Palace: Majority didn't think Pnoy washed hands over SAF 'misencounter'

MANILA, Philippines - Did President Benigno Aquino III do a Pontius Pilate?

For Malacañang, this was not the Filipinos' perception of Aquino's televised address to the nation last night on the deadly "misencounter" in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

In a press briefing on Thursday, Coloma claimed that majority of Filipinos did not believe Aquino washed his hands of responsibility for the carnage during his speech.

"Sa amin pong monitoring ay hindi naman 'yan majority view. Gayunpaman, isinasaalang-alang lahat ng mga pananaw, bagaman naiiba," Coloma said.

In his speech, Aquino veered away from allegations that he and suspended Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima were directly involved in the fatal Mamasapano operation of the Special Action Force (SAF).

The SAF troopers were tasked to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkipli bin Hir alias Marwan and Filipino Basit Usman, both bomb experts linked to the Jemaah Islamiya terror group. The mission, however, led to an armed encounter with fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Aquino admitted knowing about the covert SAF operation but he said it did not require his go-signal.

He explained that the SAF operatives were only implementing the oustanding warrants for the terror suspects.

"Hindi sa bawat pagkakataon ay hinihiling nila ang pahintulot ko, dahil impraktikal naman kung hintayin pa nila ang clearance mula sa akin. Ang tungkulin ko: siguruhing ginagampanan nila ang kanilang responsibilidad," Aquino said in his speech last night.