Taguig court convicts 2 MILF commanders over Mamasapano massacre — DOJ

A Taguig court has convicted two Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) commanders for the killing of Special Action Force (SAF) members in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Friday.

In a statement, the DOJ said the Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 153 convicted Abubakar Guiaman and Mohammad Ali Tambako of 35 counts of homicide.

This is lower than the initial charge of direct assault with murder.

According to the DOJ, the court sentenced them to suffer imprisonment from eight years to up to 14 years and eight months.

"This court victory is the fruit of the DOJ's hard work and resilience in the face of adversity through the years, never backing down against injustice to uphold the rule of law. To my fellow Filipinos we have won," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said.

In January 2015, a total of 44 SAF elite commandos—known collectively as the SAF 44—were killed after an encounter with combined fighters from the MILF, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and other armed elements in the area.

Terrorists Zulkilfi bin Hir, alias Marwan, was slain in the operation while Basit Usman was killed by authorities in May of the same year.

In 2017, then-President Rodrigo Duterte declared January 25 as the National Day of Remembrance for the SAF 44.

During the commemoration of the day of remembrance last January, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said the sacrifices of the SAF 44 would be devalued if the country cedes its territory to trespassers.

He said the heroism and sacrifice of the SAF commandos would be the "debt that we will never be able to fully pay." — VDV, GMA Integrated News