Noy: No regrets that Purisima supervised SAF operation

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has expressed no regrets and is convinced that he did the right thing when he allowed suspended Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima to supervise by remote control the police operation that unfortunately led to the death of 44 police commandos.

“I had not heard or seen that he expressed regrets,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. told reporters yesterday when asked if Aquino regretted delegating authority to Purisima, and the fact that he lied.

Coloma said that he only witnessed the President’s determination to get the whole truth to get a full understanding of the matter to guide him in his future actions.

Aquino accepted with a heavy heart the resignation of Purisima two weeks after the PNP-Special Action Force (SAF) operation to get international terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25 resulted in the death of 44 police commandos after a clash with Muslim rebels.

The SAF commandos launched the operation to get Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, who was on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most wanted persons’ list with a $5-million bounty, and his Filipino cohort Basit Usman. Both have been linked to the international terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.

Marwan was killed during the operation while Usman escaped.

There were reports that the operation targeted another Malaysian identified as Amin Baco, who also escaped.

Purisima remains under a six-month suspension order by the ombudsman over corruption charges. – With Aurea Calica, Paolo Romero, Mayen Jaymalin, Edith Regalado