BOI report on Mamasapano clash due today

MANILA, Philippines - As the fact-finding report of the Board of Inquiry (BOI) on the Mamasapano encounter is set to be submitted today, the pronouncement made by President Aquino blaming sacked Special Action Force (SAF) commander Director Getulio Napeñas for the tragic outcome of the operation will have no bearing on the BOI report, acting Philippine National Police chief Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina said yesterday.

Espina pointed out the BOI, led by Director Benjamin Magalong, is an independent body.

“We fully trust the BOI. First of all it is really totally independent from me. It’s totally independent from all of us (in the PNP),” Espina said.

“I am not here to pass judgment. I would like to commend the BOI because for the past more than one month, they have endured sleepless hours (collating pieces of evidence). What they did was a difficult job and I commend them. They have my respect,” he added.

The report was supposedly scheduled for submission last Monday, but for yet unclear reasons it was pushed back to today.

Admitting that he could not speak on behalf of the BOI, Espina, who submitted his own statement to the board, said he is confident the board has gathered all the facts related to the incident.

“I wanted a level playing field. The objective here is to know the truth because in knowing the truth that would be tantamount to looking for answers and seeking justice for our gallant 44,” Espina said, referring to the 44 SAF operatives killed by Muslim rebels in Mamasapano on Jan. 25.

President Aquino has put the blame on Napeñas for the tragic outcome of the mission.

The 44 policemen were part of a SAF mission to capture one of the world’s most wanted terrorists hiding in a remote village in Mamasapano.

Although the target, Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, was killed, the raiding policemen figured in a firefight with Muslim rebels on their way out of Barangay Pidsandawan.

At the height of the fighting, the SAF called for reinforcements from the military, but this only came late in the afternoon when 44 of them had been killed by the rebels.

Only three people allegedly knew of the covert operation – President Aquino, resigned PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima and Napeñas.

The President, without any mention of Purisima who admitted that his role in the operation was confined to giving advice, said Napeñas had fooled him into believing that reinforcement was provided to the beleaguered policemen.

Reiterating his guidance to the policemen during his visit to police regional police offices in Ilocos region and Central Luzon, Espina had this advice to Napeñas: “Just work. As I told policemen in Regions 1 and 3, let’s all move forward even if we are carrying a heavy load. We owe this to the people to look forward,” Espina said.