National Day of Mourning January 30, 2015- PNP-SAF killed in Maguindanao Mamasapano-Message from President Benigno Aquino III “PNOY”

Lorraine Trinidad
is a Accounting in the Philippines

Tinawag na Mourning Day ang Buwan ng Enero 30 dahil sa paggunita sa pagkamatay ng 44 PNP-SAF sa Mamasapano Maguindanao para dakpin ang dalawang International Terrorists na sina Marwan at Basit Usman. Sa kasamaang palad sila ay natrap at walang awang pinagbabaril.



More than a dozen SAF operatives were killed in 1995 in an encounter with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Barangay Gokotan in Pikit, North Cotabato during the height of an uprising by peasant-guerillas in nearby Kibines District in Carmen, also in the same province, in protest of attempts to force them out of their lands around the Malitubog-Maridagao irrigation dam being constructed in the area then.

The multi-million irrigation project, designed to irrigate some 10,000-hectares of rice farms in North Cotabato, was bankrolled by foreign donors.

The SAF members were running after a band of MILF rebels, reportedly led by Pakil Ayunan, who were sympathetic to their companions fighting government forces in Kibines, led by Kagui Magandingan Manalos.

The SAF team was ambushed while maneuvering through a corn field near houses occupied by armed villagers and hardcore secessionist rebels.

Outnumbered and outflanked, the SAF men were almost wiped out in the encounter.

Former President Fidel V. Ramos cited factors that led to the elite forces' clash with fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which the government has signed a preliminary peace deal with.

  1. Inadequate confidence-building measures (CBMs) among the civilian-military-police stakeholders
  2. Poor or lack of coordination
  3. Faulty written SOPs and rules of engagement
  4. Slipshod monitoring of the existing "ceasefire"
  5. Between maneuver and fire support elements, lack of teamwork
  6. Poor unit troop leadership
  7. Poor tactical intelligence
  8. Lack of sincerity to pursue peace on the part of the MILF
  9. Inadequate command guidance from the higher commander
  10. Poor strategic direction from the Commander-in-Chief

PNP-SAF na nakaligtas sa engkwetro ibinahagi ang pagkakaligtas

Isang miyembro ng PNP-SAF ang nakaligtas sa madugong palitan baril sa Mamasapano Maguindanao.Tubong Ifugao at 8 years na sa serbisyo, first time niya pa lamang nakapunta sa Maguindanao.Wala na siyang pang-itaas na damit at tila takot na takot ang hitsura. Kwento ni PO2 kitang-kita niya kung paano inubos ng MILFF at BIF ang kanyang mga kasamahan. Habang gumagapang nakikita iya ang kanyang mga kasamahan na patay na, ang iba naubusan ng bala at ang iba ay sugatan na. Nakita niya ang ibang mga kasamahan na may hawak ng cellphone habang nakatingin sa picture ng asawa at anak. Habang gumagapang isang dati niyang kaklase na may tama na ang sumalo ng mga bala na dapat ay sa kanya.Tumalon daw siya sa ilog at nagtago sa mga water lily, kitang kita niya ang pagpatay sa kanyang mga kasamahan, kahit patay na ito at binabaril pa din. Nakita niya din ang pagkuha ng mga baril, uniporme at night vision google sa kanyang mga patay na kasamahan. Halos may umaga na daw ng umahon siya sa ilog, alas tres na ng hapon ng siya ay nakalabas at agad humingi ng tulong sa magsasakang kanyang nakita. Paniwala niya na ang hawak hawak niyang rosary ang tanging nagligtas sa kanya. Mananatili pa din daw syang magsilbi bilang pulis sa bayan sa kabila ng kanyang karanasan.


Why Fourty four Police Special Action Force (SAF) killed in Maguindanao?


The operation last Sunday, January 25, 2015 in Mamasapano, Maguindanao targeted two international terrorists associated with Jemaah Islamiyah – Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli Bin Hir alias “ Marwan” and Basit Usman. The US had offered a $5 million bounty for Marwan and $1 million for Usman.

Ang mga PNP-SAF ay natrap sa isang madugong labanan with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) sa Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano town. The Army 6th Infantry Division wanted immediately provide fire support, according to three sources in the Armed Forces, pero ang pulis na komontak sa kanila ay hindi maibigay ang eksaktong grid coordinate nila.


Former Interior and Local Government Secretary Rafael Alunan shared his opinion on the killing of 44 Philippine National-Special Action Forces commandos in an encounter with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Sunday.

Alunan said a "misencounter" usually happens between two friendly forces after each side fails to identify each other.

"It happens when both sides fail to identify each other. Gunshots are fired but when one gets to identify a friendly, they stop. they order a ceasefire. In this particular case, the firing was fast, furious and continuous and massacred more than (40) people. It was an overkill and not a misencounter. It was a plain and simple massacre," he said in an ANC Dateline Philippines interview.

Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas earlier described the clash as a misencounter, saying the police commandos were hunting two "high-value" militants when they ran into a group of rebels who thought the police were mounting an attack.

