Slain SAF personnel’s kin yet to receive promised aid

Malacanang yesterday said it would look into claims that financial assistance for families of the 44 Special Armed Forces (SAF) personnel has yet to be given in full by the government.“We will check on the claims,” Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a text message.The government, at the same, time vowed that “never again” would it allow a repeat of the incident where 44 elite commandos from the Special Armed Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police were mowed down by rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on Jan 25, 2015.Helen Ramacula, mother of Police Officer 2 Rodel Ramacula, who died in the attack in Maguindanao province in southern Philippines, told reporters also yesterday that a balance of P87,000 has yet to be released to them by the government.The Aquino administration had promised to give a total of P300,000 as financial aid to families of the SAF 44.Ramacula said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had not given them the remaining 30% of the P300,000 worth of the livelihood programme.“It has been four years (since the massacre) and we still haven’t received the second grant.We only got the first grant,” she added.Ramacula said other beneficiaries were also experiencing this problem.She added that she already complied with requirements of the DSWD for the livelihood programme but the agency still was unable to give her the exact date when they would receive the balance of 30%.Senior Supt.Bernard Banac, PNP spokesman, said they had given financial assistance to the SAF 44 beneficiaries but that they were “open to any complaints.”The PNP and relatives of the 44 fallen commandos commemorated the fourth year of the Mamasapano massacre in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.The elite troops were killed in an “Oplan Exodus” police operation in Mamasapano while serving a warrant of arrest against Malaysian terrorist bomb-maker Zulkifli Abdhir or Marwan.Marwan was killed in the operation, but fellow bomb-maker Abdul Basit Usman was able to escape.Usman was later killed in another operation in May 2015.Chief Supt.Amando Empiso, SAF acting director, said they were still seeking justice for their fellow police officers.He added that the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) could help prevent the tragic incident from happening again as there would be more co-ordination between the government and the MILF.“This will not happen again because they (MILF fighters) are the ones who will govern that part of Mindanao and we will just be there to help them especially in maintaining peace and order…We hope and pray that this is the time for the wounds to heal and achieve peace in Mindanao,” Empiso said.Malacanang reiterated that the bungled anti-terror operation that claimed the lives of the 44 SAF troops would not happen under the term of President Rodrigo Duterte.Panelo made the assurance as he joined the nation in commemorating the heroism of the slain elite policemen, whose deaths had sparked public outrage.The president had declared January 25 as national day of remembrance for the fallen SAF members.“Today, January 25, a grieving nation remembers the tragedy that befell the PNP officers in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.We pay homage to the bravery and heroism of the 44 uniformed personnel of the Special Action Force known as the Fallen SAF 44.They offered and gave their lives for the country and the people,” Panelo said in a statement.“Never again will we allow a recurrence of such tragic event.Those in authority must learn from the mistakes of the past otherwise those valorous men in uniform would have died in vain,” he added.