Purisima hits Roxas in position paper submitted to Senate
MANILA, Philippines – Resigned Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Alan Purisima attacked Interior Secretary Mar Roxas in a position paper that he submitted to the Senate on the Mamasapano operation, saying his statements in the Senate hearings were “riddled with inconsistencies.”
In a 13-page position paper submitted to the chamber on Wednesday, March 11, Purisima justified his advice to then PNP Special Action Force Director Getulio Napeñas not to inform Roxas and PNP officer in charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina about the police operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last January 25 that left 44 SAF troopers dead.
He pointed out that under Section 14 of Republic Act No. 6975, the PNP is under the administrative control and operational supervision of the National Police Commission or Napolcom.
“Accordingly, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and consequently, the DILG Secretary do not have control and supervision over the PNP. Or to paraphrase military parlance, the DILG and the DILG Secretary are not part of the PNP command line,” Purisima said.
“Although the DILG Secretary is also the ex-officio of chair of the Napolcom, the Napolcom acts as a collegial body and not through the Napolcom chair acting on his own,” he further said.
Purisima said that when he approved the Mamasapano operation in April 2014, he already delegated to Napeñas the necessary control and supervision over the law enforcement operations against the two suspected terrorists, who were the targets of the police operation in Mamasapano.
Once the PNP delegates his authority to a force or unit commander, that commander, he said, “assumes control and supervision over that mission.”
This was the reason, Purisima said, there was no need to inform the DILG Secretary about the law enforcement operations.
Napeñas earlier told the Senate hearings that he was advised by the resigned official not to inform Roxas and Espina about the Mamasapano operation.
But even without his advice, Purisima pointed out that Napeñas was already predisposed not to inform Espina and Roxas.
“This buttresses the clear and unequivocal statement by Police Director Napeñas himself that it was his judgment call not to inform the officer in charge, PNP, and the DILG Secretary about Operation Exodus. In other words, with or without my advice, Police Director Napeñas would still inform the Officer in Charge, PNP, and the DILG Secretary about the mission,” he said.
Purisima also pointed out that in a recently released video showing Napeñas giving a briefing to Roxas and other military officials, the sacked SAF chief himself admitted that it was his recommendation that the Armed Forces of the Philippines be informed about the time on target.
He stressed that it was “proper and consistent” with the PNP Operational Procedures that the PNP officer in charge was informed the time on target.
In fact, he said, the record would bear that Espina did not complain when he was first informed by Napenas about the operation in the early morning of January 25.
“He (Espina) even congratulated Police Director Napeñas on the successful operation against Marwan…,” he said.
“Even the DILG’s action on January 25, 2015 show that he did not complain about being informed about Operation Exodus time on target. In his SMS to the President that morning, he did not complain about any lack of knowledge or information about the mission,” Purisima added.
Like Espina, he said Roxas only “made an issue about his supposed lack of knowledge” after the latter learned about the casualties.
“Had there been no or few casualties, the successful mission against Marwan would have been credited to the officer in charge of the PNP, and the DILG Secretary,” he said.
Purisima said Roxas’ statements in the Senate hearings were also “riddled with inconsistencies” when he denied informing the President about the status of the operation in the morning of January 25.
