Criminal raps filed against 90 MILF, BIFF members for SAF death

On the morning of January 29, 2015, the remains of the members of the PNP Special Action Force slain in Mamasapano arrived at the Villamor Air Base. The fallen PNP SAF were accorded arrival honors, led by the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Mar Roxas, PNP Deputy Dir. Gen. Leonardo Espina, and AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Gregorio Catapang.
(Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office)

MANILA – Criminal charges were filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) yesterday against 90 members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and other private groups for the massacre of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) police commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao earlier this year.

The charges covered the murder of 35 SAF troopers who engaged in a gun battle with MILF, BIFF and private group fighters last January during the SAF’s covert operation to capture international terrorist Zulkifi bin Hir, alias “Marwan.”

“These 90 respondents acted in conspiracy with one another to attack, employ force, seriously intimidate or resist the 35 Philippine National Police SAF commandos, who were uniformed police officers and thus, persons in authority,” the complaint read.

The criminal charges, which would undergo preliminary investigations, were based on evidences and testimonies, including that of alias “Marathon” who named the 90 MILF and BIFF members responsible for the killing of the SAF men.

The contents of the documentary evidences, including the names of the implicated individuals, however, were not disclosed.

The slay of the nine other SAF police commandos in Pidsandawan, Maguindanao, as well as of the 18 MILF fighters, on the other hand, remained under initial investigations.