Families of slain Cordilleran SAF get P1.27M from fund drive

BENGUET, Philippines  (UPDATED) – The private sector-led fundraiser for the families of 14 fallen Special Action Force (SAF) troopers who hailed from the Cordillera region reached  P1.27 million, which was turned over to the families on Tuesday, March 3.

The Cordillera Unity Fund, which was started by relatives of two of the elite cops who were killed in the January 25 clash in Mamasapano, has drawn support from Cordillerans at home and abroad – from Armenia, Australia, Russia, and the United States – reaching a total of P1,271,000 million (US$28,838.99).

The fund was equally divided among the 14 families, who each received P90,500 ($2,054).

Father Andres Cosalan, Vicar of the Diocese of Baguio, said the amount given to each family will be divided equally to the widow and the parents of the slain cop.

Cosalan explained that in government proceedings, only the wife receives the financial benefit but in the Cordillera, parents must be given assistance as well.

Bishop Joel Padchao of the Episcopal Church called for unity in praying for peace to be attained in the Philippines.

“Without peace, our young widows and orphans will not be the last,” he said. “It’s even sadder to know that our sons died in the hands of fellow Filipinos.”

‘Don’t plant seeds of hate’
 
While the widows and parents still grieve for the fallen SAF heroes, Padchao gently persuaded them not to plant seeds of hatred “because hatred will only worsen the situation.”

Before the checks were handed to the families, there was a presentation of a photo collage of the fallen heroes grabbed from social media accounts, elicting more teams from the families.

The photo collage ended with an image of the casket of Police Officer 1 Gringo Cayang-o carried by his tribesmen as he was brought home to Sadanga, Mountain Province, while crossing the chest-level water of the Chico River.

During the short program, representatives from the families took turns thanking those who helped them.

Memorabilia of the 14 Cordilleran SAF heroes were also turned over to the families.

‘Binnadang in practice’

The community effort to help the families of the Cordilleran cops is reflective of the regional tradition of helping called binnadang, where community members extend assistance to individuals under crisis or extreme need. This practice unites communities despite differences in tribal origin.

It was the spirit of binnadang that spurred religious leaders from the Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Evangelical churches, together with real estate businessman and lawyer Alexander Bangsoy to initiate the fund drive for the bereaved families.

Alexander Bangsoy and wife Anabelle are related to Police Officer 2 Walner Danao of Irisan, Baguio City; and Police Officer 2 Peterson Carap of Kabayan, Benguet.

Support for the cause is still pouring in from the Philippines and overseas, but Anabelle said that for the sake of transparency, the bank account for the fund will be turned over to the immediate families on March 7.

The families would then decide on what to do with the bank account, since more donations are coming in. –  with reports from Dave Leprozo Jr/Rappler.com

$1 = P44.06