MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino’s claim that he was fooled by sacked Special Action Force (SAF) chief Director Getulio Napeñas into believing that the Mamasapano operation could be executed without hitches has caused more “confusion” and showed weakness in leadership, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said yesterday.
Marcos shared the view that Aquino has pinned all the blame on Napeñas, apparently to save resigned Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima, the President’s close friend, from any accountability.
Marcos pointed to the President’s decision to use an “informal chain of command” in the PNP when he allowed then suspended Purisima to proceed with the SAF operation to go after Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, in Mamasapano, which unfortunately resulted in the death of 44 SAF troopers in a clash with Moro rebels.
Purisima resigned after it was revealed during the Senate inquiry that he had a hand in the conduct of the Mamasapano operation.
But during his speech at a prayer meeting in Malacañang on Monday, the President pinned all the blame on Napeñas. Aquino claimed that Napeñas lied to him.
“This new assertion of the President is just confusing the issue rather than clarifying the issue. We will review what he was really referring to that he was lied to, that Gen. Napeñas fooled him and in what sense?” Marcos said.
Marcos noted that senators have a clearer view of the Mamasapano incident after the Senate wrapped up its inquiry.
Napeñas testified at the Senate that he joined Purisima and PNP-Intelligence Group chief Senior Superintendent Jojo Mendez in a mission update at Bahay Pangarap last Jan. 9, two weeks before the Mamasapano operation on Jan. 25.
Napeñas told senators that he and Purisima presented the Mamasapano operation to the President.
During the Senate hearing, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina also said that they were not informed about Mamasapano until members of 84th Seaborne had taken down Marwan and the 55th Special Action Company was deployed as blocking force.
“Looking closely, the coordination was only among the President, Alan Purisima and Gen. Napeñas. The whole command structure of the PNP was bypassed and that was the President’s own chain of command,” Marcos said in Filipino.
“If he (Aquino) used the whole command structure, even if one or two made a mistake or lied, it will still not result in the massacre of 44 SAF troopers,” the senator pointed out.
Asked if the President exercised wrong judgment or wrong choice of friends, Marcos said Aquino’s fault is “wrong choice of procedure.”
Delay in PNP-BOI probe questioned
Marcos and Sen. JV Ejercito also questioned the delay in the submission of the result of investigation of the PNP Board of Inquiry (BOI) in light of the President’s new assertion on the Mamasapano incident.
Ejercito said the President had effectively placed the Senate and the BOI in an awkward situation because Aquino has come out with his own version of events when the results of the investigation are yet to be released. – With Marvin Sy, Edith Regalado, Mayen