Mass leave of cops looms over slain SAF men

PNPAAAI chairman Retired Chief Superintendent Tomas Rentoy III. JULLIANE LOVE DE JESUS

MANILA, Philippines—The alumni association of the Philippine National Police Academy threatened the government that it would urge all 4,000 PNPA graduates in the field to take a “mass leave” if justice would not be served for the 44 slain policemen.

The PNPA Alumni Association Inc. also vowed to file criminal charges against the perpetrators and officials who may have ordered the operation considered the deadliest in the PNP history.

In a press briefing on Wednesday, PNPAAAI chairman Retired General Tomas Rentoy III said they would ask all PNPA graduates deployed in the field to simultaneously take a five-day leave as protest.

“A mass vacation leave would be the extreme move from us to dramatize our anger over the incident,” Rentoy said.

Rentoy, however, clarified that filing vacation leave will be voluntary for each police officer.

Of the 44 policemen who died, seven were graduates of the PNPA, including the class baron of batch 2009.

The slain officers were:

-Senior Inspector Ryan Pabalinas

-Senior Inspector Rennie Tayrus

-Senior Inspector Gednat Tabdi

-Senior Inspector Cyrus Anniban

-Senior Inspector Max Jim Tria

-Senior Inspector John Garry Eraña

But for the Philippine National Police’s part, the PNPA could show its sympathy without resorting to a mass leave.

“They don’t have to file leaves all at the same time to show their respect and sympathy. We can show that by any other means, not necessarily by filing leaves,” Senior Superintendent Robert Po, PNP deputy spokesperson, said in a separate briefing.

“All PNP members, even a simple folk or individual, as well as the entire nation are grieving. Hindi po dapat inaako ng isang organisasyon lang ang pagdadalamhati,” he added.

The PNPAAAI also condemned the incident, which was described by the government as a “misencounter.”

“Eleven hours? Misencounter? A misencounter could only last for 30 minutes at the most?” he explained.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas earlier said the operation led to a misencounter after 392 SAF troops and the Muslim groups failed to negotiate on the “sensitive” operation.