Duterte on Samar ‘misencounter’: Nobody wants it

“You see yesterday, the misencounter. Nobody wants it,” Duterte said in a speech at the mass oath-taking of newly-elected barangay (village) officials at the municipal gymnasium in Molave, Zamboanga del Sur. (ACE MORANDANTE/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)

MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte said Tuesday the “misencounter” between government troops and policemen in Samar, where six cops were killed and nine others were wounded, as an event which nobody wanted to happen.

“Kita mo kahapon, ang (You see yesterday, the) misencounter. Nobody wants it,” Duterte said in a speech at the mass oath-taking of newly-elected barangay (village) officials at the municipal gymnasium in Molave, Zamboanga del Sur.

The President also cited Murphy’s Law, an observation that anything that can go wrong will go wrong, to describe the misencounter.

“Actually, what happens there is the Murphy’s Law. If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong, just like the misencounter,” he said.

Duterte said he wanted to visit the slain and wounded cops in Samar but did not give further details.

“I want to go there. I want the Army to go with me,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Duterte pointed out that the incident was not done intentionally.

“Di naman sinadya ‘yan e (That wasn’t intentionally done),” he added.

Malacañang earlier assured that the Philippine government will provide the necessary assistance to the families of the six slain policemen and the nine others, who were injured during the chance encounter.

“Lahat naman po ng naging biktima o nasasaktan sa labanan na taong gobyerno, iyan po ay pinangangalagaan ng ating gobyerno (All victims, or those wounded in an encounter with government forces are being taken care of by the government),” Roque said in a press briefing in Davao City.

He added that the Palace is still waiting for the results of the joint investigation being conducted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) on the incident.

“Hayaan po muna natin umusad ang imbestigasyon (Let’s wait for the investigation to proceed),” Roque said.

On Monday morning, soldiers of the Army’s 87th Infantry Battalion “incidentally engaged” elements of the 1st Platoon, 805th Company, Regional Mobile Force Battalion 8 of the PNP as they were patrolling Sitio Lonoy, Barangay San Roque, Sta. Rita, Samar.