Reopening Mamasapano massacre probe up to Senate

In this  January 27, 2015 file photo, police crime investigators are seen outside a morgue in 6th Division camp as they conduct autopsy to the bodies of police commandos killed in Mamasapano operation.

Malacañang on Friday said it would be up to the Senate to decide whether to reopen the investigation into the Mamasapano debacle, specifically giving deference to Sen. Grace Poe as chair of the Senate public order committee that earlier found President Benigno Aquino III ultimately liable for the bloodbath.

“We defer to the senator as to how she intends to proceed with the Mamasapano investigation in the Senate,” was the brief reply of deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte when sought for comment by reporters.

Poe said on Thursday that she was considering reopening the inquiry into the matter.

According to her, she was interested in hearing the alternative version of events. She also said she, like the families of the slain police commandos and civilians, want the whole truth.

But Senate President Franklin Drilon said the Senate would have to vote whether or not to reopen the Mamasapano investigation.

President Aquino himself revealed at the Meet Inquirer Multimedia forum on Tuesday that there was an emerging “alternative truth” in the debacle that cost the lives of 44 elite police commandos, some civilians, and Moro rebels, not to mention the setback in the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).

His popularity also suffered heavily as the public could not understand why he consulted then national police chief Director General Alan Purisima on the operation to neutralize Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias “Marwan” although Purisima was serving a six-month suspension.

Mr. Aquino said the photo showing Marwan dead inside his hut “posed many questions and that is what we want to resolve.”

Naked from the waist

“There are certain quarters who did point out certain questions that arose from viewing that picture. Does this support the so-called official version of what transpired? Now, if it doesn’t support [the official version], can it be explained or not? That is an ongoing process. There is no conclusion at this point,” he said.

The photo of Marwan, who reportedly engaged SAF commandos in a firefight before he was killed, showed him slain and bloodied inside his hut, naked from the waist down.

Drilon said the joint committee report on the incident had already been submitted to the Senate body.

“The Senate, in plenary session, must calendar the report, and decide by majority vote if it will remand the report to the committee for further hearings,” Drilon said in a text message on Friday when asked if the Senate should reopen the investigation into the incident.

The joint report on the Mamasapano killings was drafted by the committees on public order and dangerous drugs, finance, and peace, unification and reconciliation.

As chair of the public order committee, Poe spearheaded the inquiry, which found President Aquino ultimately responsible for the Mamasapano, Maguindanao mission that ended in a bloodbath.

In the January 25 Mamasapano incident, 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos were killed in a clash with members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and private armed groups.

The SAF troopers were on a mission to arrest terror suspects including “Marwan.” While a team of commandos killed Marwan, scores of their colleagues were killed in a subsequent clash with Moro rebels.

The committee report also said that what took place was a massacre, not an encounter, with the MILF and other armed groups killing and robbing the SAF members. MILF members involved should be charged with murder, frustrated murder, and robbery, the report recommended. Nikko Dizon and Leila B. Salaverria, Philippine Daily Inquirer

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