Purisima insists Mamasapano operation not his idea
MANILA, Philippines — Former Philippine National Police Chief Director General Alan Purisima insisted he did not formulate the plan behind Oplan Exodus, the Special Action Force operation that led to the killing of the police troopers in January last year.
In a position paper sent Saturday to Philstar.com, Marius Corpus, Purisima's legal counsel, said there was no basis for the criminal charges filed on Friday with the Office of the Ombudsman against the police chief. Purisima was accused by an anti-corruption advocacy group of being involved in the planning and execution of the operation after he was preventively suspended from office.
Purisima's camp said, however, that it was SAF commander Getulio Napeñas who "controlled and supervised" the operation on Jan. 25, 2015. It also insisted that the mission was conceptualized and planned by the SAF on Dec. 18, 2014 in a meeting which Purisima did not attend.
"Since he had already delegated his authority as PNP Chief to P/Dir. Napeñas, and because he was then under preventive suspension, PDG Purisima never substituted his judgment for that of P/Dir. Napenas, and he never amended or modified any aspect of Oplan Exodus," Purisima's camp said.
Oplan Exodus, led by then SAF commander Napeñas, aimed to serve warrants of arrest to terrorist suspects Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and Basit Usman in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. Even as Marwan was shot dead in the operation, 44 elite police commandos fell in an encounter with rebels belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other armed groups.
Corpus said the briefing on Jan. 9, 2015 Oplan Exodus that Purisima gave to President Benigno Aquino III prior to the operation was "merely to inform and update" him on the progress and was not meant to get the chief executive's approval.
"The President and PDG Purisima never participated in the planning, and never attended any of the planning sessions of the SAF," Corpus said in the paper.
"Oplan Exodus was already a complete package when the President was briefed about it on January 9, 2015," he added.
Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption on Friday filed criminal charges against Purisima, saying the suspended police chief dictated Oplan Exodus.
"The respondent is guilty of usurping official functions. He could not have legally participated in the planning and execution of Oplan Exodus while under preventive suspension," the group said.
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