Mamasapano debacle weakens Aquino endorsement power – Angara

MANILA, Philippines – President Benigno Aquino III’s ally in the Senate believes that his endorsement power in 2016 has weakened following the botched Mamasapano operation.

“Palagay ko nabawasan ngayon pero kung ang election ay bukas hindi malakas ang kanyang endorsement,” Senator Sonny Angara told reporters on Monday responding to a reporter’s question.

“Pero we all know sa May pa ang election  next year, so maaaring may pagbabago pa yan. Pwedeng tumaas, pwedeng gumaganda, bumalik ang endorsement power nya. Maaari rin humina. So depende na yan sa pagkikilos mula ngayon,” he added.

Angara was one of the 20 senators who signed a draft Senate report that found the President “ultimately responsible” for the January  Mamasapano operation that left 44 elite policemen dead.

While he agreed with the draft report, the senator believes that the President was only politically responsible, but not criminally liable.

Angara acknowledged that the political landscape has been influenced not only by the incident itself, but also by the pronouncements and how certain personalities handled the subsequent events.

“I think going forward, you find also that certain actors position themselves in a certain ways with an eye towards 2016,” he said.

Asked to identify the actors he was referring to, Angara said, “The President, some of the declared and non-declared candidates for the highest positions will try to carve out space in the political landscape para pakikinggan sila o kaya they will be covered more.”

“So I think, hindi maiiwasan ito with 2016 around. I think any political big issues, each candidate tries to position himself for maximum advantage,” he added.