Father of slain SAF commando: No comment on BOI report

VIRAC, Catanduanes—Senior Insp. Guillermo Tria has refused to comment on the recently released report of the Philippine National Police board of inquiry (BOI) on the Mamasapano encounter where his son, Chief Insp. Max Jim Tria, and 43 others police commandos were killed.

“I have not seen the report,” said Tria.

The last photograph of the SAF troops sent by Senior Insp. Max Jim Tria (fifth from left) while they were in Maguindanao, according to his family. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Tria said he has heard about the content of the BOI findings from media reports but he said he would rather not comment about it.

The older Tria is in active service and currently heads the Internal Affairs Service (IAS) unit at Camp Francisco Camacho, the Catanduanes provincial police headquarters here.

Following the Jan. 25 Mamasapano clash between the Philippine National Police Special Action Police (SAF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the older Tria has spoken against the ongoing peace talks with the MILF and called for justice for his slain son and the other fallen commandos.

Since then, however, Tria has opted to stay quiet, refusing interviews involving the death of his son.

READ: Family brings slain SAF trooper home, skips rites at Camp Bagong Diwa

The family also chose to bring home the remains of the young Tria to his hometown Virac the morning after his remains arrived at Villamor Airbase, ahead of the Jan. 29 necrological service for the fallen SAF 44, where President Benigno Aquino III delivered a eulogy.

Max Jim Tria was buried with police honors in a small cemetery near their village on Feb. 7. Other than that, the family opted to keep the ceremony private, with the wreath sent by Aquino not among those brought to the burial grounds.

But the Tria family has welcomed the attention and accolades given to Max Jim by his provincemates.

READ: Blame on Palace shows in Virac burial

This Sunday, March 15, the Tria family is set to attend the installation of their slain son to the Gallery of Distinctions of Catanduanes State University, where Max Jim studied from preschool until graduation from high school in 2005.

The program said that after a minute of silence, the dedication to the officer would be read by CSU president Dr. Minerva Morales.

Tria’s portrait, to be unveiled by Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo, the university’s 44th commencement exercises guest speaker, will hang beside board topnotchers who have brought honor to the institution.

Of the 30 or so honorees so far whose portraits hang on the wall at the university’s main building, the slain SAF trooper will hold the singular distinction of having made the ultimate sacrifice.

Officials of the Department of Labor and Employment’s Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) and the Government Service Insurance System have presented to the family the ECC funeral benefit of P20,000, an initial amount pending the processing of lump sum death benefits, to the Tria family in Barangay Cabihian here on Feb. 19.

Efigenia Tria, Max Jim’s mother, expressed her appreciation to the government agencies but told the officials that no amount of money can compensate for the loss of her son.