SAF loved ones call for resumption of House probe on Mamasapano tragedy

MANILA, Philippines—The relatives of some of the slain Special Action Force (SAF) commandos went to the House of Representatives on Tuesday  calling for the resumption of the lower chamber probe on the botched Mamasapano operation that left their loved ones dead in an attack by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

In a press conference, the SAF commandos’ loved ones were accompanied by members of the minority and independent bloc in their call for another hearing that would give them clearer answers on the operational tragedy.

Apparently, they were not satisfied with the Senate probe on the tragedy, which revealed that resigned police chief Alan Purisima and President Benigno Aquino III had been in constant communication about the operation.

READ: Purisima admits he informed Aquino about Mamasapano clash, casualties

Purisima had been accused of calling the shots despite his suspension for graft.

“Pumunta po kami dito because we want to resume the hearing. They already killed the SAF 44, and now they started to kill the case,” Dolly Cordero, the sister of PO3 Roger Cordero, said.

The lower chamber suspended its hearings on the Mamasapano after its first one was criticized on social media as a “circus” with emotional lawmakers upstaging each other in their condemnation of the incident.

READ: Circus won’t be in town as House suspends Mamasapano probe

The House leadership said its probe was suspended to give way for the Senate probe. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. also said the chamber would just wait for the results of the police board of inquiry probe.

Nicky Nacino, the father of his namesake PO3 Nicky Nacino Jr., said he was not satisfied with how the Senate conducted its probe under the watch of Sen. Grace Poe.

“Bilang magulang, hindi pa kami kuntento sa ginawang hearing. Hindi pa naming alam talaga sino ba ang pinagmulan ng utos at sino ang nagkasala (As parents, we are not satisfied with the hearings. We still don’t know who gave the orders and whose fault it was),” he said.

Nacino added that the congressional hearing on the tragedy was overshadowed by congressional pressure to approve the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), the passage of which was rocked because of lawmakers losing support in light of the involvement of the MILF.

“Natatakpan na po yata ang usapin ng SAF 44. Ang nangingibabaw na ata ang usapin ng BBL,” Nacino said, referring to the bill seeking to implement the government peace deal with the MILF for a more politically autonomous Bangsamoro entity.

Suzette Tucay, who was engaged to Senior Insp. John Gary Erana before the slaughter, said a hearing in Congress may give clearer answers that the Senate probe failed to provide.

“We were left hanging that’s why we want the Congress hearings to resume. We want clearer results from the investigation,” Tucay said in Filipino.

She said there were more questions that needed answers especially because the Senate conducted executive sessions.

The President also earned the SAF relatives’ ire because of his flipflopping statements on who’s to blame while washing his hands in the tragedy.

The President had commended Purisima for the operation in his speech accepting the resignation of the beleaguered police chief. Later, the President said Purisima lied to him.

In his latest speech, the President criticized sacked SAF commander Getulio Napeñas for failing to coordinate with the military ahead of the operation, causing the absence of reinforcement to aid the commandos in the 12-hour battle.

READ: Napeñas turned the Mamasapano raid into a ‘mission impossible’–Aquino

The President also said Napeñas “fooled” him into believing the operation was going smoothly.

“Ang sinasabi niya, paiba iba. Ngayon, isisisi niya si Napeñas. Bakit hindi pa kasama diyan si Purisima?” Telly Sumbilla, the mother of PO3 John Lloyd Sumbilla, said.

“Kailangan naming marinig sa kanya mismo ang katotohanan,” added Feliciana Nacino, Nicky Nacino’s mother.

In a letter dated Feb. 23, at least 94 representatives of the 290-strong chamber wrote to Belmonte calling for the resumption of the probe.

“While there were criticisms on the handling of the House hearings, we believe that the first hearing was successful in ferreting out very important leads that substantially impact on the search for truth. We could find ways to help the committees hold orderly proceedings so that the intelligent and incisive questions of House members will effectively contribute to our common search for truth and accountability,” the letter read.