Romeo V Poquiz
27/01/2017
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For 2 years, I kept my outrage on the Mamasapano incident to
myself. With nobody punished on its 2nd year anniversary today, however, I
cannot anymore contain my outrage I have to publicly speak up.
As a former Air Force helicopter pilot deployed in the field, my
crew and I were always on the alert. When calls for air support from engaged
Army, Marines or Police ground forces were received, we were up in the air in no
time at all and delivered the required assistance - be it aerial fire support or
close air support, medical or casualty evacuation, food or ammo resupply,
transport of reinforcement troops, etc. We did these to the ground troops
despite them coming from different branches of service. We did these even if we
sometimes have to violate Air Force regulations such as flying at night, during
inclement weather, flying without a buddy aircraft, extremely dangerous combat
situations, etc. We did these even when there were no prior coordination to us
by the ground troops on their operation, and we had to improvise in order to
locate them to support them. We did these even when there were no orders yet
from air force commanders for us to fly and conduct the missions. We did these
again and again even if our helicopters were riddled with bullet holes after
every mission.
These are the reasons why I cannot anymore contain my outrage on
the Mamasapano incident where 44 precious lives of soldiers /policemen comrades
were lost.
There were PAF helicopters and close air support aircraft in
Zamboanga and Davao on that day, yet not a single aircraft flew to support the
SAF. Not even for persuasion flights. Why? The Air Force commanders said there
was no order for them to dispatch the aircrafts. Bullshit! I would have hanged
myself if I was the Air Force commander.
A US helicopter picked up the dead and wounded instead of a Philippine Air Force helicopter. Son of a gun!
A US helicopter picked up the dead and wounded instead of a Philippine Air Force helicopter. Son of a gun!
The request for support by the SAF was not an ordinary request for
assistance. It was an S.O.S. It was for a rescue. The troops were sitting ducks
and were being slaughtered, some with their heads decapitated - the massacres
were even being witnessed live via US drone monitor by a president at the 3rd
Air Division headquarters in Zamboanga City.
Why was there no artillery support given despite the pleas of the
police commanders? Because there was no prior coordination on the operation and
you were not given the exact grid coordinates. Putangina! For 12 hours? You
should have at least fired blank artillery rounds, or fired white phosphorus on
the long and wide Mamasapano River, so that the dying troops may have heard the
cannon fires and at least thought that they were supported before they finally
breathed their last.
You did not rescue the SAF troops, despite their dying pleas,
because you did not want to displease a president, who probably was on his lucid
intervals, and who salivated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Putangina pa
rin!
And you call yourselves commanders and commander-in-chief?
And you sleep soundly at night?
Maraming putangina!
