Bridge marking bloodshed washed away by flooding

The now well-known site of the bloodiest debacle of police in the anti-terror campaign, the Tukalanipao footbridge, is now gone after it was washed away by floodwaters. —NASH MAULANA

MAMASAPANO, Maguindanao—While officials here may have wanted to keep the old footbridge in Tukanalipao village as a memorial for those who were killed in the anti-terror operation against the Malaysian terrorist Marwan, Mother Nature had something else in mind.

Floodwaters swept away the wooden bridge at the height of torrential rains in September, barely four months before the second year of the bloodshed that killed 44 police commandos, 18 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and two civilians, according to Modrika Masukat, agriculture officer of Tukanalipao.

Students’ passage

The footbridge, which used to connect the opposite banks of the Tukanalipao river, was originally intended for students to cross the river for free, instead of paying for a banca ride, said Ismael Hashim, village chair of Tukanalipao.

The bridge proved useless for 44 Special Action Force commandos who found themselves pinned down by MILF gunmen and other armed groups as they tried to capture Marawan on Jan. 25, 2015.

Following the tragedy, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Maguindanao built a new bailey bridge, that now serve residents.

Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) said he would have wanted the old footbridge preserved in memory of those killed.

But requesting for government funds for infrastructure to preserve what could be a historical landmark needed coordination with the National Historical Commission, which is usually a lengthy procedure.

The deaths of the 44 SAF members during the operation to get Marwan became the biggest challenge to the administration of former President Aquino, who has been accused of violating the chain of command when he coordinated the operation with his then suspended police chief and close friend, Allan Purisima.

Questions lingered over whether Aquino kept the operation secret even to the highest officers of the military and police.

MILF blamed lack of coordination for the debacle, but critics of the rebel group said MILF is the source of leaks of operations against terrorists.

Although Marwan was killed in the operation, government forces suffered heavy casualties, largely blamed on faulty planning and a remote command that failed to grasp the actual situation on the ground. —NASH B. MAULANA