Noy to confer medal of valor on 2 slain SAF commandos

CAMP OSCAR FLORENDO, La Union, Philippines – Two police officers who were among those killed in the Mamasapano incident last year will be awarded the Medal of Valor by President Aquino.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ricardo Marquez said the medals would be handed over by Aquino to the families of the two police officers during the PNP’s 25th anniversary on Monday.

Marquez said the President approved on Thursday the awarding of the highest honors to Senior Insp. Gednat Tabdi and Police Officer 2 Romeo Cempron.

The two were among the 44 operatives of the police Special Action Force (SAF) killed during a firefight with Muslim rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25 last year.

“On Monday we are going to celebrate the 25th PNP anniversary and at the same time commemorate the heroism of SAF 44. Incidentally, that is also the day the SAF 44 dedicated their lives for peace in our country,” Marquez said during the regional celebration of the PNP anniversary here.

Almost 400 police commandos had swooped down before dawn in the operation to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and local confederate Basit Usman in the remote village in Mamasapano.

But after killing Marwan, the SAF commandos were ambushed by heavily armed Muslim rebels and villagers.

A total of 44 policemen were killed and 12 others were wounded in the attack. Eighteen rebels and five civilians were also killed.

Tabdi was the leader of Team 1 of the 84th Special Action Company. Even while wounded, Tabdi led his team to accomplish its mission.

Cempron, on the other hand, was the lead gunner of the 55th Special Action Company.

When his fellow commandos were already dying, he sacrificed himself as a human shield to allow PO2 Christopher Lalan to survive and move out to safety.

“Our President is gracious enough to approve the Medal of Valor for outstanding, brave and gallant officers,” Marquez said.

He added the other slain SAF will also be awarded with the Medalya ng Kabayanihan (Medal of Heroism).

Marquez said they invited the families of the SAF 44 to attend the ceremony to receive the medals that will be given by Aquino as the guest of honor and speaker during the PNP anniversary celebration on Monday.

The Senate has scheduled a reopening of the investigation into the Mamasapano incident in the effort to clarify some issues raised by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile.

Enrile claimed he had evidence and testimonies that President Aquino was directly involved in the botched operation.

According to Enrile, he has information different from the details established during the first Senate hearings into the incident.

Malacañang promised to cooperate with the probe, with Cabinet officials attending the hearing on Jan. 27.

Among the Cabinet members invited to the hearing are Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia and former interior secretary Manuel Roxas II.

Military and police officials, among them former SAF director Getulio Napeñas, were also invited to the hearing.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had asked the committee led by Sen. Grace Poe to invite former justice secretary Leila de Lima and National Bureau of Investigation director Virgilio Mendez to the hearing.

De Lima, for her part, said she had no idea what evidence Enrile has.

“We don’t know yet the purported new evidence of Sen. Enrile. I hope that those who have legitimate motive in the reopening of the hearing may not have hidden agenda, political or otherwise, to embarrass the administration,” De Lima said.

De Lima said she favors the resumption of the hearing if the objective is really to complete the facts and not a demolition job against the administration.

She said the preliminary investigation of the case at the Department of Justice was finished and already submitted for resolution.

“Let’s just wait for the filing of the case in court because there are some 90 respondents,” she said.

Police Director Benjamin Magalong, former chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group who headed the team of investigators in the Mamasapano incident, said he has no knowledge about the new evidence of Enrile but admitted that the result of his investigation was lacking because they failed to get the support of the key players of the incident. –Mike Frialde