Saan kami puputok? Hindi nila alam kung saan sila. ANg pinakamasakit, friendly fire. Sabi ni Military General based in Camp Aguinaldo.

“May procedure how to call for fire support. Sir, I’m in these grid coordinates. From my position, ito yung anggulo at ganito ang layo. Hindi pwedeng tsambahan, mababagsakan ang bahay ng MILF”, paliwanag ng isa pang opisyales.


The military had several military detachments and hundreds of soldiers distribute around Mamasapano in Maguindanao at the time. Pero kulang ng prior information and coordination prevented them from preparing contingency plans that could have possibly stopped the carnage.

Nang dumating ang mga sundalo sa area ng sagupaan, the task waiting for them at dala-dala ang mga bangkay ng fourty four PNP-SAF at maraming tama ng bala ng baril.


One of the message of President Benigno Aquino III “PNOY”


Noong Sabado ng gabi, ika-24 ng Enero, isang grupo ng mga kasapi ng Special Action Force ng ating Philippine National Police ay tumungo sa Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Ang kanilang misyon, ipatupad ang mga outstanding warrants of arrest sa dalawang notorious na teroristang matagal nang pinaghahanap ng mga awtoridad: Sina Abdulbasit Usman at Zulkipli Bin Hir, alias Abu Marwan. Sa pagtupad ng kanilang tungkulin, 44 sa ating mga pulis ang napatay, habang 16 naman ang sugatan, kabilang na ang 3 sibilyan, ayon sa huling tala ng ating NDRRMC.


Hindi po pangkaraniwang kriminal sina Marwan at Usman. Mayroong mahabang listahan ng mga warrant laban sa kanila; kay Usman pa lang po, mayroon nang di-bababa sa walong outstanding warrant, habang may di naman bababa sa dalawa kay Marwan. 2002 po ang isa sa mga pinakamaaga rito, kaya’t ang ibig sabihin, Congressman pa lang ako ay pinaghahanap na sila. Lilinawin ko lang po: Kapag may warrant laban sa isang tao, bawat alagad ng batas ay tungkuling ipatupad ito. Kaya nga po, dati pa, marami nang mga operasyon para madakip o subukang madakip sina Marwan at Usman, pati na ang iba pang terorista, ang isinigawa ng iba’t ibang sangay ng security sector, kabilang na ang AFP, PNP, at NBI.


Pasado alas-4 ng umaga ng Linggo nang umabot ang Special Action Force sa kutang pinagtataguan nina Marwan at Usman. Sa nangyaring engkuwentro, diumano’y napatay ang pangunahing target na si Marwan. Nang marinig ang putukan, nanlaban naman si Usman at ang kanyang mga kasamahan. May mga non-combatants na nakita sa mga tirahan nina Marwan at Usman; kinailangan talagang dikitan sila ng ating mga puwersa para maiwasang madamay ang inosente. Unang inatake ang bahay ni Marwan; rumesponde naman sina Usman at nawala ang element of surprise na siyang magpapahirap na matupad ang kanilang misyon. Kaya naman, minabuti ng SAF na umatras at makipag-rendezvous sa mga kasamahan nilang nagbabantay ng kanilang daraanan papalabas sa lugar ng engkuwentro. Lumalabas pong sa withdrawal na ito nangyari ang pinakamadugong bahagi ng sagupaan.

Tanong ko: Bakit at paano nga po kaya nangyari na malapit na sa jump-off o naka-jump-off na, nang sinabihan ang batalyon ng AFP na malapit sa operasyon? Ang problema po dito, nagkalat sa iba’t ibang lugar ang mga sundalong kasapi ng batalyong ito na nagbabantay sa main supply route sa lugar na ito. Sa madaling salita, dikit na sa oras ng engkuwentro ang abiso, at mahirap masabi kung nagkaroon ng sapat na panahon upang ihanda ang ayuda kung kakailanganin. Kung may compliance pong nangyari sa atas kong siguruhing may sapat na koordinasyon, parang sinagad po itong very minimum compliance. Nagulat nga po akong malaman na ang pinuno ng Western Mindanao Command, o maski ng 6th Infantry Division, ay tila naabisuhan lamang matapos ang unang engkuwentro laban kina Marwan at Usman; palabas na ang puwersa ng SAF, at nagkakaroon na ng problema sa puntong ito.

President Benigno Aquino III admitted on Wednesday that he knew about the covert operation of the Philippine National Police's elite Special Action Force (SAF) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, where 44 elite cops were killed.

In his televised address to the nation, Aquino said he repeatedly reminded relieved SAF chief Director Getulio Napeñas to have proper coordination before proceeding with the operation.

Napeñas has been relieved and replaced by his deputy pending an investigation by the government.

Aquino, however, was not satisfied with the SAF chief's compliance with his reminder.


