Roxas slams Binay for politicizing heroism of SAF 44

FOR five years, Vice President Jejomar Binay applauded the administration he’s been a part of. Now this?

That was the reaction of Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II to Vice President Jejomar Binay’s own valedictory address or his so-called “True State of the Nation Address” he just delivered at a school gymnasium in Cavite on Monday.

“But [worst] of all, he politicized the heroism of the SAF (Special Action Force) 44,” Roxas said in a text message to the media. “Hindi ito tama (This is not right),” he added.

In his counter-Sona, Binay slammed President Aquino for failing to recognize in his Sona the slain 44 members of the elite police unit killed in the neutralization of Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Bin Hir alias Marwan in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last January 25.

The ill-fated operation led to the killing of 44 policemen, 16 Moro Islamic Liberation Front members and three civilians amid a bloody gunfight. This also triggered a public outrage against the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.

While Binay spoke before Cavite officials and students of Cavite State University, behind him was a backdrop of the SAF 44 similar to the mural of the heroes at the Philippine National Police Academy camp in Silang, Cavite.

The Vice President is an adopted member of the PNPA “Tagapaglingkod” class of 1987.

Toward the end of his speech, Binay called one by one the names of the slain SAF men.

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