‘Let’s give inquiry board a chance’

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang again appealed to the public yesterday to give the Board of Inquiry (BOI) a chance to ferret out the truth about the Mamasapano encounter amid proposals that a Truth Commission investigate the operation that resulted in the death of 44 police commandos in Maguindanao last Jan. 25.

“We acknowledge the bills filed regarding the creation of a fact-finding commission. Whatever independent body that may be formed by Congress would find the relevant information now being gathered by the PNP (Philippine National Police) Board of Inquiry, the International Monitoring Team, and the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities, as useful reference,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said yesterday.

Coloma said the government was doing everything to piece together the complete story about the operation of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF) that led to the killing of 44 of its men.

The police commandos were out to arrest Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and his Filipino cohort Basit Usman, both linked to the international terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah.

Marwan was allegedly killed during the operation while Usman escaped.

“Let us give the Board of Inquiry of the PNP a chance to start the process to determine every aspect of the operation being done, from the planning to the retrieval of the bodies of the fallen PNP-SAF (operatives),” Coloma said.

He said PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina had announced the comprehensive operational audit that was being done by the police was meant to find out those responsible for the operation and determine if there were procedures violated to avoid the same mistakes in the future.

He added the International Monitoring Team and the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities were also actively working to find out everything about the incident.

“All the relevant information are expected to be forwarded to the Senate and the House of Representatives, which agreed to defer the hearing,” Coloma said.

Coloma said it would be up to the Senate and the House to determine the mechanisms for the Truth Commission as Vice President Jejomar Binay said President Aquino should not be the one to appoint its members.

Coloma said he had not yet spoken with the President about the Truth Commission and the possibility that he would be called to testify.

From the very beginning, Coloma said Aquino had explained his knowledge about the incident.

Coloma added the President asked the wounded SAF members who were part of the operation to write to him and provide information on what happened last Jan. 25.

The creation of a Truth Commission suffered a setback yesterday after its principal author Sen. Teofisto Guingona III, failed to get primary jurisdiction over the bill that was earlier referred to the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs headed by Sen. Grace Poe.

During the plenary last Monday, the Senate referred Guingona’s privilege speech and resolution to Poe’s Senate committee on public order as a primary committee, and Guingona’s peace committee as secondary panel.

The move to create the Truth Commission needs approval of both the Senate and the House of Representatives since it has to empower the body to subpoena witnesses and documentary evidence.

Compared to the proposed Truth Commission where Aquino may appoint the members, Poe said the Senate committee has the mandate of the people.

Meanwhile, detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada rejected Guingona’s proposed Truth Commission.

In a statement from his detention cell at Camp Crame, Estrada said he supported the inquiry being pursued by the Senate committee on public order led by Poe.

‘Noy should not appoint probers’

Binay said yesterday that President Aquino should not pick the members of the proposed independent fact-finding commission on the Mamasapano encounter and an impartial search committee should instead be formed.

Binay said having the members of the fact-finding body appointed by the President would only lead to speculations of a whitewash.

He proposed that the Integrated Bar of the Philippines take the lead in creating a search committee.

Aside from the IBP, Binay suggested that the members of the fact-finding body include former chief justices, leaders of Church and religious groups, and eminent personalities.

The labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) yesterday pressed for an independent investigation into the involvement of the US government in the fatal Mamasapano operation.

KMU chair Elmer Labog said that Malacañang should also be barred from appointing any member of the independent body tasked to probe The IBP is ready to extend legal assistance to the families of the 44 slain SAF members.

Ramon Esguerra, IBP governor for Southern Luzon, said families and relatives of the slain police commandos in the Mamasapano massacre could avail of legal help from the IBP in case they want to file any charges in connection with the Jan. 25 incident. – With Christina Mendez, Helen Flores, Mayen Jaymalin