‘We have no more tears to shed’

Last Sunday, we wanted to do our share in calming down people’s emotions after the Mamasapano massacre. I wrote that demanding the president’s resignation was not the answer. Sadly, I received overwhelming emails of angry reactions from readers who said they want certain heads to roll, with a lot of the emotional emails expressing in no uncertain terms their disgust and outrage at what they described as the “lying and prevarication” of the government over the botched PNP operation in Mamasapano that resulted in the death of 44 PNP Special Action Force troops.

Angry emotions continue to dominate the feelings of many Filipinos, grieving with the kin of the fallen as well. This fact was even more evident when Philippine National Police OIC Deputy Director General Dindo Espina – who was kept out of the loop in the operation to arrest top terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and his acolyte bomb maker Basit Usman – became very emotional during a Congressional hearing as he recalled the “overkill” done on the SAF members, many of whom were still very much alive before they were given the “coup de grace” or the finishing shot on the head.

“You blame lack of coordination to justify the killing of my people?” the police general seethed, reminding everybody that the troops were sent on a legal operation to arrest terrorists and criminals – murderers, actually.

A video (which generated over 2 million views before it was taken down) that showed a still alive SAF trooper identified as PO1 Joseph Sagonoy who was cold-bloodedly shot twice in the head has since gone viral, fueling a kind of anger that is far more intense than one can imagine. What is disturbing is that this feeling of anger is increasing, with people beginning to harbor the beginnings of a desire to inflict “an eye for an eye.” While some want the video taken down because the graphic contents violated sensitivities, many say it serves as an eye opener on the kind of barbarism that the members of the MILF and BIFF are capable of.

In fact, a hot topic of discussion among Netizens was the response of Jordan’s King Abdullah II (dubbed the “warrior king”) – who promised relentless war against the terrorist group ISIS for killing one Jordanian pilot (who was burnt alive inside a metal cage). Netizens compared the reaction of the Philippine government, saying, “44 SAF troopers are brutally killed, and P-Noy gives them a ‘verbal warning.’”

A big source of frustration, anger and disappointment is the growing perception that there are people in government who want the “truth” about the Mamasapano tragedy to be buried along with the slain. Certainly, people appreciate the Senate hearings chaired by Senator Grace Poe most especially Senator Miriam Santiago with her usual feisty self, grilling sacked SAF commander Getulio Napeñas and then turning her sight on resigned PNP chief Alan Purisima. She articulated what was foremost in the minds of many people: It’s just common sense – someone above the level of Napeñas, who was not the highest official, was giving the orders. And since General Espina and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas were intentionally kept in the dark, that left only Purisima and the President. And had Purisima not meddled, perhaps the 44 men would still be alive today, came the damning indictment from the fiery senator.

Senator Bong Marcos did well, too, in asking incisive questions. It’s just as well that talks regarding the BBL have been suspended because this could very well become another polarizing factor. Judging from the reactions of people, there is a strong suspicion that government negotiators are just eyeing a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for the president – “peace for a prize” is how they described it. With emotions running extremely high, pushing the passage of the BBL at this time is ill advised.

The Palace should not underestimate the anger of the people, especially with talks about destabilization that, according to Senator Santiago, is being encouraged by a rich man (according to raw information we received – is a wealthy individual, awash with cash and has a very big axe to grind against President Aquino). The outrage has spread all over the world with many overseas Filipinos just as angry and furious.

For those who watched the televised Senate hearing, it was very telling that no one wanted to admit who told the president, and when, that the operation in Mamasapano had turned into a disaster. It was rather disconcerting to hear that the country’s highest officials in the military were with the president on that fateful day, but no one thought it expedient to tell him that the troops are being massacred. Worse, Purisima all but invoked “executive privilege” when asked if he told the president about what was going on, telling everybody he needs to “get clearance first” to answer the question.

The last of the fallen has since been laid to rest, but the grieving, the pain, the anger and outrage will continue unless the questions are satisfactorily answered. For sure, a lot of “what ifs” are adding to the torture of the widows and orphans who are convinced that the men would still be alive today if only certain interests were not put above the lives of their beloved. As one of our readers bluntly put it, “the people who are responsible for this tragedy seem to think this was just another video game where one has the option to restart. They played with the lives of 44 men! Someone has to pay for the death of these young men... We have no more tears to shed.”

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