President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday arrived at Camp General Mariano Castañeda in Silang, Cavite to attend the commencement exercises of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) and to give his final say on the botched Mamasapano operation.
Aquino, who was received by the PNPA Cadet Corps, is set to give a speech not only for the 246 graduating cadets of the Lakandula Class of 2015 but also for the public, especially those dissatisfied with his previous statements on the Mamasapano debacle.
The President will give his speech two months after the bloody Mamasapano operation, codenamed Oplan Exodus, which resulted in the death of Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and at least 67 Filipinos.
Of the 67 who died last January 25, 44 were members of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF) group that targeted Marwan. Five of the casualties were civilians while 18 were Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters who figured in the alleged misencounter between government forces and local armed groups in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao.
In an interview with Philippine Daily Inquirer, Aquino said he will discuss his decisions pertaining to the Mamasapano clash during the PNPA graduation.
READ: Aquino to tell all about Mamasapano in PNPA speech
“I think I will have my last chance to talk about Mamasapano in particular and to tie everything up,” he said.
A recent Pulse Asia survey showed that 79 percent of Filipinos felt that Aquino and his administration’s explanation of the Mamasapano clash was “not enough.” The same percentage also said that they disagreed with Aquino’s decision not to attend the arrival honors of the SAF troopers at Villamor Airbase.
READ: Skipping Villamor costly mistake for Aquino, survey shows
The President has received flak for his absence at Villamor. This was followed by the lukewarm reception of his speeches and meetings with relatives of the SAF.