Massacred?

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) insists that the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos who died in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, were not “massacred.” Yes, they were not. They were butchered.

Medicolegal findings on the autopsy of the 44 bodies show that nine of the commandos were shot at close range in the head and 18 others had bullet wounds in the “head, trunks and extremities.” All but one of the seven officers were shot in the head. Three of the slain policemen sustained wounds in the trunk which should not be possible because they were wearing bulletproof vests. This indicates that their vests had been removed as they lay wounded and helpless before they were shot at close range.

Now who are the animals who could have done that? The SAF cops had a gun battle with fighters of the MILF and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. The MILF has been negotiating with the administration for a peace agreement since 2011. It has promised to “look into the possibility that its fighters executed some of the SAF commandos after the firefight.”

The MILF should turn over to the authorities the beasts who murdered those policemen. More likely, however, the MILF will say that the executioners were members of the breakaway group BIFF and “private armed groups” and that its own MILF fighters behaved like perfect gentlemen, giving aid and succor to wounded cops but who died anyway.

Did the MILF fighters see those who butchered the wounded commandos? Possible answer: Yes, but they could not remember the killers’ faces because they were concentrated on helping the wounded cops.

Did the MILF fighters took the guns of the policemen and looted their bodies? Possible answer: Maybe one or two guns (we will return them), but loot the bodies? Never. We will never do that. It was the other fighters who did that and stole the rest of the guns.

Why did you shoot at the policemen of the government with which you are holding peace negotiations? Possible answer: We were sleeping and were awakened by gunfire. We thought we were being attacked so we fired back. But when we learned that they were government troopers, we stopped shooting. That is why around 30 of them survived. If we had not, none of them could have survived.

Emphatic answer: We are sorry for what happened. It will never happen again (crossed fingers). We want PEACE.

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Some bishops, militant and leftist groups, and opposition politicians urge President Aquino to step down because of the Mamasapano massacre. A “rich man” is supposed to be urging a coup d’etat. In the words of Inquirer columnist Winnie Monsod: “Are you out of your minds?”

Who will succeed P-Noy? Under the Constitution, it should be the vice president. And that is nobody else but (hoo, hoo, hoo!) Jejomar Binay, the former mayor of Makati who built a “world-class” parking building in his city. He will be our next president? (Waaaaaaaah!)

Bishops, leftist groups and opposition politicians: Maawa naman kayo sa mga tao (Have mercy on the people). You do not know what you are doing. The aging bishops should seek divine guidance. The militant groups and oppositionists should not fall for the wiles of the Janus-faced politician who is egging them on.

These groups want P-Noy to step down without thinking of who will replace him.

To their credit, the bishops also want Binay to step down (which is like wishing for the moon) but do not know who will become president. It should be a “transformation council,” they said, but do not know who will compose the council. Should we gamble our future on an unknown group of “councilmen”? Chances are they would be a bunch of fortune hunters and power grabbers.

Why not just wait for Aquino’s term to expire? They have only about a year to wait and P-Noy would be in the past tense. Then they can vote for the best presidential candidate. And the best should not include corrupt politicians.

One reason the bishops’ call for Aquino to step down is not credible is that one of its two nonclergy supporters is Norberto Gonzales, national security adviser during the Arroyo administration. I don’t have to say anything more. It shows the quality, or lack of it, of the future members of the Transformation Council that the bishops are proposing.

Bishops: Pray and ask God to clear your minds.

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Why do Filipino nurses go abroad to work? Because they are among the world’s best and other countries want them. I have been a hospital and clinic patient more than the average person here and abroad, and I can attest to the fact that Filipino nurses are more loving, caring and patient than other nationalities.

For this reason, I am extending belated Valentine’s Day greetings to some of the nurses of Nephro Care: Amy, Ruselle, Dada, Ginny, Jesse, Thony, Diana, Nessie, and the others whose names I cannot remember. Keep it up. You deserve salary increases.