By Mary Rose Faith Bonalos
Eagle Online Media Service
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte promised the families of the 44 slain Philippine National Police – Special Action Force (SAF) troopers that he will see to it that all the slain police officers be awarded a medal of valor posthumously. The medal of valor is the highest honor that can be given to a policeman.
“The highest honor that I can give really… the highest is to award them the Medal of Valor,” Duterte said.
During a meeting with the families of the slain SAF troppers in Malacañang, President Duterte directed PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Interior Undersecretary Catalino Cuy to look into the records of the slain SAF members.
“Look into it. I’m directing you now. Give me the result probably at the end of the month. Tutal nandiyan naman iyong records. Hindi naman kailangan mag-imbestiga… If you think as a soldier that the 44 deserved the Valor, then recommend it and I will give all of the soldiers, the 44,” he said.
The President also said that he also plans to set “A Day of Remembrance” for the SAF 44.
“I will set a day. It will be known as ‘A Day of Remembrance for the SAF 44’,” Duterte said.
Today, January 25, exactly two years after the bloody clash of the 44 SAF commandos in Mamasapano, Zamboanga City, their families are still crying for justice.
Before this, Johny Anniban, father of one of the soldiers who died in the bloody combat during the Mamasapano Operation first asked President Duterte, “For the SAF troopers who died, why were only two of them given the Medal of Valor? How about the other 42 troopers?”
This question made the president wonder why there were only 2 commandos out of the 44 victims who received the Medal of Valor. (With a report from Jodi Bustos, Eagle Online Media Service)