Maniolas

Kin grieve for fallen cops at necrological service. Relatives of the 44 slain PNP-SAF commandos killed in the January 25 Mamasapano clash attend the wake and necrological service at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig on Friday, January 30. President Benigno Aquino III offered his condolences to those left behind by the heroes. Danny Pata The remains of the last two Special Action Force policemen killed in a clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25 were brought out of Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City before dawn Sunday. Departure honors were rendered for the remains of Inspector Rennie Tyrus and PO3 Virgil Villanueva, radio dzBB’s Luisito Santos reported. The remains were brought out of the police facility at 1:50 a.m. and were to be brought to Zamboanga del Sur province, the report said. It added, a Cebu Pacific flight will carryTyrus’ remains, while a Philippine Airlines flight will take Villanueva’s. In the past days, the nation mourned the deaths of the 44 SAF men in Maguindanao. President Benigno Aquino III declared last January 30 a day of national mourning. — Joel Locsin/LBG, GMA News

COTABATO CITY, Philippines—The International Monitoring Team (IMT) that oversees the implementation of the cease-fire agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said it would start its own investigation of the Jan. 25 clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, which claimed the lives of 44 members of the police’s Special Action Force (SAF) and 14 MILF rebels. Malaysian Gen. Yaakub Samad, IMT head, said the IMT board of inquiry would start its investigation on Feb. 7 “to determine the real circumstances that led to the SAF-MILF encounter.” The IMT is made up of representatives from Malaysia, Brunei, Libya, Indonesia, Japan, Norway and the European Union. It has been in existence since 2003. Asked why the IMT would start its investigation 13 days after the incident, Samad said they had to coordinate with potential witnesses first. The IMT’s inquiry into the incident would be done in partnership with the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities of the government and the MILF, according to Samad. The IMT was instrumental in the disengagement that led to the retrieval of those who were killed and the evacuation of those wounded in the Mamasapano clash. IMT’s Norwegian member, William Hovland, said it took them hours to establish contacts “due to lack of telecommunications signal in the area.” Brig. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., government ceasefire panel chair, said the entry of IMT representatives in Barangay Tukanalipao during the firefight helped “deescalate” the situation and allowed other government troops to evacuate wounded policemen from the Read More …

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER Maria Divina and Robert Warmington with daughter Lexie and son Ollie Maria Divina Domingo, 40, married Robert Warmington, 80, a retired American surgeon and a philanthropist, because she felt that compatibility and maturity are needed to have a perfect relationship and age has nothing to do with it. For Jinky Maat, 40, and Jerry Littlefield, 65, also an American, exchanging “I do’s” nine years ago meant they have to keep their promise to live for richer and for poorer; in sickness and in health. Maria Divina met her husband in Manila in September 2007 through a common friend. He was looking for a Filipino wife while she was already a successful entrepreneur. She says the only thing missing was to share it with someone. “It was love at first sight. He is a debonair, with a whiff of fresh air. Most of all he is a devout Christian,” she recalls. For Jinky, it was not love at first sight, but a relationship that developed overtime. The two met in a dating website in February 2004. She was 30 and working at Intel in the Philippines. “There’s a big difference between online and traditional dating. I have to be more cautious. If everything will work out just fine, then I’d go for it. He showed (albeit) on the Web, that he deserved me and I deserved him,” Jinky says. Both Robert and Jerry are divorced and have older children. In November of the same year, Jerry Read More …

Whether the 44 Special Action Force personnel killed in a clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25 will be buried at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani does not seem to be a concern for their kin, Malacañang said Saturday. Presidential Communications Operations Office head Herminio Coloma Jr. said the kin of the 44 did not bring this up with President Benigno Aquino III when he met with them. “Ang masasabi ko, dahil nasaksihan ko pakikipagpulong ng Pangulo ang heart-to-heart talk sa bawa’t isang pamilya, tila hindi yan issue o usapin sa kanilang hanay,” he said on government-run dzRB Radyo ng Bayan. Besides, he said the families already have plans on where to bury their fallen loved ones. Coloma also said many of the families live outside Metro Manila and could be inconvenienced if they have to visit their fallen loved ones at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani. He urged lawmakers planning to file a resolution to have the 44 buried at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani to respect the families’ wishes. “Respetuhin natin bago maisulong ang suhestyon na ito. May kanya-kanyang plano ang pamilya kung saan iuuwi ang mahal sa buhay,” he said. “Hindi inaalis ang konsepto na sila ay mga bayani dahil tunay silang bayani. Unawain natin ang diwa ng resolusyon… Saan man sila mahimlay sila ay tunay na bayani ng lahing Pilipino,” he added. — Joel Locsin/VC, GMA News

Police in California over the weekend placed black tape over their badges in tribute to the 44 Special Action Force police personnel who perished in a clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25. This was their way of showing sympathy with the families of the deceased, radio dzBB’s Manny Vargas reported. A photo posted on Twitter by dzBB’s Vargas showed the police personnel were from the San Francisco Police Department.   For its part, the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. paid tribute to the fallen 44 as well by lowering the Philippine flag to half-mast.   On Friday, police personnel and firefighters in Indiana held a sympathy walk to honor the 44, dzBB’s Rodil Vega tweeted.   Also on Friday, the US Embassy in Manila offered its condolences to the loved ones of the 44. In a statement, the embassy expressed its “heartfelt condolences to the families, friends, and colleagues” of the slain SAF policemen. “The SAF units fought with bravery and demonstrated their commitment to ensuring peace and order in their country,” it said. Also, the embassy said the US reiterates its support for the Philippine government’s efforts to fight international terrorism while promoting a “just and lasting peaceful resolution” to the Mindanao conflict. “The United States reiterates its support for the Philippine government’s efforts to combat international terrorism while promoting a just and lasting peaceful resolution to the conflict in Mindanao,” it said. — Joel Locsin/VC, GMA News