Today, January 30, 2015, is the National Day of Mourning for the 44 PNP Special Action Force commandos killed during the “misencounter” with alleged members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and breakaway group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom fighters at Mamasapano, Maguindanao while chasing high-ranking terrorists Zulkifli Abdhir and Basit Usman. All public institutions and military installations are instructed to lower the Philippine flag to half-mast in honor of the members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force. A day when not only the country mourns the fallen 44 but also cries for justice and truth. Justice for their death and truth as to what really happened and how a covert operation turned into an ambush/massacre.
A day of mourning it is, but it’s also a day of rage and cry for justice and truth. And where is the President?
I was trying so hard to fight my tears during the mass when the priest offered a special prayer for the fallen PNP-SAF members. I know that death in that line of work is expected. What is unacceptable is the fact that it looked like they were a flock of sheep lured into a den of wolves. Whatever happened to the intel? Is there any? This has happened during the peace talks between the government and MILF. This is how they think peace is all about? They call it misencounter, whatever that means, I call this massacre.
Where do we go from here? After the fallen commandos have been given their medal of valor and laid to their resting place? What now? Should we proceed with the peace process or should we stop it until the justice has been served? Or should we just scrap the whole peace talk?
Some want to call the peace process to a halt and get even with those rebels and it’s understandable but what happens next? Will the terror and violence end after an all-out war with those who fight the government? Or will it only be the beginning of a civil war that will take thousands of lives on a regular basis? Such as what is happening with Israel and Palestine. Should we live our lives with death and violence on a daily basis? I am all for the peace talk but I want those perpetrators brought to justice first. We shouldn’t let them get away with this.
This reminds me of the Maguindanao Massacre, which until now remain unsolved.
Life is just so complicated, messy, dangerous and heartwrenching but here we are clinging on to it so dearly.
P.S
Shame on our President, the Commander-in-Chief, Pres. Benigno Aquino for not attending the arrivals rights of the fallen SAF in Villamor Airbase, is this how he pays his respects to those “heroes”? Instead, he was at an inauguration of an automobile plant somewhere in Laguna. Wow, just think on how he set his priorities. Netizens showed their outrage by hashtagging nasaanangpangulo (where is the president?). The father of our nation does not even have the decency to show up at the arrival rights of his “children” who died following his orders. For shame.
I bet his sister, the actress, Kris Aquino, would be doing her best to create scandals to divert the Filipino’s attention (who happened to have short-term memory as the history says and based from my observations).
It’s more Fun in the Philippines they say.
Just Sayin' 