One of 44 slain SAF men known for ‘tiger-like’ bravery

Senior Inspector Max Jim Tria is described by a military offiical as a “tiger” in the battlefield and may have been “the last man standing” during the bloody January 25 encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, that left him and 43 of his colleagues dead.

“Sa karakter ni Tria, talagang he will fight it out, na he will rather die than surrender,” said Brig. Gen. Carlito Galvez, head of the government coordinating committee on the cessation of hostilities, in a report on “24 Oras” Friday.

Tria's body was found clutching two hand grenades, the report said, adding this showed that the 27-year-old policeman would rather die than be captured.

“Kung makikita mo, siya talaga yung last man standing,” said Galvez, who had worked with Tria during his stint as Army brigade commander in Basilan province.

Tria and the 43 others were killed in a clash with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members enforced by Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) combatants in a remote village in Mamasapano last Sunday.



The report, citing information from the MILF, said Tria was among the last policemen killed during the hours-long encounter.

He was reportedly a part of the “blocking force” of the Special Action Force, an elite unit of the Philippine National Police, during Sunday's operation designed to arrest a foreign terrorist holed up in the area.

According to Galvez, Tria was also part of a goverment team that was engaged in a day-long encounter with rebel forces on April 11 last year.

“I really admire the guy. Maliit lang lang siya pero parang tiger siya, talagang matapang talaga yung batang yun,” he said.

The report said Tria, who had always wanted to be a policeman since he was a child, was a topnotcher at a sniper school, and had attended Scout Ranger and commando training. He is part of the Philippine National Police Academy Class 2009. —KBK, GMA News