loss of his son, the sole breadwinner.

Nacino, eldest in a brood of six, had been financing the education of his siblings Geraldine, a criminology student at the University of Baguio, and Ricky Boy, a finance management student at the Saint Louis University, both in Baguio City.

Nacino was buried at a public cemetery in the town on Thursday.

Ordinary folk

In the necrological service, flyers bearing Nacino’s picture were distributed with the words, “Heroes are ordinary people who make themselves extraordinary,” quoting American musician Gerard Way.

In Pangasinan province, 2,000 residents joined the

3-kilometer funeral march from the house of PO2 Ephraim Mejia in Barangay Calaocan in San Nicolas town to the town hall, where a necrological service was held for the slain policeman on Thursday.

Gov. Amado Espino Jr. and Pangasinan Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil, both former police officers, joined the march.

Residents and students also lined the road, holding placards that read, “We salute you, Sir!” and “We are proud of you!”

San Nicolas Mayor Rebecca Saldivar suspended office work on Thursday to allow town employees to pay their last respects to Mejia.

“Today, we mourn the tragic loss of a great warrior and a great hero,” said Saldivar. “I hope that the heroism that PO2 Mejia had shown will serve as an inspiration to every resident of our town. And I hope that his heroism will not end after this necrological service.”

Senior Insp. Rodelio Payagen, SAF commanding officer in Pangasinan, appealed to government leaders to help Mejia’s family and those of 43 other SAF members obtain justice.

“SAF is a family. We march together, we eat together, share happy and sad moments together. We embody our seal as ‘Tagaligtas’ (savior). We fight together as brothers in arms and die together,” Payagen said.

Mejia’s wife, Miya, described him as a good father, a good son and a good husband.

“We love you so much. When our daughter grows up I will tell her that she had a brave father who gave his life for the country,” she said.

Selective Roxas

In Bataan province, the mother of slain PO3 John Lloyd Sumbilla vented her ire at police officials when she learned that Interior Secretary Mar Roxas would not be able to visit her son’s wake in Morong town on Wednesday.

“We were ignored. My son paid for his life. He was returned to me without hands and feet, my poor child,” said Telly Sumbilla, 62, when only Chief Supt. Carmelo Valmoria, director of National Capital Region Police Office, and Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, acting SAF director, turned up at the wake.

Sumbilla was cremated on Thursday in Olongapo City, where residents lined the streets to pay their last respects.

Sumbilla’s mother intends to take portions of her son’s ashes to their native Eastern Samar, leaving the rest of his ashes with Sumbilla’s widow Rachelle.

“We no longer believe in the government’s statements… We want to know the outcome of the investigation,” the mother said.

Valmoria and Taliño tried to appease her by assuring her that the government would take care of Sumbilla’s family.

In Bulacan province, Roxas also failed to attend the burial of PO3 Junrel Kibete on Thursday in San Jose del Monte City. A funeral convoy fetched Kibete’s remains from his sister’s house in Barangay Minuyan to the San Isidro Labrador Church for Mass before he was buried at Providence Memorial Park.

Kibete’s casket was showered with rose petals while white balloons were released in his honor.

Rey, Kibete’s older brother, said he wished that the government would help the late policeman’s family acquire a home lot, admitting that they have been squatting.

Supt. Charlie Cabradilla, city police chief, handed Kibete’s family cash donations from more than 1,000 policemen from Bulacan. Reports from Armand Galang, Carmela Reyes-Estrope, Greg Refraccion and Allan Macatuno, Inquirer Central Luzon; and Gabriel Cardinoza, Inquirer Northern Luzon