Poe: No change in Senate report
MANILA, Philippines – A retelling of events that led to the Mamasapano carnage last year pointed to President Aquino’s direct role in the botched anti-terror operation that left 44 elite police commandos dead, Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile yesterday told a Senate panel investigating the tragedy.
Grilling police and military officers for hours, Enrile said it was apparent President Aquino was hiding behind resigned police chief Alan Purisima to escape blame for the deaths of the 44 members of the Special Action Force (SAF) at the hands of Muslim rebels on Jan. 25 last year.
All the President’s men – from his Army commander, to Cabinet members and senator allies – closed ranks to disprove Enrile’s claims.
At Malacañang, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. emphasized the Chief Executive “had always acted responsibly and faced squarely all matters pertaining to the Mamasapano incident.”
President Aquino’s lawmaker allies including Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III said nothing new came out of the hearing yesterday.
Enrile said President Aquino should be held liable for the tragedy after he “compartmentalized” the planning and implementation of Operation Plan Exodus and eventually failed to act promptly to help the beleaguered commandos.
“In Oplan Exodus, President Aquino appeared to have actively, directly involved himself. He was briefed, consented and informed by police director general Alan Purisima and by you on all aspects of Oplan Exodus,” Enrile said at the re-opening of the inquiry, addressing Gen. Getulio Napeñas, the SAF chief at the time.
“As a matter of fact, he issued orders and gave instructions to PDG Purisima and to you… planning execution of Oplan Exodus,” Enrile told Napeñas.
The hearing – conducted by the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs – lasted more than seven hours, from 10 a.m. to past 5 p.m. Sen. Grace Poe chairs the committee.
Also grilled by Enrile aside from Napeñas and Purisima was then Philippine National Police officer-in-charge Gen. Leonardo Espina.
Purisima was under suspension by the ombudsman for corruption when he reportedly directed Oplan Exodus.
The senator based his observations on the exchanges of text messages among the officers.
While the transcripts of the text exchanges have been in the possession of the Senate since last year, it was only yesterday that officials confirmed the contents of the messages.
Presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II, who was the interior and local government chief at the time of the Mamaspano tragedy, confirmed to senators his text messages to Espina informing the latter about the President’s concerns on the conflicting reports on casualties.
Enrile also raised questions on why top officials seemed not alarmed by the unfolding tragedy in Mamasapno as they went to Zamboanga City on the same day purportedly to check on the progress of investigation into a bombing incident.
The Senate minority leader also delved on the text messages between Aquino and Purisima, where the latter informed the Chief Executive at 5:45 a.m. about the launch of the operation against Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and his Filipino cohort Basit Usman.
Enrile read from the records that President Aquino replied at 7:36 a.m. to Purisima’s message. In his reply, Aquino asked why Marwan’s body was left behind, and what happened to the other targets.
It was discomfiting to realize, Enrile said, that Aquino was more concerned about the remains of a terrorist than the condition of his troops.
Questionable concern
Purisima explained that having Marwan’s body would show that the terrorist had indeed been killed.
“Just answer my question. Did President Aquino at that moment show concern for the troops that he sent on the dangerous mission?” Enrile asked Purisima.
“The text messages will speak for itself, your honor,” Purisima answered.
“OK. This was all that he was interested in at that moment,” he said.
“Maybe not, your honor, but that was the text message sent to me,” Purisima said.
The former PNP chief also did not escape Sen. Nancy Binay’s questioning on his getting away with breaking protocol when he went straight to Aquino for a meeting. Binay was referring to President Aquino’s and Purisima’s meeting on Jan. 9 where the Chief Executive was briefed on the details of Oplan Exodus.
Also present in the meeting were PNP Intelligence director Chief Supt. Fernando Mendez and Napeñas.
“Our role with the President is only informatory,” Purisima said.
At the start of the hearing, Enrile made clear he was not being vindictive against “powerful people” when he called for the reopening of the Senate inquiry into the Mamasapano carnage.
“I’m doing this for the country so that never again shall a similar gruesome butchery happen in this land. I’m doing this for the people so that they will know the national leaders who failed them because of ineptness and lack of leadership,” he said.
Interviewed after the hearing, Enrile said he was able to prove the “responsibility and accountability of the President,” based on the text messages between the Chief Executive and his officials.
He maintained they should not put the blame entirely on Napeñas as they could have done more to help the beleaguered SAF personnel.
Enrile debunked claims by the President’s alter egos that he had been misinformed about the turn of events in Mamasapano. He said that considering the huge intelligence funds, such oversight was inexcusable.
No urgency
Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV noted the lack of urgency among officials involved as shown by their not properly informing the President about the gravity of the situation.
Senate President Franklin Drilon pointed out that Oplan Exodus “was an exclusive plan, crafted and executed by the SAF, PNP,” a point seconded by Purisima.
Sen. Teofisto Guingona III also pointed out that President Aquino was not informed well by his subordinates about the situation, judging from the exchange of text messages among the top police and military officials.
“I am reading this to show that of course, the reality that was happening on the ground was different from what he knew. What was the source of the information of the President at this time?”
He said the source of the of information was the text messages of Purisima, “which we know by now was totally different from what was happening on the ground.”
Guingona noted that at the time Aquino was informed, only one SAF trooper was wounded. “Remember, this was what the President knew based on the text,” the Liberal Party senator said.
Guingona also reiterated another text saying that the SAF troopers outnumbered the rebels.
During the hearing, Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Delgado, commanding general of the Philippine Air Force, recalled that the President directed him to alert all assets in Mindanao to assist in the operations in case they would be needed.
Upon arrival in Zamboanga, Lt. Gen. Rustico Guererro said they discussed the Mamasapano incident after receiving calls for help from Espina. Guerrero said he also informed the President that he was not privy to the covert Oplan Exodus.
No stand down
Despite Enrile’s intense grilling, President Aquino’s officers declared there was no order from their commander-in-chief to hold off sending help to the SAF commandos.
“I did not order a stand down, neither did I receive any order,” said former Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang.
“I was not aware of any,” said current AFP chief Gen. Hernando Irriberri.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin said he was also not “aware of any stand down order from the chief of staff.”
“There was no such order. I did not hear personally of such order,” Roxas said.
“I have nothing to report to the President… so there was no stand down. I was in Nueva Ecija. I was not with the President,” Purisima said.
Deputy SAF director Chief Supt. Noli Taliño also maintained that there was “no order to stand down.”
In a report read by Major Gen. Angelito de Leon, former deputy chief for operations of the AFP, the military also turned the tables on Napeñas for being “detached from the reality.”
Napeñas also had a “walk in the park” mindset about the operations, as the former SAF commander lacked “grasp of the gravity of the situation.”
Officials also showed a photo of Napeñas taken on the day of the operation showing him smiling and in civilian attire.
Purisima also joined AFP officials in blaming Napeñas for lack of efficient planning and coordination when he launched Oplan Exodus.
Poe herself said Aquino may have been misinformed about the progress of the operation.
At her closing statement, Poe reminded the public that in the Mamasapano operation, certain officials had been kept out of loop.
“And that nobody was ordered to stand down from sending reinforcement,” she said.
Her committee’s initial report last year stated President Aquino was “ultimately responsible” for the Mamasapano debacle when he dealt with a suspended PNP chief in handling the covert operations.
Meanwhile, militant party-list group Anakpawis scored the involvement of US forces in Oplan Exodus as confirmed by Napeñas at yesterday’s hearing. – With Aurea Calica, Delon Porcalla, Jess Diaz, Ding Cervantes