Napeñas had ‘no sense of urgency’ during Mamasapano clash—military exec

By: Frances Mangosing - 10 years ago

Video by Cathy Miranda/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — There was “no sense of urgency” from the commander of Special Action Force while his elite police officers were engaged with Moro fighters in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, last January 25, a military official had observed.

“Nagbigay sila ng grid coordinate. Sa aking pagbasa at paghihimay-himay nito walang urgency. They did not even mention or request. Ito lang po ay pagpapaalam na sila po ay na engkwentro,” Army’s 6th Infantry Division Major General Edmundo Pangilinan said at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

(They gave a grid coordinate. In my reading and comprehension, there was no sense of urgency. They did not even mention or request. They just let me know that the (SAF men) figured in an encounter)

It was at 6:18 a.m. when then SAF commander Director Getulio Napeñas forwarded a text message to Pangilinan to inform him that the SAF forces were engaged.

Major General Edmundo Pangilinan, Commander of the 6th Infantry Division, during the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs hearing on the January 25,2015 Mamasapano, Maguindanao incident where 44 PNP SAF members were killed by MILF and BIFF rebels. RAFFY LERMA

“For the record it is not even addressed [to] me pero gusto ko lang basahin (but I just want to read it),” Pangilinan said.

“FOR CPNP FM DSAF – Na engaged SAF troops doon malapit ilog 2 kilometers east of Brgy. Tukanalipao GC 6798365714 bandang gitna going to target Sir,” read the text message that was forwarded to Pangilinan.

(For CPNP FM DSAP: The SAF troops were engaged near the river two kilometers east of Brgy. (village) Tukanalipao GC 6798365714 near the center going to target, Sir.)

“Wala po akong nabasang urgency. There was no request for reinforcement. Pangalawa, I do not know how many are operating; kung gaano kalaki kalaban nila it was only one grid coordinate. Kung pagbabasehan ng number na to it’s probably as big as this hall ito lang ang laki,” Pangilinan said.

(I did not sense any urgency. There was no request for reinforcement. Secondly, I [did] not know how many [were] operating; how many they were facing. I was only given one grid coordinate. If we based on that number, it is probably as big as this hall.)

The military was only informed of the covert operation on the day itself, which the police refers to as “time on target” information.

In the case of Pangilinan, he first learned of the operation at 6a.m. when he received a text message that the SAF troops were already conducting law enforcement operations.

The police officers were targeting top terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and Basit Usman when it battled with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

The bungled operations resulted in the deaths of 44 police officers.

“But the grid coordinate was there,” Senator Franklin Drilon pressed on.

“’Yun po ang location ng friendly forces (That was the location of the friendly forces),” Pangilinan said.

He said the based on his guidance to the 1st Mechanized Brigade that artillery will be held until there would be complete details of the firefight.

“Yun ang kinakailangan para makapagpaputok (That was what needed for us to fire),” Pangilinan said, adding that lives were at stake.

“Kaya nga saklolo hinihingi sa inyo ilang oras bago kayo makapag respond (That’s why they were asking for rescue. How much longer did you have to wait before you could respond?),” Drilon said.

“Your honor, we are getting info na dahan dahan lamang nalaman. Kaya nga po we are reconstituting forces during that time–to provide reinforcements (Your honor, we [received] information gradually. That’s why we [reconstituted] forces during that time–to provide reinforcements),” Pangilinan said.