Mayor Rodrigo Duterte FILE PHOTO
DAVAO CITY, Philippines – Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said President Benigno Aquino III would have to answer for the botched operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, which led to the death of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos in Mamasapano on January 25.
“The way I look at it, if we look at the chain of command, he really has to answer,” Duterte said, when asked about the extent of the responsibility of the President in the botched operation.
“Let’s not continue to deny it, it (the responsibility) will go up to him,” said Duterte, who attended the burial of SPO1 Lover Innocencio in Barangay San Vicente in Panabo City on Wednesday.
Duterte said he agreed with President Fidel Ramos that those who planned the botched operation undercut the chain of command of the police and military, resulting in one of the heaviest casualties of security forces in recent history because of the failure of other forces on the ground to coordinate and respond.
He also questioned the presence of suspended PNP Director General Alan Purisima who allegedly called all the shots during the operation.
“Purisima was there, and he directed— if you’re suspended you’re not supposed to work, but he was calling all the shots,” Duterte said.
He corrected earlier reports that he blamed the military for failure to respond to the situation. He said he was merely pointing out that they, the police commandos, were not supposed to be there because of the existing ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“We are supposed to have a word of honor, we’re supposed to honor our commitment,” Duterte said.
“I was not blaming the military but I was blaming those who called the shots, why they (the police commando) were there (in the MILF area) when they were not supposed to be there,” Duterte said. “That’s why the discussion now is already pointing to Malacañang.”
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