Mamasapano clash puts members of PMA Class of ‘81 in spotlight

The ongoing congressional inquiry on the January 25 Mamasapano clash has put members of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1981 in spotlight.

But according to a source, being “mistahs” or PMA classmates will not in any way affect the efforts to uncover the truth behind what many describe as a massacre of 44 Philippine National Police Special Action Force members in the hands of Moro guerillas.

“The call of duty is the primordial thing. It goes way beyond being classmates,” said the source, who is also a member of PMA Class of 1981.

The source's mistahs who are already familiar faces in congressional hearings on the Mamasapano incident are:

- Armed Forces chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr.;
- PNP officer-in-charge Leonardo Espina;
- Resigned PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima;
- AFP Western Mindanao Command Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero;
- Defense undersecretary Natalio Ecarma of the Anti-Terrorism Council of the Philippines;
- AFP Inspector General Maj. Gen. Benito De Leon; and
- Retired AFP chief General Emmanuel Bautista

During Thursday's hearing at the Senate, Sen. Gringo Honasan, himself a graduate of the PMA, urged these officials to work together to arrest those behind the brutal killings of the SAF members.

“You pursue relentlessly,” Honasan told Espina. “In fact, you talk to your mistah, Greg Catapang, and tell them that anybody, any group, and I say this in front of Chairman Iqbal, who stands in the way of serving warrant of arrest, [that you'll] go after those who mutilated our soldiers.”

Iqbal is the chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which clashed with the SAF team on January 25.

Honasan, a member of PMA class 1971, even went as far as saying that the serving of the arrest warrants could be their class' legacy.

But according to the source, being mistahs does not mean they could shortcut the process in order to achieve a goal.

“These are all professionals who undertake their roles within the positions they are given, and all officers are playing different roles by virtue of their positions,” he said.

Senators, in past hearings, have noted what they perceived as distrust between the police and military after it was discovered that the SAF leadership did not inform the military regarding the Mamasapano operation.

The military was also partly blamed for the high number of SAF fatalities for not providing reinforcements to the embattled policemen. The military, for its part, said it could not immediately send troops to the area of encounter as the information given to them was vague.

But according to the source, finding malice in the fact that the officials facing the investigation are PMA classmates is a move with “an ill motivated intent.”  —KBK, GMA News