BAGUIO CITY, June 1–The family members of Police Senior Inspector Ferdie Solar, the first government operative killed in Marawi City, are thankful to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for helping to bring the police officer’s body back home.
Solar was born, raised and educated here prior to his entry to the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) in 2003.
Apolonia Solar, the police officer’s mother, said they last saw the young policeman five years ago. He served Mindanao from the time he graduated from the PNPA in 2007 belonging to Sansinirangan class of 2007. “Nagpapasalamat kami kay Pangulong Duterte at sa mga ka-klase niya at napagbigyan ang aming kahilingan na maiuwi ang labi ng aking anak dito sa Baguio (We thank President Duterte and my son’s classmates because they adhered to our desire to bring home his remains in Baguio).”
She said “kahit sa huling sandali ay nais naming makapiling ang aking anak. Sa loob ng limang taon hindi siya nabigyan ng pagkakataon na makauwi at makasami kami at ang kanyang mga kapatid (even for the last time, we want to be with my son. For five years, he did not have the chance to come home and be with us and his siblings),” she said.
She said that Ferdie’s father was also a policeman assigned at Camp Dangwa in La Trinidad, Benguet. She said that her husband was found dead in 2004 days after they raided a drug den. “Dinukot ang asawa ko ilang araw matapos nilang salakayin ang isang drug den (My husband was kidnapped days after they raided a drug den),” she said.
She said that was very painful losing the head of the family 13 years ago but it was more painful to them losing another family member.
“What happened to my son has reminded me and my family of the pain we had to go through when my husband was killed doing his sworn duty as a policeman. But it will be more painful to us if we don’t get justice for my son’s death,” she said.
Teresita Solar, Ferdie’s grandmother, called on the President to give justice for the death of his grandson and all the other policemen and soldiers who passed away fighting to make the country safe against terror groups and criminals. “Sana Matigil na ang kaguluhan sa Mindanao para hindi na marami pa ang mawala (we hope that the atrocities in Mindanao would soon end so that there will be no more who will die).”
Solar’s remains arrived around 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday at St. Peter’s chapel together with a convoy that brought his body here. The wake will be until June 3.
At 10:00 p.m. of the said date, his remains will be transported back to Surigao where his wife Manilyn and his children six-year-old Jaydie and seven-year-old Cassandra reside. **Dionisio Dennis, Jr./ PNA)
