EXACTLY four years after 44 Special Action Force (SAF) operatives were killed in the Mamasapano encounter, Malacañang called on the Office of the Ombudsman to resolve the investigation with dispatch.
In a statement on Friday, January 25, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the anti-graft body should ensure that those responsible for the deaths of the SAF personnel would be brought to justice.
"The nation demands justice for them as well as the prosecution of those responsible for the botched police operation," Panelo said.
The call was made as the country commemorates the fourth anniversary of the shootout between the SAF men and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
The slain men were part of the SAF unit that conducted a raid on January 25, 2015 against Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and Filipino terrorist Abdul Basit Usman in Tukanalipao village in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
Marwan died during the SAF operation while Usman was later killed in a clash with Muslim rebels in May 2015.
Nearly six months after the bloody operation in Mamasapano, more than 100 members of the MILF, BIFF and private armed groups were charged with "direct assault with murder" for the killing of the SAF men.
Former president Benigno Aquino III and other officials under his administration were charged over the incident.
Panelo said the Duterte government continues to pray for the eternal repose of the souls of the 44 SAF officers, whom he dubbed as "gallant heroes."
"Today, January 25, a grieving nation remembers the tragedy that befell the PNP officers in Mamasapano, Maguindanao," the Palace official said.
"We pay homage to the bravery and heroism of the 44 uniformed personnel of the Special Action Force known as the Fallen SAF 44. They offered and gave their lives for the country and the people," he added.
By virtue of Proclamation 164 inked by President Rodrigo Duterte on February 21, 2017, January 25 was declared a day of national remembrance for the heroic sacrifice of the slain policemen.
Panelo assured the public that the Duterte administration already learned from the past mistakes, thus, would avoid recurrence of such "tragic" incident.
"Never again will we allow a recurrence of such tragic event. Those in authority must learn from the mistakes of the past otherwise those valorous men in uniform would have died in vain," he said. (VoxPop Philippines)
