Interior Secretary Mar Roxas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
MANILA, Philippines—If President Benigno Aquino III was not properly informed about the military assistance being given to Special Action Force (SAF) troopers during the Mamasapano operation, then who should have been giving him the right information?
Senator Nancy Binay raised this question at the resumption of the Senate hearing on Tuesday on the January 25 operation that left 44 SAF members dead.
“Sino ho ba talaga sa inyo ‘yung may responsibilidad na magsabi sa ating Pangulo kung ano ang talaga nangyari sa Mamasapano kasi para ho sa akin hindi ho ‘yun si General Purisima kasi during that time supendio ho s’ya e,” Binay said, referring to resigned Philippine National Police Chief Director General Alan Purisima.
(Who among you had the responsibility to tell the President what was really happening in Mamasapano. Because to me, it should not have been General Purisima because he was suspended during that time.)
“Pero apparently lumalabas he is the source of information of the President. So sino ho ba talaga sa inyo ang dapat na nagsasabi sa ating Pangulo na ganito ‘yung nangyayari sa baba?” she asked.
(But apparently, it appears that he (was) the President’s source of information. So who among you should have told the President about what was happening on the ground?)
Some senators believed that the President was fed with wrong information when then suspended Police Chief Purisima told the President through a text message in the morning of Jan. 25 that the SAF troopers were supported by “mechanized and artillery support.”
Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said he could not answer Binay’s question as he himself was cut out of the operation.
“Hindi ko po masasagot ‘yung tanong ninyo. Masasagot ko lang sa aking panig, Madam Senator, ang masasabi lang po namin sa Pangulo kung ano yung alam namin,” Roxas said.
(I cannot answer your question. I can only say that for my part, Madam Senator, I can only inform the President about what I know.)
“And I think the earlier testimony clearly established that OIC Espina and myself were cut out of the operation, so ano ang mare-report namin sa Pangulo? Hindi nga namin alam kung ano ang nangyayari,” he further said. Espina is PNP officer in charge, Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina.
(And I think the earlier testimony clearly established that OIC Espina and myself were cut out of the operation, so what would we report to the president when we didn’t know what was happening?)
Relieved SAF head Director Getulio Napeñas earlier told the Senate that he was advised by Purisima not to inform both Roxas and Espina about the operation.
In fact, Roxas said, he only learned about the gravity of the situation in Mamasapano at 3:00 p.m. of Jan. 25 and the information came from the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH).
“But the President knew right? Alam n’ya ho itong Oplan Exodus (He knew about the Oplan Exodus). At some point did he tell you… did he ever disclose that information to any one of you?” Binay asked again.
And then there was silence from resource persons present in the hearing like Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief General Gregorio Catapang, and Secretary Teresita Deles, presidential adviser on the peace process.
It was only Roxas who took the mic and answered the senator’s question.
“Not to me on that day, Madam chair,” said Roxas.
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