MANILA, Philippines – It was a bad week for the government’s troops.

In a span of just 3 days, two separate incidents saw the death of 15 policemen and Marine troops in the hands of communist rebels and the Abu Sayyaf.

On Tuesday, May 28, government officials condemned the attacks and empathized with the families of victims. President Benigno Aquino III visited the bodies of the 7 slain marines at their wake in Fort Bonifacio, while Interior Secretary Mar Roxas vowed the quick turnover of benefits of the dead policemen.

Just 3 days earlier on Saturday, May 25, 7 Marines and 4 members of the Abu Sayyaf Group were killled in a clash in Patikul, Sulu. Two days later, 8 members of the elite Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) died in an ambush in Cagayan Valley by New People’s Army (NPA) rebels.

During his brief visit on Tuesday, Aquino comforted the families who stood by the soldiers’ coffins. He also distributed financial assistance to the Marines’ relatives in the form of P250,000 checks from the President’s Social Fund. He also vowed justice by promising to continue probing the incident. As President, Aquino is also the military’s commander-in-chief.

Meanwhile, Roxas called the Cagayan ambush “shocking and senseless since it was premeditated and carried out without provocation.”

Death benefits

Roxas promised P250,000 — also from the President’s Social Fund — for the families of the slain policemen, from P141,000 up to P181,000 each from the PNP, burial benefits of no less than P50,000 each and gratuity of at least P203,000 each from the National Police Commission (Napolcom).

In a statement, the PNP also said each family would receive “roughly between P1.5 and P2 million on top of an estimated P15,000 monthly lifetime pension from the PNP and roughly the same amount for 5 years from the Napolcom.”

Roxas also promised full medical benefits of P170,000 for the 7 policemen injured in the ambush. – Rappler.com