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National Day of Mourning: PHL pays tribute to 44 fallen PNP-SAF men


(Updated 11:56 a.m.) The Philippines is in mourning on Friday as the nation remembers the sacrifice of 44 elite Philippine National Police-Special Action Force personnel killed in a clash in Mamasapano in Maguindanao on Sunday.

Fellow PNP-SAF personnel shared memories of their fallen comrades at a necrological service Friday morning at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.

"We know your names, we know your faces, we will never forget how we fought together," Col. Danilo Pamonag of the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Special Operations Command said.
 
Pamonag explained that his unit has worked with some of the slain PNP-SAF men in some missions, including the Zamboanga siege.
 
"Dalawang miyembro ng SAF ang nasawi, pero ang pagkamatay nila ay nagresulta sa pagkaligtas ng mga tao," he said.
 
Ending his speech, Pamonag said, "Sa ating mga kasamahang ngayon ay nakalimbay, isang payapang paglalakbay."



Police Chief Insp. Victor Lacwasan, member of the PNP-SAF, remembered his colleagues for going beyond their duties.
 
"Alam nila ang paghihirap ng mga tao sa Mindanao, kaya patuloy silang nanatili para makatulong—even beyond their duties," he said.
 
"Sa mga nakahimlay sa ating harap, pati sa mga sugatan at naiwang mga buhay—sila ang mga panibago nating mga bayani," he said.

President Benigno Aquino III arrived shortly after 10 a.m. and is expected to deliver a message of sympathy.

Wake

Several mourners trooped to Camp Bagong Diwa before dawn Friday to pay their respects to the slain police officers.
 
As of 2 a.m. Friday, many filled up the police camp to sympathize with the victims' survivors.
 
A photo tweeted by dzBB's Santos showed sympathizers packing the multipurpose hall where the remains of 42 of the fallen SAF men were brought.

 
President Benigno Aquino III had declared Friday a National Day of Mourning to sympathize with those left behind by the 44 fallen SAF men.
 
Some of the sympathizers were batchmates who wore specially made shirts mourning the deaths of their colleagues.
 
"Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends," read the message on the shirts.

 
The 44 SAF personnel were killed in a clash with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Sunday.

The SAF men were on a mission to serve arrest warrants to two terrorists with ties to the terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.
 
Uniforms
 
Meanwhile, a separate photo by GMA News' Connie Sison showed only the uniforms displayed on the coffins of many of the SAF personnel.
 
GMA's Sison said as much as 90 percent of the caskets showed just the uniforms because the bodies were unrecognizable.

 

90% of the caskets here at Camp Bagong Diwa show only the PNP Uniforms of our fallen officers bec their bodies underneath their uniforms are unrecognizable.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A photo posted by Connie Sison (@connie_sison) on























 
Kin angry
 
A separate report by dzBB's Manny Vargas said many of the kin of the slain SAF men are still angry over their deaths.


Sympathy walk
 
Meanwhile, police personnel in the Philippines and the United States on Friday held a sympathy walk to honor the fallen PNP-SAF men.
 
Most of those taking part in the walk included graduates of the Philippine National Police Academy.
 
Some of them carried a streamer seeking justice for their slain comrades. —Joel Locsin/KG, GMA News

Tags: specialactionforce, mamasapanoclash
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