Interior and Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla, on 25 January, said: “The justice for the SAF 44 will never be found.”

Dead or alive, soldiers are our protectors under the Constitution.

In the Bible, soldiers have a significant role under various lights, sometimes as protectors and defenders of their people, and at other times as instruments of God’s judgment.

The Bible talks about soldiers in many different ways, using them as examples to teach us about strength, courage, and faith. Soldiers in the Bible are often shown to stand firm and stay true to their beliefs. As we read the verses, we can learn valuable lessons on dedication, service, and the importance of placing our faith in God, just as soldiers place their trust in their leaders and their training.

Discipline is a key attribute of a soldier, essential for maintaining order and effectiveness. The Bible teaches us the value of spiritual discipline in living a life that honors God and reflects His character.

Ten years ago, during the Philippine Military Academy alumni reunion, most of the military and police officials wore black armbands emblazoned with the number 44, in sympathy for the fallen SAF troops.

Former military chief Eduardo Oban (Class of ‘79), the 2015 alumni reunion guest of honor and speaker, supported the call for justice and finding the answers to the still unanswered questions on the secret operation that resulted in the deaths of the 44 police commandos in the controversial Mamasapano clash.

“It has been said that the truth shall set us free –- yes, our hearts cry out for justice,” Oban said.

“It is only right that there be answers to our unanswered questions. Justice should not only conform to sound reason, it should also dispel doubtful hearts. In the midst of all this we continue to hear among the many tales of gallantry in Mindanao the cries of Pata Island, of Patikul, of Al-barka, and lately of Mamasapano,” said the former AFP chief.

But Oban also called for “extreme restraint, for it does not take too much to fuel our outrage and muster men in combat than to lead our fellowmen in the more intricate road to peace.”

And while it may be easy for an army to win a war, it will take the entire nation to win the peace, which can never be fleeting for it cannot be anything but lasting, Oban said.

“We convulse with the thought that too many lives have been lost but the greatest casualty here is the peace we all together seek,” he said.

Peace therefore presupposes a feeling of security, that we must be secure in our homes, secure in our beliefs, secure against the forces that conspire to disrupt our day to day lives, including from threats by terrorists, rogue forces and aggressive echelons,” Oban said.

“Protecting the people and the nation is the mandate of all PMA graduates. It is the reason for their existence as cavaliers, it is the reason we are gathered here today, to draw strength from our alma mater and to nurture the ideals essential to our quest for peace, that we may harmonize it when necessary to enforce it,” said the former AFP chief.