AFP, PNP assure public: We’re a band of brothers

Video by Frances Mangosing/INQUIRER.net

“We are a band of brothers.”

After pinning the blame on each other for the Jan. 25 Mamasapano incident, the country’s top military and police officials maintained that they remain united and would overcome the trial together.

Speaking at Camp Aguinaldo on Thursday at the turnover of firearms of the slain Special Action Force (SAF) troopers earlier handed over by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. welcomed the presence of police counterparts, particularly his “mistah” (classmate), Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, the Philippine National Police officer in charge.

“Your presence here today… means a lot to us. It only shows that we are one, we are strong and we will overcome,” said Catapang, the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The show of force came amid coup rumors in the wake of the Mamasapano debacle in which 44 police commandos died and 15 others were injured. Eighteen MILF guerrillas and five civilians also died in the clashes.

Sixteen high-powered firearms belonging to the slain commandos were returned to the PNP on Thursday, with military and police officials linking arms to show their solidarity in the midst of tragedy.

Also present was the PNP’s “big brother,” Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

Nothing personal

In an interview after the turnover, Catapang said his message was meant to show that the AFP and the PNP were united.

“We just really want to reiterate that we are a band of brothers. We won’t abandon each other. We are just doing our job, nothing personal,” the AFP chief said.

He added that the show of force was not meant to quell any destabilization efforts and that they were simply trying their best to recover all the guns of the slain SAF commandos.

Following the deaths of 44 SAF troopers in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, on Jan. 25, the military and the police pinned the blame on one another.

The military blamed the SAF for not coordinating with it about the operation. The sacked SAF chief, Director Getulio Napeñas, accused the military of not delivering artillery support to the commandos pinned down by members of the MILF and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters during an operation against two high-value targets in Barangays Pidsandawan and Tukanalipao in Mamasapano.

Espina, Catapang’s classmate at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Dimalupig” Class of 1981, thanked the AFP chief for returning the guns of the slain SAF commandos.

“When I heard about this the other day, that he (Catapang) went to Cotabato for this, I was really grateful and thankful for the efforts he exerted,” Espina said.

Surpassing crisis

He recalled his days at the PMA where he said he had been with Catapang, and that he was hopeful that he and the AFP chief would share a strong bond even in their retirement.

“That speaks of the unity of the AFP and PNP as we surpass the crisis we underwent,” Espina said.

Despite the seeming strain on both organizations, things seem to be smoother as military and police officials linked arms and chatted gaily before the turnover.

Top military and police officials are being investigated by the PNP’s board of inquiry, which is conducting a fact-finding probe of the bloody incident.

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