Getulio Pascua Napeñas,Jr. (born July 18,1959) is a Filipino politician and retired police officer who served as commander of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) from 2013 until 2015. He is blamed for the ill-fated Mamasapano clash but earned praise as a man of principle and a true leader of the people. [1]
Napeñas graduated in the Philippine Military Academy in 1982. He was one of the officers who was part of the initial batch of officers of the PC SAF,which became the PNP SAF,when it was created May 16,1983. He was the commander of the Philippine Police Contingent to Kosovo and he was also one of top of his class and training in special action force. Napeñas then served as chief directorial staff and deputy director of SAF before he was designated as director of the Police Regional Office in the Caraga region in January 2012. He also took master's degree in business administration (1995) in the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and master's degree in public administration (1998) in AMA Computer College (now AMA Computer University). [2]
Napeñas became commander of SAF in December 2013 after replacing Carmelo Valmoria,who was appointed chief of the National Capital Region Police Office. [1] In January 2015,the Mamasapano clash resulted to the death of 44 SAF commandos in gun battles with guerrillas from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The SAF operation was intended to arrest terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir (also known as Marwan),a Malaysian bomb maker,and Filipino terrorist Abdul Basit Usman. Marwan was killed during the operation and Usman escaped but was later killed by Moro rebels. [3] As commander,he took full responsibility for the incident while others consider him as a scapegoat. [4] [5] [6] [7] Former President Ramos considered him a "patriot" and "brave" enough to accept the blame. [6]
As a result of the Mamasapano clash,Napeñas was relieved from his position and later retires. [7] He ran for Senator under the United Nationalist Alliance in the 2016 Elections but did not receive one of the 12 seats. [8] Napeñas said his main platform focuses on peace and order and the welfare of police and armed forces,as well as other men in uniform. [9] He also told reporters that he decided to run for senator to get justice for the slain police commandos. [10] His candidacy was supported by various groups and was endorsed by Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada. [11]
Mamasapano,officially the Municipality of Mamasapano,is a 5th class municipality in the province of Maguindanao del Sur,Philippines. According to the 2020 census,it has a population of 27,807 people.
The Moro conflict was an insurgency in the Mindanao region of the Philippines,which involved multiple armed groups. Peace deals have been signed between the Philippine government and two major armed groups,the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF),but other smaller armed groups continue to exist. In 2017,the peace council settled around 138 clan conflicts.
This article covers the history of the current Philippine republican state following the 1986 People Power Revolution,known as the Fifth Philippine Republic.
The Special Action Force (SAF) is the elite unit of the Philippine National Police founded by Fidel V. Ramos,later the twelfth president of the Philippines.
Conchita Carpio-Morales is a former Ombudsman of the Philippines serving from 2011 to 2018. Prior to her appointment as Ombudsman,she held the post of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines,served in the Lower Courts,as well as in the Department of Justice. She has secured appointments from five Philippine presidents:Ferdinand Marcos,Corazon Aquino,Fidel Ramos,Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,and Benigno Aquino III.
Ferdinand Sumague Topacio is a Filipino lawyer.
The civil conflict in the Philippines as of February 2019,consists of an insurgency pitting government forces against Maoist rebels,that began in 1969 during the rule of Ferdinand Marcos.
Zulkifli Abdhir was a Malaysian who was one of the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists. The American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agency offered a US$5 million reward for information leading to his capture. He was the maker of bombs delivered for usage to several terrorist groups. He was often referred to by the nom de guerreMarwan. He was suspected of leading the Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM),being part of the central command of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI),and of involvement in the 2002 Bali bombings. He was suspected of hiding in Mindanao under the protection of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
Bangsamoro,officially the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao is an autonomous region in the Philippines,located in the southwestern portion of the island of Mindanao.
The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF),also known as the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Movement,is an Islamist militant organization based in Mindanao,the Philippines. It follows the Wahhabi ideology that is currently being spread by Wahhabi preachers in the country. It is a smaller player in the overall Moro insurgency in the Philippines and is mostly active in Maguindanao and other places in central Mindanao. It is a breakaway group from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front founded by Ameril Umbra Kato. Following Kato's death,the group split into three factions,one of which has aligned with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),while the other two are less radical.
The Mamasapano clash was a shootout that took place during a police operation by the Special Action Force (SAF) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) on January 25,2015,in Tukanalipao,Mamasapano,then-undivided Maguindanao. The operation,codenamed Oplan Exodus,was intended to capture or kill wanted Malaysian terrorist and bomb-maker Zulkifli Abdhir and other Malaysian terrorists or high-ranking members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
The Bangsamoro Organic Law,also known as the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL),and officially designated as Republic Act No. 11054,is a Philippine law that provided for the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
Khalifa Islamiyah Mindanao (KIM) was a dedicated organization that sought to establish an independent state in Mindanao,Philippines. The group was led by an Afghan-trained cleric known as Humam Abdul Najid. It was sometimes described as an umbrella organization composed of the Jemaah Islamiyah,the Abu Sayyaf,and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. According to the Philippine Institute for Peace,Violence and Terrorism Research,the KIM had five founders;Zulkifli Abdhir,who was killed on January 25,2015 by Special Action Force officers during the raid that culminated in the Mamasapano clash,Amir M,Amir Abtol Rahman,Amir Kuptu and Amir Humam Abdul Najid. The group had reportedly adopted the flag of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
Ahmad Akmad Usman y Batabol,more commonly known as Abdul Basit Usman,was a Filipino terrorist and a bomb-making expert who led the Special Operations Group of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and had links to the Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiyah militant groups. Usman was on the United States' Rewards for Justice Program list,which offered $1 million for his capture.
Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer is a Filipino peace negotiator who was the chair of the peace panel of the government of the Philippines during the time of President Simeon Benigno Aquino III (2010–2016). On behalf of the government,Coronel-Ferrer signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. She is the first female chief negotiator in the world to sign a final peace accord with a rebel group.
Ronald Marapon dela Rosa,also known as Bato,is a Filipino politician and retired police officer who is currently serving as a senator of the Philippines since 2019. He served under the Duterte administration as the chief of the Philippine National Police from July 1,2016,to April 19,2018,overseeing the government's anti-drug campaign;he also served as the Director General of the Bureau of Corrections from April 30 to October 12,2018.
Benjamin "Benjie" Bañez Magalong is a Filipino politician and retired police officer serving as the mayor of Baguio since 2019. Before entering politics,he served in the Philippine Constabulary and Philippine National Police (PNP) for 38 years. He was the chief of the Cordillera regional police office,the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG),and the Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM). He retired with the rank of Police Deputy Director General as the PNP's Deputy Chief for Operations.
Scenema Concept International is a Filipino film studio best known for its historical action films starring politician E.R. Ejercito. Existing since the early 2000s and based in Pasig,Metro Manila,Scenema began as a company which provided facilities and digital equipment to filmmakers and other clients.
Oplan Exodus:SAF 44 is an upcoming Filipino action drama film based around the titular ill-fated police operation in Mamasapano,Maguindanao. The film will be directed by Enzo Williams and produced by Jeorge "E.R." Estregan,who will also star in the lead role.
Mamasapano:Now It Can Be Told is a 2022 Philippine historical action film directed by Lester Dimaranan starring Edu Manzano,Aljur Abrenica,and Paolo Gumabao.