Palace tells Archbishop Soc: Aquino owned up for Mamasapano carnage

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III has already taken responsibility for the bloody encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, which killed 44 police commandos last month.

That was the response of Malacañang on Monday to Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ President Archbishop Socrates “Soc” Villegas who dared Mr. Aquino to divulge his role in the botched operation.

In a statement sent through text, Communications Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said that seeking the truth about the carnage, through the ongoing probes led by the Board of Inquiry and Congress, is essential in obtaining justice for the victims.

“Sa kanyang talumpati noong Pebrero 6, ipinahayag na ng Pangulo na bilang Ama ng Bayan at Commander-in-Chief, pasan niya ang responsibilidad para sa lahat ng nangyari na misyong ikinasawi ng SAF 44. Mahalaga sa pagtamo ng katarungan para sa kanila ang pagbatid sa buong katotohanan. Ang mga kasalukuyang pagdinig ng BOI at ng Kongreso ay mahahalagang proseso tungo sa pagtamo ng layuning ito,” Coloma said.

(In his speech last Feb. 6, the President, as the Father of the Nation and Commander-in-Chief, said that he is accepting the responsibility of everything that happened during the SAF 44’s mission. Finding the truth [about the encounter] is important in obtaining justice for them. The ongoing investigations of the BOI and Congress are important processes to attain this goal.)

The Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop said that the elite cops died because they took orders from the “highest levels.”

“The President and his advisers must give a full and satisfactory accounting of their actions in respect to this tragic loss. The targets of the SAF operations were characterized as “high value targets”. If the police went after them, it can only be because they were ordered to do so.”

“Policemen do not order themselves, not even members of the Special Action Force. Indeed, that is what corroborated statements now clearly establish: The decision was  made on the highest levels to go after these “high value targets”. The only thing that was awaited was “the window of opportunity”, a judgment that is made by people on the ground,” Villegas said in a statement on Sunday.

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