MANILA, Philippines - One of the police commandos who survived the bloody encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao belied reports that he killed a civilian and unarmed members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
PO2 Christopher Lalan, the lone survivor of the 55th Special Action Company of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF), insisted that those he killed were armed.
The MILF accused Lalan of killing four of their members who were sleeping in a mosque as well as a civilian after the cease-fire took effect in Mamasapano last January 26.
"Anong mosque, wala namang mosque dun. Naka-baril yung mga tao doon at kung di ko ginawa yun, ako ang binaril nila. At sino naman ang sibilyan na matino na nagkakabakbakan, nagkapapatayan eh andun sila sa area," Lalan said in an interview with ABS-CBN News.
Lalan dove into a river in Brgy. Tukalanipao and hid behind water lilies and vegetation to evade other armed groups for 11 hours.
"Ginawa ko yung dapat kong gawin tapos ganyan na parang ako yung masama. Hindi naman po totoo yun. Kung hindi ko ginawa yun, patay ako," Lalan added.
The SAF survivor recounted that he pretended to be dead at one point to evade Muslim guerillas.
He ran in circles in the cornfield before finding Army soldiers who turned him over to his SAF colleagues.
READ: SAF survivor evaded rebels for 11 hours