Duterte to meet police, military in Mindanao in wake of Sulu ‘shooting’
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will visit Mindanao to meet with the commanders of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) following the alleged “shooting incident” between their men in Jolo, Sulu earlier this week, a Cabinet official said on Thursday.
In a virtual press briefing, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Duterte’s visit would happen “very soon” but did not disclose further details for security reasons.
“The President is going to the South to talk to our PNP and AFP commanders (there), sabi ko nga kung may time pa siya kausapin niya yung mga suspect (I even told him to visit the suspects if he has time),” said Año, who supervises the PNP.
On Wednesday, Duterte’s spokesman Harry Roque said the Commander-in-Chief was saddened by the incident that left Maj. Marvin Indammog, 39; Capt. Irwin Managuelod, 33; Sgt. Jaime Velasco, 38; and Cpl. Abdal Asula, 33 dead. The four were tailing terrorist suicide bombers when the shooting happened.
Senior military officials called the death of the soldiers “murder”, while police insisted that it was a result of a “shooting incident”. The PNP initially called it a “misencounter”.
Duterte had ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to hasten its investigation, according to Roque.
He said the President expressed hope that the police and military would avoid a repeat of the situation under his watch.
“Talagang nalulungkot siya doon sa nangyari na misencounter diyan sa Sulu. At in-orderan nga niya ang NBI na pabilisin ang imbestigasyon (He is really saddened by the misencounter in Sulu. And he ordered the NBI to fast-track its investigation),” Roque said.
“Hindi daw dapat nagpapatayan, nagi-engkuwentro ang parehong ideolohiya. At sabi niya, sana ito na ang huling misencounter sa kaniyang termino (He said those with the same ideology should not kill each other or get involved in an encounter. He said it should be the last misencounter under his term),” he added.