MANILA, Philippines - More tears were shed for the slain 44 commandos of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) as the National Capital Regional Police Office (NCRPO) marked its 24th anniversary yesterday in its headquarters in Bicutan, Taguig City.
Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II, the guest of honor, again turned emotional during his speech when he asked the audience to sing the National Anthem as a way to honor the SAF men killed in an encounter with Moro rebels in Mamasapano last month.
Roxas was seen shedding tears as he sang the last few words of the anthem, and immediately took his handkerchief from his pocket to wipe his tears.
Roxas urged policemen to honor the slain SAF men by giving sincere service and protection to the people every day.
“Their lives and memories are forever etched in our minds and hearts for the ultimate sacrifice that they gave for our people and our nation. The greatness of their courage and sacrifice that they gave to our country, where there is a threat of terrorism, is unquestionable,” Roxas said in Filipino.
Roxas also admitted he had mixed feelings as he attended the anniversary celebration of the NCRPO.
“Today we have mixed feelings of sadness and happiness. Sadness because of what happened to our heroes in Mamasapano and happiness because of improving peace and order in Metro Manila,” Roxas said.
“They gave the ultimate sacrifice. We honor them by doing our job. We honor them by remembering and by seeking justice and making sure an incident like this will not happen again,” he added.
Before the program, Roxas and NCRPO chief Director Carmelo Valmoria led police officials in laying wreaths for the fallen SAF men.
Former NCRPO chief Vidal Querol, a guest at the ceremony, said the government has to convince the bereaved families and the whole nation that the slain SAF commandos were not betrayed and abandoned by President Aquino, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the PNP and government peace negotiators.
“We need to convince them that their lives were not wasted in the mighty name of peace process with the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). By these explanations, those with personal painful memory of (the Mamasapano incident) will bear a lighter heart on the President as commander-in-chief, the AFP and the PNP as security institutions,” Querol said.
The MILF’s ceasefire committee earlier promised to turn over to the government the firearms and other personal belongings of the slain SAF commandos, but as of yesterday the MILF has not yet returned anything.
But a farmer returned over the weekend a Kevlar helmet, pieces of body armor and an electronic communication gadget he found in a cornfield west of Barangay Tukanalipao in Mamasapano. The farmer turned over the combat equipment to the municipal police office, according to Senior Supt. Rudelio Jocson, provincial police director of Maguindanao.
Meanwhile, the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) is set to release the funeral benefits to beneficiaries of slain SAF members next week, according to Employees Compensation Commission (ECC) executive director Stella Banawis. – With Mayen Jaymalin, John Unson