SAF troopers in Iloilo seek justice

CEBU, Philippines - Amid their grief and anger over the death of their 44 comrades, members of the elite PNP Special Action Force stationed in Iloilo province still called  for  peace in Mindanao, but believed that justice must be served first.

“They (terrorists) should surrender. Dapat may managot sa nangyari,” said Inspector Andan Calib of the PNP’s 63rd Special Action Company based in Barangay Alibunan of Calinog town in Iloilo.

Calib said that if he would have his way, he would still push for the peace process, which however must be temporarily suspended until justice is served for the fallen 44, “otherwise the lives our comrades offered would just come to naught. We will just be back to zero, if at all.”

When asked to assess if what happened to his fallen comrades was a case of misencounter or if there was an overkill. “We have a body that investigate on what happened. We will just wait for the results,” he said.

Calib was one of the scores of SAF commandos who participated in yesterday’s National Day of Mourning ceremony at the Iloilo Police Provincial Office at Camp Sumagaysay in Sta. Barbara, Iloilo City.

He said he lost his friend and SAF training classmate, Inspector Rennie Tayrus. Both are from Zamboanga del Sur and entered the Philippine National Police Academy on May 2007.

In a related development, Senior Inspector Rengie Deimos, commander of the 63rd SAC, also expressed his grief and sympathy for the family of the slain SAF members, three of whom were his batchmates of the PNPA Kaisang Bisig Class of 2009: Senior Inspectors John Garry Erana, Maxx Jim Tria and Gednat Tabdi. (FREEMAN)