MANILA, Philippines – Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said on Tuesday he has been instructed by President Benigno Aquino III to look into the administrative and criminal charges that could be filed against officials of the Philippine National Police who “disobeyed” his main instructions in mounting the Mamasapano operations for the arrest of suspected terrorists Zulkifli Bin Hir, alias Marwan, and Basit Usman on Jan. 25.
During the committee hearing of the House of Representatives on the Mamasapano operations that ended in the deaths of 44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force, 17 Moro rebels and three civilians, Roxas – under questioning by Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon – said, “To my mind, the President’s instructions were disobeyed.”
These major instructions included coordinating with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and “at the very least,” informing PNP Officer-in-Charge, Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina about the operations, Roxas said.
Espina, when asked to speak at the House hearing, told the legislators he would have taken full command of the Mamasapano operations had he been informed of the mission beforehand.
Only Alan Purisima, as the suspended PNP chief and Getulio Napeñas, as the then SAF commander, knew of the Mamasapano mission. Purisima was suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman at the time of the Mamasapano mission because of a graft complaint and Napeñas was the SAF commander. After the Mamasapano debacle, Purisima resigned from the post of the PNP chief and Napeñas was relieved of his duties and eventually removed from office. SFM/AC