Aquino draws heavy fire

Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco, United Nationalist Alliance interim president, said the President cleared himself and Purisima of any wrongdoing.

“Can we expect the BOI members to say otherwise when the President absolved himself of any blame, barely mentioned his BFF Purisima, and dumped the blame on Napeñas. Either he is indirectly reporting the contents of the BOI report or sending a subtle message to the BOI on what should the report contain,” Tiangco said.

‘Ultimately responsible’

Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said the President “glossed over the fact that he was the one who broke the chain of command and allowed a suspended general to take command of a very sensitive operation.”

Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon said it was the President and not Napeñas who was making a fool of the public.

“He’s saying to us that Napeñas’ poor judgment and direction made Operation Exodus a ‘mission impossible.’ Yet at the end of the day, we have to return the question: ‘Who greenlighted the mission? Who authorized the offensive?’ Napeñas cannot issue commands without delegated authority from his superiors. And Aquino as Commander in Chief is ultimately responsible,” Ridon said.

Responsibility, culpability

Malacañang on Tuesday acknowledged that “the buck stops” with the President.

But Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. made a distinction between “responsibility and culpability,” saying the President “clearly had no involvement” in the “so-called lapses” committed on the ground during the Jan. 25 operation.

“Are responsibility and culpability the same in doing actions with willful intent?” he said in trying to explain why Aquino on Feb. 6 assumed responsibility over the fiasco but heaped all blame on Napeñas.

“If we make this clarification, we will better understand that there is no contradiction… In the ultimate analysis, there is no higher authority than him and the buck stops here. After this, there have to be corrective actions and he considers that his responsibility.”

RELATED STORIES

Industry leaders call for sobriety over Mamasapano clash, focus on economic dev’t

PNP probers not keen on getting Aquino’s affidavit on Mamasapano