Sa panig naman po ng MILF: Napakalaki na ang mga hakbang na nagawa natin dahil nagtiwala tayo sa isa’t isa. Napatunayan natin na kaya nating magtulungan: Noong 2014, isang Japanese national ang nailigtas sa Maguindanao; sa taon ding iyon, napigilan ang pagpapasabog ng isang bomba sa Maguindanao din. Nabasa ko rin po ang pahayag ni Chairman Al Haj Murad ukol sa insidente sa Mamasapano; magandang unang hakbang ang pagbubuo nila ng isang Special Investigative Commission upang matukoy ang mga detalye at katotohanan ng pangyayari. Inaasahan kong sa lalong madaling panahon, mas kongkretong patunay ng pakikiisa sa paghahabol ng kapayapaan ang ipapakita ng MILF, tungo sa paghahabol ng katotohanan, at sa pagpapanagot sa mga may kasalanan.


Iwasan na rin po sana ng lahat ang pagkakalat ng haka-haka ukol sa mga pangyayari. Ang sabi nga po sa bibliya: The truth shall set us free. Mayroon na pong board of inquiry na itinalaga upang makalap ang buong katotohanan. Abangan na lamang po natin ang resulta nito.



Sa mga pamilya naman po ng mga nasawing kasapi ng Special Action Force: Damang-dama ko ang pinagdaraanan ninyong dalamhati. Alam ko ring maaaring may katuwang itong agam-agam para sa inyong kinabukasan, lalo na kung tumatayo na breadwinner ang kaanak ninyong nagsakripisyo para sa operasyong ito. Sinisiguro ko po sa inyo: Ibibigay ng estado ang sagad na maaari nitong ibigay ayon sa mga batas at patakaran. Sa pagkakataon pong ito, diretso kong pinapakiusapan ang publiko na kung puwede po ay magbigay din tayo ng ayuda, at isagad ang pagtulong sa mga pamilya ng nasawi, bilang pagkilala sa kadakilaan ng mga bayaning nag-alay ng buhay tungo sa minimithi nating kapayapaan. Two soon-to-be-born babies will never get the chance to see their respective fathers in person following last Sunday's bloody clash between elite policemen and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao. Both the government and the MILF said they would conduct their respective investigations on the carnage. On January 30, lawmakers sought answers to a number of mysteries shrouding the bloody encounter in Maguindanao that left 44 police commandos dead, including the apparent role of the United States, and that of suspended Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima.


Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate said Congress should launch a full investigation into reports linking US operatives to the botched operation in Mamasapano on Jan. 25.


The PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) contingent had run into forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) while pursuing two international terrorists, including the Malaysian bomb-maker Zulkifli bin Hir, or “Marwan,” who was reportedly killed by the government troops.



About the author

Lorraine Trinidad

Profession: Accounting
Philippines , Manila , Quezon City

 

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It may have been a "misencounter" for the government, but a former cabinet secretary thinks that it’s a massacre.

“Hindi po misencounter ‘yun. Massacre ‘yun,” said former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Rafael Alunan in an interview with Unang Balita’s Arnold Clavio and Rhea Santos on Friday.
Instead of all-out war, we should be seeking all-out justice, Alunan said. While there is justice, the peace process should proceed.
One of the agreements for peace occurred as hostilities ended in 1997 in the Implementing Operational Guidelines of the Ceasefire Agreement: “Police and military actions and administrative/logistic activities shall continue to be undertaken by the GRP throughout Mindanao and the entire country. In the pursuit thereof, confrontational situations between the GRP and the MILF forces shall be avoided by prior coordination with the latter.” (Article II) It is an agreement made with our formal partner in the peace process, the MILF. It is not an agreement which can be unilaterally set aside or disregarded.
He added that the process should start with the people, not the government. Even if the government does everything it can to promote peace, if the people themselves do not want it, then nothing will happen.
Led by former MILF 105th Base Commander Ustadz Ameril Umra Kato, the BIFF splintered from the MILF over serious disagreements on the conduct of the peace negotiations with the government. He reportedly has the respect and loyalty of many of the sub-commanders and members of the unit.
After the split, Kato's former deputy commander and confidant Zakariah Goma assumed the post of 105th base commander.
Peace talks assume that both parties are sincere. But Alunan said that the fact that the MILF and BIFF were protecting an international terrorist shows that they were not sincere, and that the peace talks should be set aside for the meantime.
The families of the 44 elite police officers killed during an operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao will get from P1.5 million to P2 million in death benefits, the Philippine National Police said Friday.

"Death benefits for policemen killed in [the] line of duty include P250,000.00 from the President's Social Fund; between P141,000.00 up to P181,000.00 as Special Financial Assistance (SFA) from the PNP; burial benefits worth P50,000.00; and P200,000.00 gratuity from the National Police Commission," the PNP Public Information Office said in a press release.

Police officers who are members of the Public Safety Mutual Benefit Fund can also get death insurance of from P225,000 to P417,000, depending on their ranks.

Aside from the death benefits, the families will also receive a lifetime monthly pension of P15,000 to P25,000 and around the same amount from the Napolcom for five years.

The 44 troopers, killed on Sunday in a clash with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front during an operation to arrest two international terrorists, will also receive posthumous promotions.
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