‘Peace process’ blamed

By: Gil C. Cabacungan - 10 years ago

The Philippine National Police Special Action Forces carry the flag-draped coffins of their comrades upon arrival from the southern Philippines Thursday, Jan. 29, 2015 at Villamor Air Base in Pasay, Philippines. AP FILE PHOTO

The schism between police and military officials surfaced in all its rawness on Wednesday when the Special Action Force (SAF) accused the Philippine Army of holding back artillery fire, which could have saved the lives of police commandos during the Jan. 25 Mamasapano clash, to save the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, SAF deputy director, and Supt. Michael John Mangahis, the ground commanders for the SAF Mamasapano operation, accused Col. Gener del Rosario, commander of the Army’s 1st Mechanized Brigade, and his boss, Maj. General Edmundo Pangilinan, the 6th Infantry Division chief, of using the peace process as justification for not providing ground and artillery support to the 55th and 84th SAF companies that were pinned down by Moro rebels during the clash.

Speaking at an investigation of the Mamasapano clash at the House of Representatives, Mangahis, his voice cracking and full of anger, challenged Del Rosario: “Man up, sir. Man up, sir.”

READ: SAF officer urges Col. Del Rosario: ‘Man up!’

In his testimony, Mangahis claimed that he heard Del Rosario mention “peace process” while he was talking on the phone with Pangilinan around 7 a.m. on Jan. 25.

“I know they know the area very well. I don’t believe they have no assets. The real problem is their people. But I can’t say who he was talking to about the peace process,” Mangahis said.

Del Rosario did not deny he mentioned the peace process, but claimed he was talking to several people on the phone that morning and it was up to Mangahis to identify the person to whom he spoke about the peace process.

Flawed mission planning

Forty-four SAF commandos were killed by Moro rebels in that clash in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province.

Seventeen guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), which has signed a peace agreement with the government, and three civilians were also killed during the daylong gun battle.

Del Rosario and Pangilinan have blamed the SAF’s flawed mission planning and lack of coordination as the main reason why artillery fire had been held back nearly 12 hours after Taliño and Mangahis went to the mechanized brigade office in Shariff Aguak on that day.

READ: Mamasapano clash: What happened according to the military

It’s the peace process

Taliño corroborated Mangahis’ testimony that the peace process was the reason for the Army’s reluctance to help the SAF.

“We requested artillery support, he (Del Rosario) was talking to General Pangilinan on the phone and asked if I could talk to him (Pangilinan declined). He (Del Rosario) told me later that his division commander (Pangilinan) refused because of the peace process and the presence of civilians in the area,” Taliño said.

Taliño disputed Del Rosario’s claim that he and Mangahis went to the 1st Mechanized Brigade’s Shariff Aguak office together. Taliño said they went separately, with Mangahis going earlier.

ACT-CIS Rep. Samuel Pagdilao, a former chief police investigator, moved that the four be compelled to undergo polygraph tests to determine who was telling the truth.

The committee deferred action on Pagdilao’s motion.

Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, a former AFP chief of staff, objected to making the police and the military officers undergo lie detector tests.

Lack of info

Del Rosario insisted that the reason why the Army could not grant the request for artillery fire was the failure of Taliño and Mangahis to give him the exact location of the pinned down SAF commandos.

Del Rosario had previously criticized the two SAF commanders for planning the exit plan on the fly and that they were using a map derived from Google.

The sacked SAF chief, Director Getulio Napeñas, denied the map was from Google, saying the tactical map was provided by the United States.

Pangilinan concurred with Del Rosario’s claim, pointing out that it was only in the afternoon of Jan. 25 that he learned there were actually two SAF companies on the run in Mamasapano and needing artillery support.

But Taliño insisted that he clearly explained the SAF position to Del Rosario during their first meeting.

“It’s not true that we could not answer his requests for more details on the number and location of the troops. This was a life-and-death situation we were talking about,” Taliño said.

Mangahis claimed that they gave the coordinates and situation of the commandos even before there were casualties among the troops.

He said the Army knew the area where the SAF troops were trapped like the back of its hand.

Taliño said it was not true that civilians were in the way because residents fled the area after hearing gunfire around 7 a.m.

Telltale signs of stand down

Going by the findings of the PNP board of inquiry, several lawmakers tried to poke holes into the military’s version of the event.

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said the police report was “littered with telltale signs of a stand down” order, citing Pangilinan’s order to hold artillery support due to lack of information on the position of troops, civilians and armed groups; the detailed map of the SAF and that grid coordinates were available in the early morning of Jan. 25; Pangilinan fired white phosphorus at 6 p.m. even though the position of the SAF and the enemies were not yet determined; helicopters were available but were not allowed to fly either for reinforcement or rescue; and the Division Reconaissance Company (DRC) was already a few hundred meters away from the pinned down SAF in the morning but were suddenly withdrawn.

Aquino accountable

Colmenares said the President should be made to account for the apparent stand down order from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., as he was in control of the operations.

Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop, a former police official, accused Del Rosario of being “less than candid” with the House investigators as it was clearly stated in the police board of inquiry report that all details necessary to fire artillery at 11 a.m. were necessary even if it was just for white phosphorus.

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, a former Marine captain, took up the cudgels for the military, criticizing the SAF for its poor planning, lack of exit strategies, and missing several opportunities to abort the mission after losing the element of surprise when the commandos arrived late at the target site.