Mamasapano villagers learn from NBI

MANILA, Philippines - The ocular inspection by forensic experts from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Mamasapano, Maguindanao has been a source of wonder for many villagers in the area, including some Muslim rebels.

Villagers who rarely see such experts in person saw how NBI forensic investigators do their thing.

“We showed them how law enforcement works. They saw us in action and we saw their way of living. It was very enlightening,” an NBI official said in last Wednesday’s ocular inspection in Mamasapano.

It was also the first time the villagers allowed the military in the area controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“It really helped that we went there without bias or prejudice. We were just armed with a promise that we will try our best to give justice to everyone who died in the clash,” the official said.

“Maybe some were uncomfortable that government forces were there, but we all have to make compromises if we want justice to be served. They were open to that anyway,” the source said.

The NBI went into “the box,” or the site where most of the 44 operatives of the police Special Action Force (SAF) were killed during the firefight with Muslim rebels.

The 44 policemen were part of the SAF team on a mission to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, who had a $5-million bounty on his head.