MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Jejomar Binay on Sunday, February 8, visited wounded troopers of the Philippine National Police (PNP)’s Special Action Force (SAF), survivors of a bloody clash in Maguindanao that left 44 of their comrades dead.

Binay, accompanied by his two children Senator Nancy Binay and Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay, Jr., had lunch with some 15 wounded SAF troopers who are currently confined at the PNP General Hospital in Camp Crame.

The Binays arrived in the hospital past 12:30 and left at around 2:30 pm.

Among those Binay spoke to included Police Officer 2 Chris Lalan, the lone survivor of the 5th Special Action Battalion’s 55th company, the designated “blocking force” for the bloody police operation.

Lalan and 391 other SAF troopers on January 25 entered known Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) territory in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao, to neutralize bomb-maker and top terrorist Malaysian Zulkifli bin Hir (alias “Marwan”) and another alleged bomb-maker, Abdul Basit Usman.

Troopers from the 84th Seaborne Company were able to kill Marwan but troops encountered problems during their extraction.

All but one of the 36 elite cops from the blocking force were killed while 9 from the 84th company died during a clash with fighters from the MILF and the BIFF.

TIMELINE: Mamasapano clash

The January 25 clash in the deadliest operation in the PNP’s history. 

In a quick interview with reporters after his visit, the Vice President said they visited the wounded cops to “console with them.”

“Syempre naalala pa [nila] yung mga nangyari (The memories from Mamasapano are fresh in their minds),” added Binay.

The Binays also distributed P100,000 from the city of Makati to each family of the wounded SAF troopers. 

The city had initially allocated P50,000 for each family of the wounded troopers but upped the amount since “those who survived may no longer be able to go back to active duty because of their injuries,” Mayor Binay said in a statement. 

“We hope it can help cover the family’s expenditures on their treatment and therapy,” the Makati mayor said. 

The city will also offer scholarships for siblings of the slain SAF commanders at the University of Makati.  

Beyond Mamasapano 

The Mamasapano incident is causing waves inside and outside the police force. SAF commanders kept the operation a secret from military forces in the area which made it hard for reinforcements to come at the height of battle.

Questions on the PNP’s chain of command also arose after relieved SAF commander Police Director Getulio Napeñas revealed he was reporting to then-suspended PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima.

Purisima, who has since resigned from his post, supposedly had all intelligence reports on Marwan and Usman, and green-lit the operation as early as November 2014 or before his suspension. 

Binay refused to answer questions about Purisima’s resignation, although he was among the many politicians who urged the beleaguered 4-star general to speak up on the Mamasapano operation. 

Kept out of the loop were the PNP’s OIC, Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina and Interior Secretary and Liberal Party president-on-leave Manuel Roxas II.

The clash is also threatening to stall a long-awaited peace deal between the Philippine government and the MILF, with some sectors calling for the scrapping of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law. – Rappler.com