The legacy of the 44 elite Special Action Force (SAF) troopers of the Philippine National Police (PNP) who sacrificed their lives to neutralize international terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in 2015 will never be forgotten in the generations to come.
This was assured by Police Brig. Gen. Roderick Augustus Alba, chief of the PNP public information office (PIO), as the police organization commemorated the 2022 “Day of National Remembrance for the Heroic Sacrifice of SAF44" on Tuesday, Jan. 25, at the SAF headquarters in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City.
“Today, we mark the bravery of our fallen heroes who fought and sacrificed their lives para sa layunin na mapigilan ang mga naghahangad ng karahasan sa bansa (to prevent those who wanted to sow terror in our country). Our SAF44 troopers na lumaban sa Mamasapano, Maguindanao ay nagiwan ng legasiya lalo na sa PNP organization (Our SAF44 troopers who fought in Mamasapano, Maguindanao left a legacy especially in the PNP organization),” Alba said.
He noted that the gallantry of the SAF troopers “reminded us of that very purpose why we chose to be law enforcers.”
“We know the risks, we learned to embrace every threat that is attached to our mission, pero hindi namin iniinda ang mga ito (but we endure all of these) because we have a country to defend,” Alba noted.
Aba further stated that the duty of every policeman is made even more challenging now by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic but they are inspired by the commitment of the SAF44 to serve the Filipino people at a time of great need, even if it means they have to risk their lives.
“Kaakibat nito ang pagnanais namin na mapaglingkuran po kayo. We draw our inspirations sa mga bayaning tulad ng SAF44. Henerasyon man ang lumipas but their legacy lives on (Along with these is our desire to serve you. We draw our inspirations from our heroes like the SAF44. Generations may pass but their legacy lives on),” Alba said.
The SAF44 refers to the 44 elite SAF troopers who died in the Mamasapano clash on Jan. 25, 2015.
Under police operation codenamed “Oplan Exodus,” the SAF troopers raided the hideout of Zulkifli bin Hir alias “Marwan,” a Malaysian terrorist and notorious bomb maker, and ranking leaders of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Tukanalipao, Mamasapano, Maguindanao to either capture or kill them.
The troops were able to kill Marwan but a retaliation of the combined forces of BIFF, MILF, and other foreign terrorists resulted to the death of 44 SAF troopers.
The lack of air support was blamed for the botched operation.