Drilon shuns Palace’s move to get hearing questions ahead of Mamasapano probe

Philippine flags flutters at the People Power Monument in Edsa, Quezon City, January 18, 2016, in memory of 44 police Special Action Force (SAF) commandos killed by Muslim rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25, 2015.  NINO JESUS ORBETA

Senate President Franklin Drilon also thumbed down on Monday Malacañang’s reported desire to get the advance questions before allowing officials to attend the Senate’s reopening of the Mamasapano probe on January 27.

“This is a committee hearing, the advance written questions will be available during the question hour. This is not the question hour,” Drilon told reporters.

Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, who initiated the reopening of the investigation, did not only reject Malacañang’s request but even the possibility of holding a closed-door meeting on the Mamasapano incident.

READ: Enrile: No peeking for Palace at hearing questions

“Bakit closed door? We have supposed to be a transparent, daang matuwid, bakit closed door?” Enrile said in a separate interview when asked if he would allow a closed-door meeting.

“Wala naman tayong tinatago dito e. Akala ko ba sinabi nila, the truth will make us free…” he added.

Enrile reiterated that he had no other motives when he called for the reopening of the investigation and the people involved in the Mamasapano incident, which left 44 elite policemen dead, had nothing to worry about if they were telling the truth when they appeared during the past hearings of the Senate.

“I have no objective. The only objective here is the truth,” he said.

“Are there people lying to the nation or not? That’s all. If they are not lying, they have nothing to say. If they did not lie, they have no worry. If they performed their jobs while in office, they have no worry,” the senator added.