MANILA, Philippines - Security officials tried to display unity on Thursday amid coup rumors and the finger-pointing on who should be blamed for the Mamasapano clash, which claimed the lives of 44 police commandos.
Military and police officials are confident that they would overcome the crisis borne out of the bloody encounter that happened last January 25.
“We are one, we are strong and we will overcome,” Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr. said during the presentation of the firearms returned by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to the government in Camp Aguinaldo.
Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in-charge Deputy Dir. Gen. Leonardo Espina echoed this saying: “Ever since we were cadets, I and Gen. Catapang have always been together and until now, until maybe after retirement, we will always be together.”
“That bespeaks the unity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police as we surpass the crisis that we underwent,” Espina added.
Both Catapang and Espina are members of the Philippine Military Academy class ’81.
Military and police officials who were present during the presentation of firearms locked arms in an apparent effort to dispel notions that the Mamasapano clash has strained their relationship.
“We just want to reiterate that we are band of brothers, that we will not abandon one another,” Catapang said.
“We are just doing out job. There is nothing personal here,” he added.
Catapang said the military and the police would continue to work together to ensure public safety despite their differences over the Mamasapano incident.
When asked if the display of unity was meant to send a message to those who seek to destabilize the government, Catapang said: “Wala naman yun. (There’s no such thing). What is important is we are doing our best efforts to recover the firearms (taken from the fallen police commandos).”
The Special Action Force (SAF) troopers who figured in the Mamasapano clash were tasked to arrest wanted terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir alias “Marwan” and Basit Usman
Marwan was killed in the covert operation while Usman managed to escape.
The death of Marwan, however, came with a huge price tag as 44 SAF troopers were killed in a firefight with the combined forces of the MILF and its breakaway group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
The MILF has blamed SAF for the firefight, saying the police commandos had failed to coordinate their actions in the area.
Military and police officials have also washed their hands of any accountability with regard to the encounter.
The military has been accused of failing to provide timely reinforcement to the SAF members who fought with the Muslim rebels.
Catapang, however, maintained that the Army had formed a quick reaction team to support the elite police forces. He also claimed that SAF did not provide adequate information about the location of the beleaguered police commandos.
Relieved SAF commander Police Dir. Getulio Napeñas Jr. denied this, saying he had sent grid coordinates to Espina through text message. Espina then forwarded the coordinates to Armed Forces Western Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero.
The PNP has formed a board of inquiry to investigate the encounter.
The public outrage over the Mamasapano debacle has also sparked rumors that some sectors in the uniformed service are not happy with the way President Aquino handled the issue.
The Philippine Star
