PBA star Arwind Santos condoles with family of SAF fan

Police Inspector Joey Sacristan Gamutan, 33, of the elite Special Action Force, was a fan of the San Miguel Beermen.

He won a bet in the championship game for 2015 Philippine Cup title between the San Miguel Beermen and Alaska Aces last Jan. 21. He was so happy he told his wife, Merilyn, that he will treat her and their five-year old daughter Megan (they have a one year old child) at Jollibee when he comes home after the very important operation he is part of is accomplished.

It would be a triple celebration aside from his favorite PBA team’s victory: Jan. 26 is the birthday of Megan and Jan. 24 is their 6th wedding anniversary.

Joey never made it for the celebration he promised Merilyn and Megan.

On Jan. 25, he was part of the select group who went into Tukanalipao village in Mamasapano, Maguindanao to capture Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir alias ”Marwan” and Basit Usman, a bomb-making expert, high up in the terrorists list of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI has put a $5 million bounty for Marwan’s head and $1 million for Usman’s.

It was Mission Accomplished as far as getting Marwan was concerned. However, getting out of the area controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters became problematic and tragic.

The public has still to get the truth about the tragedy that claimed the lives of 44 of the country’s finest police officers including Gamutan.

Merilyn told San Miguel’s star player Arwind Santos, this year’s Most Valuable Player, who paid his respects to the 44 fallen heroes at the Camp Bagong Diwa wake last Friday,that her husband was his fan.
She said her husband would have been thrilled to meet him personally.

Arwind said he was glad to have been given the opportunity to render his tribute to the men who gave their lives for the country.

I asked Merilyn about her private meeting with President Aquino. She said she told him that she wants justice for her husband. She said the President said something like he doesn’t want war.

Why would justice for the slain law enforcers equate to war?

Merilyn apologized saying she can’t recall much about the meeting with the President. “Marami siyang sinabi. Hindi ko namasyadong napakinggan at nahilo ako.”

She said, “Nagkuwento siya tungkol sa kanyang Nanay.”

She must have meant “Tatay” because when I commented, “Di ba yun na yung sinabi niya kaninang umaga?”, Merilyn said,” Yes.”

In his eulogy, Aquino said he knows about the grief of the families of the slain SAF officers and related his experience when his father, the late Sen. Benigno Aquino, Jr., was shot upon his arrival at the airport which has since been named after him 32 years ago.

In the two speeches of Aquino on the Masasapano tragedy, he justified the importance and urgency of of the operation and that was to get “the notorious terrorists. “ As if the death of the 44 was part of collateral damage.

“With the operation that SAF undertook, it is reported that the primary target, Marwan, was killed, “he said in his Friday eulogy.

He said the pursuit for Usman continues. He issued this warning: “Now, be assured that the second target that eluded us will be captured. You know this: I am a man of my word. Capturing Basit Usman is number one on our list of priorities. I have ordered the authorities to formulate a more effective plan to hunt down and apprehend this criminal. Your government is already working towards this end; in fact, even before speaking to you, we were already taking steps to meet this objective. We will prove that the law truly prevails in the Philippines. I assure you, we will get Usman.”

Let us all hope that Aquino and his advisers have learned lessons from the death of the 44 SAF commandos. Because if not, God save the next batch of law enforcers tasked to get Usman. God save our country.