PNP Board of Inquiry secures Purisima’s affidavit

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine National Police (PNP)’s Board of Inquiry (BOI) has secured the affidavit of resigned PNP chief Alan Purisima on his supposed involvement the Mamasapano operation, which claimed the lives of 44 policemen from the Special Action Force (SAF).

In a statement, BOI chairman and PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) chief Director Benjamin Magalong said the board also informed PNP acting chief Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina on Friday that it held series of meetings with the Operational Audit Team (OAT) to discuss the findings of the ongoing probe.

The BOI and OAT discussed the findings related to the SAF operation’s mission planning, execution and termination that resulted in the death of 44 troopers and the wounding of several others last Jan. 25.

Magalong said the BOI will be in Maguindanao from Feb. 24 to 26 to conduct an on-site survey and “get a clearer picture of the actual events and to validate the claims, assertions and allegations regarding the incident.”

The BOI will also interview key personalities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) while in Maguindano.

Next week, the BOI will interview Espina and AFP chief General Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr.

The BOI said that 343 out of the 346 SAF troopers involved in the Mamasapano operation have submitted their sworn statements. Only three troopers have yet to complete and sign their statements.

The BOI also reported that 13 M4 rifles, two machine guns, an assembly part of an M4 rifle and a mobile phone were turned over by the Police Regional Office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao to the CIDG late Wednesday night. – With Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jaime Laude