LOOK: Mass held for SAF 44 in Pasay 40 days after Mamasapano clash

(Updated 11:03 a.m.) Forty days after the bloody clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao that killed 44 PNP-Special Action Force commandos, a Mass was held in Pasay City Thursday in their honor.

 

The Mass was held at the Shrine of Saint Therese with uniformed personnel and civilians in attendance, radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported.

 

Represented at the Mass were members of the police, military, Bureau of Fire Protection and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology.

 

Another photo showed Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. taking part in the Mass. 

AFP CoS Gregorio Pio Catapang, nakiisa sa misa para sa 40th day ng mga nasawing SAF troopers. | via @dzbbsamnielsen pic.twitter.com/NfmmMfOGcw

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) March 5, 2015

On Thursday, several activities will be held to mark the 40th day after the Jan. 25 Mamasapano clash.

 

These include a prayer activity at the Ateneo de Manila University and a prayer at the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C.

 

For its part, a Quezon City-based artists' group made a mural and monument to honor the 44.

 

The deaths of the 44 SAF personnel triggered an outpouring of sympathy from Filipinos. 

Several government agencies are investigating the incident. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which lost 18 fighters in the clash, is also looking into the encounter. — Joel Locsin/RSJ, GMA News