MANILA, Philippines—More than a month following the bungled operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao which killed 44 members of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), outgoing SAF officer in charge Chief Superintendent Noli Taliño said that the morale of the troopers is now “high.”
“Wala naman kaming natatanggap na ganong reklamo ng mga (Mamasapano) survivors. In fact, ang SAF ngayon ay okay na, high spirit, high morale na ang mga troops (We have not received any complaints from the survivors. In fact, the SAF troopers are now okay, [in] high spirit, high morale.),” Taliño said in an interview during the sidelines of the Assumption of Command Ceremony of the new SAF director on Wednesday.
Chief Superintendent Moro Virgilio Lazo on Wednesday was officially named as the replacement of sacked SAF head Director Getulio Napeñas.
Lazo, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, was a former SAF trooper and current head of PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Office.
Various Inquirer reports revealed that Lazo was the former deputy regional police director for operations of Central Luzon and director of Cagayan Provincial Police Office before he was appointed as the FEO head.
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