Equipment, belongings lost during Mamasapano clash returned to SAF

The military has turned over to the PNP-Special Action Force combat equipment and belongings lost by SAF personnel who clashed with Moro rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, last January 25.

The items, which included night vision goggles, a Kevlar helmet, and communication radios, were recovered from Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members and Mamasapano residents, according to Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, public affairs office chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

At a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo, Cabunoc said the recovery of the items was due to the “influencing skills” of 601st Brigade commander Col. Melquiades Feliciano, in collaboration with various stakeholders, including community and religious leaders.

“Through the efforts of said unit and its commander, Colonel Melquiades Feliciano, the equipment were collected one by one from the people who got these from the SAF 44 who paid the ultimate sacrifice during that fateful day,” he said, referring to the 44 SAF members who were killed in the encounter.

The equipment included five night-vision goggles, three laser target pointers, two night fighting devices, two night vision monocular, three hand-held Harris radios, a NEBO PROTEC laser designator, two gas masks, a Kelvar helmet, a vest, a pair of combat boots, a lower uniform pants and two gun protective cases.

The items were turned over to the PNP-SAF on Tuesday afternoon.

“We recognize the valuable help of civilian non-government organizations, civilian residents, religious leaders who worked together in returning these lost equipment,” Cabunoc said.

Cabunoc, however, said many other firearms lost by the SAF during the fighting are still unaccounted.

He said some of the firearms are with the members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), which also figured in the January 25 clash.

The BIFF, a breakaway faction of the MILF, is the subject of an ongoing military offensive in Maguindanao. —KBK, GMA News