Relieved PNP SAF Chief Supt. Getulio Napeñas. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/RAFFY LERMA
MANILA, Philippines — Instead of pointing blame to others, sacked Special Action Force (SAF) head Director Getulio Napeñas should be man enough to accept his fault on the Mamasapano operation, Senator Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV said on Monday.
“For us, this is clear, being a former military officer, when you’re given a mission, and you fail, then you’re accountable for it. You can’t blame anyone,” Trillanes, a former Navy officer, told reporters in an interview at the Senate.
“They are blaming the 6th Infantry Division supposedly for not responding, that’s not true. Because in the Oplan Exodus itself, I asked Gen. Napeñas, where was the 6th ID here? What’s their role? None. So why will you blame a unit which was not in the plan. You have decided to exclude them, then when you failed, you will blame them?”
I think at this point, Gen. Napeñas should man up and accept that he made a mistake. He should ask for forgiveness to relatives of his troops who were killed because his plan was wrong, his judgment call was wrong at that time of the fighting that’s why he lost a lot of his men,” said the senator.
Trillanes reiterated that from a military or police operation perspective, a person who was given a mission should be responsible for it.
“You cannot blame others if you failed because if you succeeded, you’re the one to be given the medal,” he further said.
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