Mamasapano clash survivor among fatalities in Abra blast

Police Officer 3 Carlos Bocaig. (Photo from Sardines Ang Favorite [SAF] Facebook page)

A survivor of the bloody Mamasapano incident was one of the two policemen killed in the grenade explosion in La Paz town, Abra province before dawn Thursday.

Police Officer 3 Carlos Bocaig, incidentally, was killed on the same day the ill-fated “Oplan Exodus” happened three years ago.

Oplan Exodus was a delicate operation of the elite police group Special Action Force (SAF) against Malaysian terrorist and bomb expert Zulkifli Bin Hir, alias “Marwan”, in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in 2015.

Another Mamasapano survivor told INQUIRER.net that Bocaig was a gunner in the 13-man assault team that attacked Marwan’s hut in Barangay (village) Pidsandawan.

The survivor, who declined to be identified, described Bocaig as a “warrior.” Bocaig was a former member of the SAF’s seaborne unit.

“Even after surviving the battle in Mamasapano, he still volunteered to join combat operations,” the police officer said in Filipino.

Bocaig and another policeman were killed while securing VIPs at a town fiesta in Abra province.

READ: Abra grenade blast kills 2, injures congressman, mayor

At least 10 others were wounded in the blast, among them Rep. Joseph Bernos and La Paz Mayor Menchie Bernos.                 /kga