Purisima informed Noy of clash at 5 a.m.

MANILA, Philippines - As early as 5 a.m. of Jan. 25, President Aquino had been informed by then suspended police chief Alan Purisima of the killing by police commandos of Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, sources privy to the progress of investigations said yesterday.

But what the President did after being told of the development remains unclear. 

Sen. Grace Poe is urging Purisima to divulge details of Operation Plan: Exodus targeting Marwan and Filipino cohort Basit Usman.

The fighting, which erupted after Marwan’s death between Special Action Force commandos and guerrillas belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, killed dozens, including 44 SAF policemen.

“For me, it would be best for the President if Purisima would reveal everything,” Poe said. She declined to elaborate, citing the code of secrecy observed in an executive session of the Senate.

In a public hearing last week, senators asked top officials – including Purisima, Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin – who among them had informed Aquino of the outbreak of fighting in Mamasapano. Purisima invoked executive privilege in refusing to answer the senators’ question.

Sources also said Purisima got blow-by-blow update on the progress of Exodus from then SAF commander Director Getulio Napeñas – from the time the commandos embarked on the mission on Jan. 24.

In his communication with Purisima, Napeñas – according to sources – seemed to recognize Purisima as PNP chief although he had also provided PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina with details on Marwan’s arrest.

Napeñas addressed Purisima as “CPNP” while he called Espina “OIC, PNP,” a source said.

Insiders said such complex arrangement in the chain of command may have undermined coordination efforts in the operation to arrest Marwan and Usman.

Napeñas also informed 6th Infantry Division commander Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan of the operation but only after the SAF assault teams had neutralized Marwan.

The GPH-Ad Hoc Joint Action Group (AHJAG) chaired by Brig. Gen. Manolito Orense was reportedly informed of the clashes along with top police and military officials by 6 a.m.

Napeñas coordinated with Orense, who advised him to contact someone to help the assault and blocking teams withdraw from the hostile territory.

The appeal for help from the beleaguered SAF men first reached Purisima’s attention at 6 a.m.

Purisima declared on national television that he was in Nueva Ecija during the critical hours last Jan. 25. Sources told The STAR Purisima had asked Napeñas about the location of the withdrawing troops at around 8 a.m.

Sources added Purisima tried to help by coordinating actions with his other contacts.

The former PNP chief asked the commander of the 6th Infantry Division (Pangilinan) to help in the “extraction” of the besieged SAF men. Purisima resigned at the height of the controversy.

P-Noy asked for figures

Documents submitted by the PNP Board of Inquiry to the Senate revealed that Roxas had informed Espina of President Aquino’s request for details on the number of SAF personnel involved in the operations and that of “hostile” forces. This was at around 10: 30 a.m.

It was also at around this time that Napeñas informed Espina that the SAF personnel were engaging the “hostiles,” who outnumbered the policemen.

The tactical post in Shariff Aguak, where Napeñas and his officers monitored developments, also got wind of reports that there were other armed groups engaging the SAF personnel.

Roxas also reportedly asked for details of Marwan’s death as early as 10:30 a.m. He was also said to have inquired if the assault team was able to get pictures of the slain terrorist as well as DNA samples.

The US-Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had confirmed that Marwan’s DNA samples matched those of his brother, Rahmat, who is detained in California.

From 11 a.m. to late afternoon, the besieged police commandos waited in vain for reinforcements to come.

At 7 p.m., Roxas advised Napeñas to “keep calm” and “keep your head.” “Di natin papabayaan tropa natin (We will not abandon our troops). P-Noy gave guidance to AFP Westmincom,” Roxas was quoted as telling the SAF commander. Westmincom refers to Western Mindanao Command.

It was at around 6 p.m. when the military fired three white phosphorous smokescreen that supposedly scared hostile groups. The surviving SAF troopers, some wounded, were located by a US surveillance team and rescued before midnight.

The last surviving SAF troopers were pulled out by 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 26, sources added.

In his testimony before the Senate last week, Napeñas said the President was regularly updated on the operations against Marwan.

Up to Purisima

At Malacañang, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said they’re leaving it all up to Purisima to make public his statements given to the Senate in executive session.

Coloma also said President Aquino is fully aware of the public’s sentiment on the issue and will speak again to settle the matter once and for all – in his own time.

In a phone patch interview yesterday, Coloma said he would not know whether Purisima had been given clearance by the President to discuss matters involving the Chief Executive in connection with the operation.

Poe, chairperson of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, was quoted in reports as saying she personally thought Purisima’s testimony in executive session should be made public because it could even help Aquino, who has been suffering from public backlash because of the Mamasapano tragedy.

Earlier, Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara said Purisima could not invoke executive privilege to ward off questions on Aquino’s actions in the Mamasapano clash because only the President was entitled to such privilege.

Oplan Exodus was reportedly run by remote control by Purisima.

“As regards encouraging him (to openly talk about his role and his reported meetings with the President), he is the only one who can decide in the end and we expect him to do what is necessary and what can be of help to the country,” Coloma said.

Coloma added they would have to respect Poe’s pronouncements and it would be up to the senator to determine how to treat and assess the information given to them by Purisima and other resource persons in the course of the Senate investigation.

“So we will just have to wait for the Senate report on the results of its probe,” Coloma said.

Coloma also said earlier that in the President’s Feb. 6 national address, the Chief Executive had already told the people about what he knew about the Mamasapano incident as well as his intention to let the investigations take their course.

He said there was no indication from the President that he no longer wanted to talk about the issue as he was also interested in finding out the truth about the matter.

Coloma also expressed belief the wounds caused by the Mamasapano tragedy would heal over time, just like what happened after previous crises like the August 2010 Luneta hostage crisis, the November 2013 onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda and the September 2013 Zamboanga City siege.

“There is always a process of rebuilding and along with that is healing,” he said. – With Aurea Calica, Delon Porcalla