SAF kin decry slow justice

MANILA, Philippines - A widow of one of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos killed in an encounter with Muslim rebel fighters in Mamasapano, Maguindanao decried yesterday the slow pace of justice.

“Due process is moving slowly. Many videos have circulated; what else do we need to find and prove?” Raechel June Sumbilla, widow of PO3 John Lloyd Sumbilla, told reporters at the Makati City Hall.

“Dapat mabilisang aksyon. Nailibing na nga lahat, bakit pa kami pinahihirapan?” she added, noting all the slain have been buried.

She said that both President Aquino and resigned Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima should admit their involvement in the botched police operation and be meted out punishments.

According to her, the President, as commander-in-chief, and Purisima, as the one in charge of the police operation, should both be held liable.

Raechel called on Aquino to break his silence and cooperate in the ongoing probe of the Mamasapano incident.

“He is not speaking up. The last thing he said was that he was owning up responsibility which he will carry to the grave, but it still seems lacking,” she said.

“Please coordinate with us, Mr. President,” she added.

While the government has been extending financial assistance to the families of the slain commandos, Raechel said what they really need now is justice.

“Yes, there is assistance but this would not lessen the pain we are feeling if there won’t be justice,” she said.

Relatives of the slain SAF commandos were each given a P100,000 check yesterday by the Makati city government.

Raechel said there would only be justice if those who planned and headed the police operation are punished.

She called on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to cooperate in the probe and “tell the truth.”

She also supported the uploading of a video footage, which showed an injured SAF trooper being shot in the head to his death.

“I have nothing against the uploader of the video. I want the public to see how our husbands, our loved ones, were treated. The uploading of the video was okay, so long as it helps raise awareness of the massacre that happened,” she said.

Raechel told reporters that aside from the financial aid given by the Makati city government yesterday, the families of slain commandos were also given P250,000 by the Office of the President.