Alan Cayetano eyes continued legislative inquiries on Mamasapano incident

By: Leila B. Salaverria - 10 years ago

MANILA, Philippines—The legislative inquiries on the Mamasapano incident should continue considering its implications on the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), according to Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.

Cayetano, who has questioned the sincerity of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) as a partner in the peace process, said he believes that the Senate’s own report on the incident would not be whitewashed and would be comprehensive.

“It can only solve the case if it’s complete,” Cayetano said in a phone interview on Saturday.

The Senate committee on public order is expected to come out with its report on the incident this third week of March. It had conducted five lengthy public hearings on the matter and five executive sessions.

Committee chair Sen. Grace Poe had vowed there would be no sacred cows in the report.

Cayetano also noted the Philippine National Police’s board of inquiry (BOI) report does not include interviews with the President, the MILF, Purisima, armed forces chief of staff Gen. Pio Catapang and other military officials.

Save for the President, the MILF, Purisima, and Catapang had appeared in the Senate, but he said more questions had to be asked, particularly with regard to the MILF’s alleged ties with terrorists.

“That’s why I feel both the House and Senate should continue [the investigation]. It’s not a matter of time spent on the investigation, but whether you have all the relevant facts,” he said.

According to Cayetano, he wants to determine first if the MILF is really sincere in the peace process. Confidence and trust building should be done by both sides, he said.

For Sen. Sergio Osmeña III, the BOI report is incomplete and indicates a “cover up” because, as pointed out by Cayetano, it did not include interviews with the President, Purisima and top AFP officials.

Osmeña thinks the President should have told all he knows and admitted to his responsibility early on.

“The people are not expecting presidents to be perfect, but they want the President to tell the truth. They appreciate it when their leader says, ‘Boss, I made a mistake. Boss, I apologize.’ They’re willing to forgive and start all over again,” he said.