Poe urges DOJ to find SAF killers

Sen. Grace Poe INQUIRER.net file photo

The Department of Justice should use the full might of the government to search for witnesses to the killing of nine Special Action Force (SAF) members involved in the Mamasapano operation against Malaysian terror suspect Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, Sen. Grace Poe said yesterday.

Poe urged the DOJ to continue looking for ways to hold the killers of the SAF members to account.

This was after the DOJ released its final report on the Mamasapano incident, which said that the investigation could not determine who to charge for the death of nine members of the SAF’s Seaborne who were killed while arresting Marwan.

It said that despite “diligent efforts,” it could not find a credible witness on the identities of the people involved in killing the nine commandos.

“The DOJ should not be deterred by this disheartening development from continuing and finding ways to harness the full might of the government to identify and secure witnesses in order to fulfill its mandate of rendering justice for these heroes,” Poe said in a text message.

Poe led the Senate committee hearings on the SAF operation in Mamasapano that resulted in the killing of Marwan.

But during the operation, 44 SAF commandos perished in a gunfight with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and private armed groups.

Earlier, the DOJ recommended the filing of direct assault with murder charges against 90 members of the MILF, BIFF and private armed groups for the killing of 35 members of the SAF’s 55th Special Action Company involved in the operation.