Senate probe on Mamasapano debacle zeroes in on Aquino instructions

Senator Grace Poe. FILE PHOTO

The Senate’s public hearing on the Mamasapano debacle on Monday will delve into what President Benigno Aquino III knew and what he did as Commander in Chief to save troops battling for their lives against Moro rebels, Sen. Grace Poe said on Sunday.

The chair of the committee on public order said the resigned Philippine National Police chief, Director General Alan Purisima, would be made to disclose his SMS messages to Mr. Aquino about the operation to get Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” that led to the slaughter of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos.

Poe said Purisima could not invoke executive privilege to avoid questioning on his role in the botched operation in the marshland of Maguindanao province.

“We have not received any request from the President himself invoking that,” Poe said in an interview over radio dzBB.

This is why, she said, she expects Purisima to read the SMS messages. “If not, we will see if we would need to compel him to read those” to complete the story, she said.

Purisima earlier admitted giving “advice” to the SAF commander, Director Getulio Napeñas, on the operation even though he was under preventive suspension on corruption charges at that time.

The Senate committee has conducted two public hearings and two executive sessions on the Jan. 25 operation that resulted in the slaughter of the commandos at the hands of combined forces of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

Purisima earlier asked for time to seek the President’s permission before speaking on what they had discussed about the operation to get Marwan.

What Aquino knew

“The people won’t be satisfied until they’ve learned what was in the heart of the President when he learned of what happened,” Poe said.

She also said it was necessary to know what the officials concerned told the President, and whether his instructions were followed.

“You won’t be able to make a decision if you don’t know what’s really happening. Or if you made a decision, and if it’s wrong, that is based on whether you were given the complete picture or there was something hidden from you,” Poe said.

The mistakes in the operation, she said, appear to be in the chain of command, communication and other strategies. She said she was not siding with anyone and believed everyone involved had a share in the operational lapses.

In running an organization, Poe said, the one at the top gets those below to handle things on the ground, but the leader cannot do the right thing if the information given to him is wrong or inadequate. This why those who fail in their jobs must be relieved, she added.

She said the President could not be forced to appear in the Senate, as a matter of courtesy, although written questions could be sent to him.

She said the Senate could still fulfill its legislative role even if Mr. Aquino would not personally appear in the probe.

As to whether the President was among those who made mistakes, she said it would be better to listen to the testimonies.

US involvement

Also invited to the hearing on Monday was Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario to shed light on the Philippines’ agreements with other countries on antiterrorism activities amid persistent reports that the United States had a direct hand in the Mamasapano project.

Poe said she could not understand why, if the United States did provide help, this had to be kept hidden.

“If they are true in helping our country in these kinds of operation to go after a criminal, a terrorist, we shouldn’t be surprised if they’re providing assistance,” she said.

Another matter that Poe said should be looked into was the competition between the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as well as the rivalry between different units of the PNP.

She wants to know how interagency relations could be strengthened amid the culture of promotion and credit-grabbing. This is an institutional and cultural problem, she said.

RELATED STORIES

Aquino can cooperate in Mamasapano probe even by just sending letter–Poe

Aquino may be called to face proposed Mamasapano inquiry

The question ‘no one’ can answer: Who informed Aquino about SAF killings?