MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III's speech at the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) graduation rite on Thursday failed to provide closure to the Mamasapano operation which resulted to the deaths of 70 persons, including 44 Special Action Force commandos, militant group Bayan said.
Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. also branded the president's much-touted final speech on the Mamasapano incident as a "dud."
"Aquino sought understanding for his actions due to incomplete or inaccurate information given him.He, however, did not explain why in the world he allowed a suspended PNP chief to run the operation to begin with," Reyes said.
In his recent speeches, the president virtually admitted letting now resigned PNP chief Alan Purisima to run Operation Exodus, a plan to capture high profile targets, Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan; and his Filipino accomplice Basit Usman in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
Reyes said President Aquino also failed to explain why he got updates on the operation from and communicated with Purisima - the source of the inaccurate information.
"His appeal for understanding seemed hollow because he refused to own up to his ultimate responsibility for green-lighting the defective plan. He even called the BOI (Board of Inquiry) and Senate reports as based on speculation," he added.
The Senate draft report said that the President is "ultimately responsible" for the Mamasapano operations.