Lacson, Bato: Escalation of tension after army men killing must be prevented

Two senators who rose among the ranks of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday said an impartial and thorough investigation should be done on the policemen's fatal shooting of soldiers in Jolo, Sulu and that further misunderstandings on the ground must be prevented.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former PNP chief, said the police and the Armed Forces made the right decision of letting the National Bureau of Investigation take full control of the probe.

Nevertheless, the chair of the Senate committee on national defense, reminded the ground commanders from both sides to rein in the situation and prevent any escalation as this could give the state's enemies a foothold.

"Our security forces already have their hands full in their fight against their common adversaries such as terrorism and insurgency in Mindanao. Allowing disunity in any form would give the enemy an unwanted advantage that could prove fatal for our nation," Lacson said.

Senator Ronald Bato Dela Rosa, chair of the committee on public order, also called for an impartial investigation.

He likewise emphasized the need for constant coordination of soldiers and police on the ground.

"Ground commanders of both AFP and PNP must defuse tensions and prevent it from escalating while investigation is ongoing," Dela Rosa, also a former PNP chief, added.

The PNP said the "misencounter" that claimed the lives of four military men is a "big lesson" for the police. The police organization vowed to do everything to prevent such incidents from happening again.

On the other hand, Philippine Army chief Lieutenant General Gilbert Gapay said the incident was a case of "murder," not a misencounter.

"It was murder. It is murder... there is no misencounter dahil hindi naman pumutok 'yung tropa namin. Nandoon 'yung mga baril nila sa baba. These are PNP personnel, kung may misencounter, nagkaputukan, palagay niyo walang tatamaan na PNP? This was no misencounter here, it was a rubout," Gapay said.  —LDF, GMA News