‘Saddened’ Duterte orders NBI to hasten probe on Sulu incident

President Rodrigo Duterte. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — A “saddened” President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to fast-track its investigation into an alleged misencounter in Sulu as he requested to meet the police personnel involved, Malacañang said Wednesday.

“Ang pinakaimportante, sinimulan ni Pangulo iyong pagpupulong by saying na talagang nalulungkot siya doon sa nangyari na misencounter diyan sa Sulu ano, at inorderan nga niya ang NBI na pabilisin ang imbestigasyon,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in an interview over GMA-7.

(What’s important is that the President started the meeting by expressing sadness over the misencounter in Sulu and he ordered the NBI to hasten the investigation.)

A misencounter between military and police Monday resulted in the death of four soldiers in Jolo, Sulu.

“Without revealing kung kailan at saan mangyayari ang pagpupulong ay hiningi ni Presidente kay [Interior] Secretary [Eduardo] Año na gusto niyang makausap iyong mga pulis, iyong siyam na pulis na diumano ay nagpaputok doon sa apat na Army personnel, kasama ang isang Major,” Roque said.

(Without revealing when and where it will happen, the President asked Secretary Año that he wants to talk to the police, the nine police officers who allegedly shot the four Army personnel.)

An “enraged” Philippine Army chief called for a full investigation of the death of four soldiers in the hands of police forces.

The Philippine National Police, meanwhile, said it will improve its coordination with the military to prevent such incidents from happening again. It also assured its cooperation with the NBI investigation.

“Lungkot na lungkot siya. Ang ginamit nga niyang salita ay siya ay nanlambot, extremely sad at gusto niya na pumunta mismo doon sa lugar kung saan nangyari, kung pupuwede, dahil gusto niyang ma-lift ang morale ng kasundaluhan dahil talagang parang mababa ang morale ng ating mga kasundaluhan,” Roque recalled.

(He was really sad. The word he used was he felt weak, extremely sad and he wants to go to the place where it took place if allowed. He wants to lift the morale of the military.)

“Hindi daw dapat nagpapatayan, nag-i-engkuwentro ang parehong ideolohiya. At sabi niya, sana ito na ang huling misencounter sa kaniyang termino,” he added.

(He said a bloodshed should not have happened between two groups of the same ideology. He hopes this would be the last misencounter under his term.)

JPV