THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff, Gen. Jessie Dellosa, on Wednesday vowed to give speedy justice to the families of the 19 soldiers who died in the Al Barka, Basilan ambush that happened exactly a year ago today.

“The quest for justice takes a huge physical, financial, and emotional toll on all parties in the Al Barka incident and it would be of best interest to everyone concerned that the case will be rendered an impartial resolution at the soonest time possible,” Dellosa said.

He assured, however, the four senior officers who are now under trial before the General Court Martial (GCM) for their role in the Al Barka incident that they would be given a fair deal.

He identified the four accused officers as Lt. Col. Leonardo Peña, former commanding officer of the 4th Special Forces Battalion; Col. Alexander Macario, former commander of Special Operations Task Force–Basilan Province; Col. Amikandra Undug, former regiment commander of Special Forces Regiment (Airborn), Special Operations Command (Socom); and Lt. Col. Orlando Edralin, former commandant of Special Forces School, Socom.

The embattled officers were accused of violating Article 84 (Willful or Negligent Loss, Damage or Wrongful Disposition); Article 96 (Conduct Unbecoming an Officer and Gentleman); and Article 97 (Disorder and Neglect to the Prejudice of Good Order and Military Discipline) of the Articles of War.

The GCM, headed by Brig. Gen. Teodor Cirilo Torralba 3rd, is set to proceed with the oral arguments on Thursday.

“As administrator of justice in the military, the Office of the Judge Advocate General is committed to prosecute offenders; and bring to justice all those involved in the alleged incident,” the Judge Advocate General, Colonel Marian Aleido said.

“The Prosecution has been able to complete the presentation of evidence against the accused and will be having an oral argument in the next scheduled trial to the Motions for Finding of Not Guilty filed by the defense. We are confident that, barring obstacles beyond our control, the case will be decided within the prescribed timeframe so that justice will be served to all,” Aleido added.

The ambush incident happened October 17, 2011 in Al Barka, Basilan. The ambushers was led by Commander Dan Laksaw Aswan of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Aswani is wanted for various crimes. He was also involved in the 2007 beheading of 14 Marines, also in Al Barka.

It was alleged that there were operational lapses on the part of the military in the Al Barka incident, citing, among others, the lack of manpower and logistical support before the soldiers proceeded to the mission area.

“It took a long time before the additional forces arrived on the area. It took them also hours before they were able to retrieve the dead soldiers,” a military official, who requested anonymity, said.

“Their [soldiers] enemies came from all direction. It was a hopeless situation where one manage to survive by sheer luck,” he further said.

The accused military officers were being pointed to as responsible for the bungled operations.