Poe: Mamasapano raid ‘poorly’ planned, doomed by leadership breakdown

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate investigation on the Mamasapano operation showed that it was “poorly” planned and that there was an “undeniable breakdown” of leadership and command and control in the Philippine National Police (PNP), Senator Grace Poe said on Tuesday.

Poe, head of the Senate committee on public order, made this assessment as she adjourned the proceedings after holding five public hearings and five executive sessions.

“It appears that the operation was poorly planned from the start to make matters worse, there was an undeniable breakdown of both leadership and command and control in the PNP,” she said before adjourning the hearing Tuesday.

“Information about Operation Exodus was deliberately withheld from the Secretary of the Interior and Local Government and the officer-in-charge of the PNP. Ito po ay malinaw. Umpisa pa lang, ‘yun na ang ating pinag-usapan,” the senator said, referring to Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas and   PNP officer in charge,   Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina.

“The PNP did not coordinate with nearby units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines until both the 84th and the 55th special action companies were already heavily engaged in firefights with hostile forces. Yun din po malinaw,” Poe added.

The Mamasapano operation last January 25 resulted in the death of 44 members of the PNP-Special Action Force.

While “we are one in the search for a lasting peace in Mindanao,” Poe said there could be no peace without justice.

“A peace agreement that allows the slaughter of our law enforcers because they did not coordinate their operation with the other party is certainly flawed. It is not an excuse for the commission of a crime,” she said.

Poe said the three committees — public order, peace, unification and reconciliation, and finance that conducted the hearings — will come up with a joint report that will propose legislative actions necessary to avoid the repeat of the Mamasapano incident.

“We will be making recommendations with respect to the proposed PNP Modernization Program which is pending before Congress,” said the senator.

“Hindi lang po paghahanap ng kasalanan kundi para rin po palakasin ang ating mga pulis na nakita naman natin na may kagitingan na pinakita dito at patuloy na nagpapakita ng kagitingan, kaya lang po minsan, meron din sa hanay nila nagkakamali kaya hindi nila nagagawa nang tama ang kanilang trabaho,” she further said.

Poe said a joint committee report would not be credible or acceptable to the people “unless we examine the Mamasapano incident in the context of the ongoing peace process with the MILF (Moro of Islamic Liberation Front).

“The efforts of the government to arrive at a just, sustainable and lasting peace in Mindanao while ensuring the socio-economic, political and cultural equity must not be at the expense of our sovereignty and national integrity. The laws of our republic must be enforceable and enforced within our territorial boundaries without exception,” she stressed.