‘20 questions? Most have been answered by Noy’

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang believes President Aquino has answered most of the 20 questions that members of the House of Representatives’ Makabayan bloc would like to ask him during the resumption of the chamber’s hearings on the Mamasapano incident on April 7 and 8.

In a press briefing yesterday, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda reiterated the Palace’s readiness to cooperate with the House in its investigation, but again expressed reservations over plans to invite the President to personally appear at the hearings because of separation of powers among the three branches of government.

The questions center mainly on the President’s role in Oplan Exodus or the operation to capture international terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25.

“If anyone looks at the questions posed by the Makabayan bloc, most of them have been responded (to) one way or the other by the President,” Lacierda said.

“The question is: Why are you asking them again? Maybe you don’t want the answers the President gave… or you are not satisfied with the President’s statement or there is a line that you want the President to say,” he added.

Lacierda said it would be up to the House leaders to go through the procedure to get the President’s answers ensuring, however, that the separation of powers and respect for a co-equal branch is maintained.

In a previous statement, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Aquino had been unwavering in his support to seek the truth regarding the Mamasapano incident and had encouraged any action that would contribute to arriving at the truth at the soonest possible time.

Valte said the President, through Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., gave his consent to a request from the Senate concerning the release of transcripts of text messages between him and then suspended Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Alan Purisima in the early hours of Jan. 25 in keeping with upholding the dignity of the office and maintaining the principle of separation of powers.

Lacierda again emphasized the commitment of the President to uncover the truth. The Senate report that came out after its investigation found Aquino ultimately responsible, while the PNP Board of Inquiry said the President broke the chain of command by dealing directly with Purisima and relieved police Special Action Force (SAF) commander Director Getulio Napeñas.

But the President had repeatedly said his orders to coordinate with PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were disobeyed.

Lacierda said they could understand that the lawmakers would want the President’s answers to be contained in official documents, but Aquino and “his spokespersons have already stated in a number of occasions” the role the Chief Executive played, even in his earlier meeting with House members at the Palace.

“He wants those questions recorded… in aid of legislation. Let’s go to the process but what is that process? Let the House leadership determine that in uncovering and in making sure that the statements of the President are also reflected in their report,” Lacierda said.

The President had lamented that the Senate and the PNP-BOI did not get his side and admitted he was “hurt” that some parts resorted to speculations and guesswork.

House won’t invite P-Noy

The House leadership yesterday stood pat on its collective decision not to invite President Aquino to its hearings on the Mamasapano incident next week.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. reiterated the decision in the wake of the appeal of the seven-member Makabayan bloc of party-list representatives for the House to ask Aquino to attend the inquiry.

The group came up with 20 questions for the President to answer.

“We will not invite the President, but the questionnaire will help. I think he has answered all of it in various forums,” Belmonte said in a text message.

The Makabayan bloc’s appeal is contained in a letter sent on Monday to Reps. Jeffrey Ferrer of Negros Occidental and Jim Hataman-Salliman of Basilan, who chair the committees on public order and safety, and on peace, reconciliation and unity, respectively.

The two committees will conduct the hearings on April 7 and 8.

Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II told The STAR on Sunday that House leaders met last week and agreed not to invite Aquino to the hearings.

“We met last Tuesday and we made it clear that the President will not be invited, that he has already made a sufficient explanation of his role in Mamasapano. The minority did not insist on having an invitation extended to the President,” he said.

He said any motion to invite Aquino that is presented during next week’s inquiry would be voted down.

Aside from Belmonte, Gonzales and Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora, others who attended the meeting included Ferrer, Salliman, some Mindanao congressmen led by Celso Lobregat of Zamboanga City, Rodolfo Biazon of Muntinlupa and Carol Jane Lopez of party-list group You Against Corruption and Poverty.

In their letter to the chairmen of the hearing committees, the Makabayan bloc members said some “significant issues” had been raised “but not completely resolved” by the Senate committee and the BOI in their investigations.

“These issues are, namely, the knowledge and participation of President Aquino and the extent of participation of the United States” in the SAF mission to capture three suspected terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25, they said.

They said it is only Aquino who could clarify such issues.

In their list of 20 questions, they would like to know why the President allowed Purisima to participate in the planning and execution of the mission to arrest the terrorists, and if the Chief Executive did not violate the ombudsman’s suspension of Purisima.

Aquino has said it was Purisima, before he was suspended, who worked on the plan to capture the terrorists.

Purisima, Napeñas and PNP intelligence chief Senior Supt. Fernando Mendez briefed Aquino on Exodus, the blueprint for the SAF mission, in Malacañang on Jan. 9.

Napeñas has told congressional hearings and the BOI that Purisima, emerging from his huddle with the President, told him not to inform Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and PNP OIC Espina of the mission until it was underway, and that he (Purisima) would take care of informing AFP chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr.

Aquino has said he ordered Purisima and Napeñas to coordinate their mission with the AFP, but that his directive was not obeyed.