MANILA, Philippines — Former President Benigno Aquino III explained on Thursday that the police Special Action Force was sent on a covert mission in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in 2015 because it was part of their job.
"Ang PNP ang namuno sa operasyon dahil sila ang nakahanap ng tinatawag na actionable intelligence. Paalala ko lang rin po: Law enforcement operation ang pinapatupad natin dito, at inaaksyunan natin ang warrant of arrest kina Marwan at Usman," Aquino said in a statement released early Thursday morning. He was referring to Malaysian bomb maker Zulkifli bin Hir (Marwan) and Abdul Basit Usman, a bomb maker with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters linked to the Abu Sayyaf.
In his speech in Malacañang during the meeting with the families of the slain SAF members on Tuesday, President Rodrigo Duterte questioned why SAF commandos were sentt on Mamasapano operation in January 2015 when "SAF is organized and geared into the service to meet the challenges of urban terrorism."
"Urban is urban. It should only be in the city," Duterte said.
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Aquino also said Thursday that it is clear that SAF operations are not limited to urban areas, according to the mission statement posted on their website.
"To conduct operations as a Rapid Deployment Force anywhere in the country...idiin ko po ang: 'anywhere in the country'," Aquino said.
He added that a former SAF director told him that all of the elite police unit's personnel undergo what is called a Commando course.
"Pang-counter insurgency po ito, at ang insurgency po natin, nasa rural areas," he said.
READ: FULL TEXT: Former President Aquino on Mamasapano
Aquino said that then SAF Director Getulio Napeñas Jr. assured him that the "Seaborne" operatives -- from the 84th Special Action Company -- to be deployed in the operation were the "elite of the elite" and were as well trained and supported as the Light Reaction Regiment, the Philippine Army's counter-terrorism unit.
The former president added that he ordered Napeñas to coordinate with the AFP to prepare the assets needed for the operations, which would have made the mission in Mamasapano a PNP-AFP joint operation.
The former president said that according to Napeñas, the coordination will happen when the SAF commandos were already on the move. which he disagreed with. He said he told Napeñas that there should be enough time to get assets in position before the mission started. He said that the SAF director replied "Yes, sir."
It was later found in investigations that the coordination did not happen and that the Armed Forces of the Philippines did not know the details of the mission for them to extend assistance.
"Hindi ko maiwasang isipin: Kung sinunod lang ang lohikal at legal kong utos, hindi mangyayari ang trahedya sa Mamasapano," he said. -- Kristian Javier