Palace official, De Lima mum on new leads in Mamasapano

The mystery deepens.

Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa, under pressure from a lawmaker on Thursday, stood his ground and refused to divulge anything about a Malacañang investigation of the Mamasapano clash.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima also clammed up when asked about the Mamasapano probe saying “it’s very sensitive.”

President Aquino mentioned the investigation at the Meet the Inquirer Multimedia forum on Tuesday, saying there was an “alternative truth” in the Philippine National Police operation to take down international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, on Jan. 25 that cost the lives of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos.

Aquino, however, gave no details, as the Palace investigation is in progress.

During a hearing on the budget of the Office of the President at the House of Representatives on Thursday, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares attempted to pry out information from Ochoa.

“I’m sorry your honor, I cannot comment on that yet as this is confidential in nature. I have yet to secure authority from the President to discuss matters like this,” Ochoa said.

Despite being rebuffed several times, Colmenares pressed on, asking for peripheral details on the new investigation, such as whether there was secret information on the SAF mission or more details on the death of Marwan.

Colmenares said he was surprised that Malacañang had been conducting its own investigation of the deaths of the SAF commandos, which had been separately investigated by the PNP, Department of Justice, Commission on Human Rights, Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the House and the Senate.

No charges filed

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said he was not keen on reopening the Mamasapano inquiry of the House public order and safety committee until he obtained more information about Malacañang’s investigation.

“I’d like to find out first what’s that new lead,” Belmonte said in a text message.

No charges have been filed against anyone in the botched SAF operation, with the blame for the government’s slowness to act heaped on Justice Secretary Lima.

‘Very sensitive’

On Thursday, De Lima denied she did not give priority to the Mamasapano case, saying the first phase of the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation had been completed and charges had been prepared.

But the filing of charges was “held” because “new leads” had cropped up, De Lima told reporters.

But she declined to disclose the new leads, saying these were “very sensitive.”

Asked about the relevance of the picture of the dead Marwan to the “alternative truth” mentioned by the President to Inquirer editors and reporters on Tuesday, De Lima replied, “I cannot say.”

She said, however, that the President had directed government agencies concerned, including the DOJ and the military, to look into the new version of the SAF operation and the death of Marwan.

Asked what charges would be filed in the first phase of the DOJ investigation, De Lima said, “We will talk about that next week, if we can give it a go.”

The first part of the DOJ investigation covered the deaths of members of the 55th Special Action Company of the SAF in a daylong clash with Moro rebels in Mamasapano on Jan. 25.

The second part covered the events in Marwan’s hut involving the 84th Special Action Company, the killing of several civilians, and the alleged involvement of Americans in the operation.—Gil C. Cabacungan and Kristine Felisse Mangunay