DCPO flag in half-mast for Maguindanao cops

DAVAO CITY – The Davao City Police Office (DCPO) has lowered the Philippine flag in a half-mast to express their grief over the death of at least 50 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Forces (PNP-SAF) who were killed during a deadly encounter with members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Sunday, a police official said.

“What happened was really unexpected,” DCPO spokesperson Police Senior Inspector Milgrace Cajes Driz said in an interview with Davao Today Monday.

Sunday’s fatal PNP operation was meant to serve a warrant of arrest against a Malaysian national Zulkifli Bin Hir alias “Marwan,” allegedly a member of the Jemaah Islamiyah.

Suara Bangsamoro said the PNP SAF “rushed for the bounty” as “Marwan” has a 5 million dollar bounty from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Amirah Lidasan, national chairperson of Suara Bangsamoro said the “BIFF says the 105^th base command of the MILF joined them.”

Lidasan said the government forces “have been inching their way towards the areas still held by the BIFF.”

“For every bombing incident in Mindanao, they’ve been laying the blame on the BIFF in justification for their attacks in the area,” she said.

Lidasan said they fear “that it will escalate into a full blown war in reprisal of the fallen SAF soldiers which could affect the peace negotiations, specifically the deliberation of BBL in congress.”

Driz said that they “salute the cops” who died in the clash.

“We salute them even if that was what happened to them. They were only enforcing the law,” she said.

Asked if the two police killed during the clash are related to DCPO chief Police Senior Superintendent Vicente Danao Jr. Driz said the chief is still checking it with their relatives in Luzon.

PO2 Walner F. Danao and PO2 Franklin C. Danao were among those killed in the clash.

The PNP SAF reportedly did not coordinate with the military and the MILF as provided in the GPH-MILF ceasefire agreement.

As of 6:00 in the morning Monday the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) police has released 41 names of PNP-SAF killed in action in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.