Palace not stopping Congress probe on Mamasapano clash

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Wednesday denied that it wanted to shut down the congressional hearings on the controversial Mamasapano clash.

“Sa simula’t sapul ay sinabi na ng Pangulo ’yung kahalagahan ng pag-alam sa buong salaysay at ‘yung pagbatid sa buong katotohanan (From the very start, the President emphasized the importance of knowing the whole story and learning the whole truth),” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a briefing.

The House of Representatives, after holding hearings on the issue, suddenly announced that it will halt its inquiry and instead wait for the findings of the Philippine National Police’s Board of Inquiry. Senate, on the other hand, has been holding executive or closed door sessions.

Coloma insisted that they continue to uphold President Benigno Aquino III’s belief that the public should know the truth. However, Aquino has long been criticized for supposedly withholding information.

While he has spoken on the issue and has delivered public speeches on the Mamasapano operation, which left 44 policemen dead, the President has yet to reveal his actual involvement in the operation. He has not revealed if he was informed about the actual operation beforehand, among other things.

The United Nationalist Alliance accused the Aquino administration of “maneuvering” to shut down the probe.

“What is the Palace hiding? It’s clear there was maneuvering on the part of Malacañang to stop the hearing and investigation into what really happened in Mamasapano,” Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, UNA interim president, has said.

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