Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Catapang Jr. visited camps in Northern and Southern Luzon on Monday to do the traditional “talk to men.” He also checked the ongoing infrastructure and environmental programs of the military camps. PHOTO by 2ID
MANILA, Philippines — “Don’t listen to what they’re saying.”
Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Catapang Jr. told his men not to listen to the blame and criticisms hurled against them for supposedly not sending immediate reinforcements on the botched Mamasapano raid which killed 44 elite police officers last January 25.
“Kung ano naririnig n’yo na hindi maganda, ‘wag n’yo pansinin ‘yan kasama sa trabaho ‘yan,” he told Army troops at the 7th Infantry Division (ID) at Fort Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija on Monday.
(If you’re hearing things that aren’t pleasant to the ears, don’t mind them—they are part of the job.)
On Monday, Catapang visited the 7ID and the 2nd Infantry Division in Tanay, Rizal for a traditional “talk to men” and to check the ongoing infrastructure and environmental activities of the military camps.
The visit also came amid rumors of a coup plot to topple down the Aquino government. Last week, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin confirmed that he received reports of a coup d’état but these were still subject for validation.
Members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) targeted two known terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and Basit Usman in an operation in Maguindanao which was kept from the military, that has resulted to delayed reinforcements supposedly because of lack of information.
“Kinompartmentalize ka then ‘pag nabulilyaso ang lakad ikaw ‘yung masisisi. Bakit ‘yung mga bumbero ‘pag nag-responde sa sunog, may namatay sampu hanggang bente, hindi sinisisi ang bumbero? Bakit tayo nu’ng rumesponde, tumulong, tayo pa sinisisi? Alalahanin nyo, kung merong SAF 44, meron ding SAF 28,” Catapang told the soldiers.
(We were being compartmentalized, and then, when the operation got bungled, we were the ones being blamed, Why is it that when there’s a fire that killed 10 or 20 people, no one blames the firemen? Why are they blaming us now when we have responded and helped them? Remember, if there were the so-called SAF 44, there were also the SAF 28.)
“‘Yang SAF 28 nabuhay dahil nag-responde tayo. Eleven ang wounded, 17 ang hindi nasugatan. Nandu’n tayo nu’ng kinakailangan. Andu’n tayo nu’ng nasusunugan sila, nu’ng humihingi ng saklolo. Ang hindi lang maganda, kinompartmentalize tayo. Hindi tayo sinabihan kung ano talaga plano, sa’n gagawin, anong oras, ano kailangan nila nu’ng nagkaipit-ipit na sinisisi,” he added.
(The SAF 28 lived because we responded. Eleven were wounded, 17 weren’t. We were there when they needed us. We were there when they asked for rescue. The only thing that’s not nice is they are compartmentalizing us. They didn’t inform us about the plan, the operation, the time, and their needs, and then when the operation got bungled, they are now blaming us.)
He told soldiers to instead continue doing their jobs.
“Let’s all be professional about this. Let’s just continue our job. I know matatapos rin ito (This shall pass too),” he said.
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