MANILA – A Taguig court has convicted two rebel militia commanders with links to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for their part in the killing of 35 police commandoes in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province in 2015, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported Friday.

In a decision promulgated on Dec. 16, the Taguig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 153 convicted Abubakar Guiaman, alyas Commander Refy; and Mohammad Ali Tambako for 35 counts of homicide and were sentenced to up to 14 years imprisonment for each count.

"This court victory is the fruit of the DOJ's hard work and resilience in the face of adversity through the years, never backing down against injustice to uphold the rule of law. To my fellow Filipinos we have won," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a statement.

In Jan. 25, 2015, elements of the Philipine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) entered Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano to serve warrants against two high-ranking Jemaah Islamiyah-affiliated bomb experts: Zulkifli Abdhir (also known as Marwan), and Abdul Basit Usman.

Marwan engaged them in a firefight and was killed. The shooting alerted the BIFF (Bangsa Moro Islamic Freedom Fighters) and MILF 118th Command in the area, which ultimately led to an all-out shootout leaving 44 SAF, 18 MILF, and 5 BIFF members dead.

The state lawyers who successfully secured the conviction were Deputy State Prosecutor Alexander Suarez, Senior Assistant State Prosecutors (SASPs) Rex Gingoyon, Anna Devanadera, Amanda Felipe and Susan Azarcon, as well as former Assistant State Prosecutor (ASP) and now Cebu City RTC Judge Claire Pagayanan. (PNA)

MANILA – A Taguig court has convicted two rebel militia commanders with links to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) for their part in the killing of 35 police commandoes in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province in 2015, the Department of Justice (DOJ) reported Friday.

In a decision promulgated on Dec. 16, the Taguig City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 153 convicted Abubakar Guiaman, alyas Commander Refy; and Mohammad Ali Tambako for 35 counts of homicide and were sentenced to up to 14 years imprisonment for each count.

"This court victory is the fruit of the DOJ's hard work and resilience in the face of adversity through the years, never backing down against injustice to uphold the rule of law. To my fellow Filipinos we have won," Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said in a statement.

In Jan. 25, 2015, elements of the Philipine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) entered Barangay Tukanalipao, Mamasapano to serve warrants against two high-ranking Jemaah Islamiyah-affiliated bomb experts: Zulkifli Abdhir (also known as Marwan), and Abdul Basit Usman.

Marwan engaged them in a firefight and was killed. The shooting alerted the BIFF (Bangsa Moro Islamic Freedom Fighters) and MILF 118th Command in the area, which ultimately led to an all-out shootout leaving 44 SAF, 18 MILF, and 5 BIFF members dead.

The state lawyers who successfully secured the conviction were Deputy State Prosecutor Alexander Suarez, Senior Assistant State Prosecutors (SASPs) Rex Gingoyon, Anna Devanadera, Amanda Felipe and Susan Azarcon, as well as former Assistant State Prosecutor (ASP) and now Cebu City RTC Judge Claire Pagayanan. (PNA)