Rescue of SAF troops losing hope recounted
Left in the lurch
The sacked commander of the SAF, Director Getulio Napeñas, however, told the House panel that he stood by his assertion that the military left the commandos “hanging in the air.”
“There were no reinforcements that came to support the beleaguered SAF,” he said, citing his communications with AFP units on the ground to provide artillery support.
“Now, their tenor is they’re blaming us,” Napeñas said.
Military commanders in Mindanao earlier said they did not send reinforcements to help the pinned-down SAF commandos because they had no complete information about the operation.
Napeñas earlier admitted that he kept the operation secret out of fear that it might be compromised.
Article continues after this advertisementBrig. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division in Central Mindanao, defended himself from the charge that he ordered his men to hold artillery fire because of the peace process with the MILF.
Article continues after this advertisement“I never said to hold artillery fire because of the peace process. I said to hold until we get the full details,” he said.
‘We trust each other’
The officer in charge of the Philippine National Police, Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, dismissed suggestions of a rift between the police and the military.
“Whatever happened in Mamasapano was a matter of ground decisions not to share information with some AFP elements… This is not reflective of the relationship between the PNP and the AFP, which is very strong,” he said.
The AFP Chief of Staff, Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., said: “We trust each other. It’s only Napeñas who does not trust the AFP.”
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