Iloilo Congressman Jerry Treñas and Negros Occidental Representative Alfredo “Albee” Benitez. www.congress.gov.ph and INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The 34-member Visayan bloc in the House of Representatives said it does not support calls for President Benigno Aquino III to resign or be impeached for his alleged hand in the Mamasapano carnage that left 44 elite cops killed.
The group, led by Iloilo Congressman Jerry Treñas and Negros Occidental Representative Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, said it honors the 44 slain police commandos but the blame should not be put on Aquino, accused in reports of authorizing the botched operation to suspended police chief Alan Purisima.
“We honor the ‘Fallen 44’ who have shown extraordinary bravery and gallantry in the face of certain death. We are also one with the nation’s sentiment and call for justice. However, we remain steadfast in our position that President Benigno S. Aquino should neither resign nor be impeached, because of the Mamasapano case,” the group said in a manifesto.
The elite cops were sent to capture an international terrorist in Mamasapano town in Maguindanao last Jan. 25 when they were fired at by joint forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, an MILF breakaway group.
The group said instead of calling for Aquino’s resignation or impeachment, “the nation and our colleagues in the Philippine Congress (should) focus on the investigations and call for swift and thorough deliberations on what happened in the Mamasapano operation.”
“(A) change in administration should be the farthest solution to what happened in Maguindano and should not be our response to our currently hurting nation,” the group said.
The bloc said it is one with the nation in calling for accountability, but it should be from the one who planned and implemented the operation to neutralize Malaysian international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias ”Marwan,” — not from the president.
“We commiserate and empathize with the families of the 44 members of Special Action Forces (SAF) who died during the said Mamasapano operation. We demand accountability for those who planned and implemented the debacle and the imposition of criminal liability for those responsible for the massacre,” it said.
Calls to impeach the president stemmed from the Makabayan bloc in the lower chamber, saying Aquino should resign for blood on his hands due to the carnage.
The militant seven-member bloc also wanted to renew the impeachment complaint against the president after the Supreme Court affirmed the unconstitutionality of the executive’s Disbursement Acceleration Program.
Aquino’s alleged hand stemmed from newspaper reports which said the President authorized suspended police chief Purisima to run the botched operation kept secret from authorities.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that Purisima kept the operation secret from Interior Secretary Mar Roxas because of an animosity between the two trusted friends of President Aquino. The Inquirer’s source said Purisima kept the operation secret to keep the accolade to himself if it becomes successful.
In a televised speech, President Aquino admitted knowing about the operation but said Purisima called the shots in the operation only until his suspension over an allegedly irregular courier deal.
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