Retired cop surfaces with audio recording on ‘Mamasapano cover-up’—report

Photo from retired Chief Supt. Diosdado Valeroso Facebook account

Just a few days before the scheduled resumption of the Senate probe on Mamasapano, a retired police official on Saturday claimed that he has a digital audio recording of a supposed conversation between a “ranking government official” and a “lawmaker” that would further shed light on the botched operation.

READ: Senate to reopen Mamasapano probe on Jan. 27

A report by GMA News Online quoted retired police Chief Supt. Diosdado Valeroso as saying at a press conference that the two people in the recording appeared to be talking about an alleged attempt to cover up the real turn of events in the bloody clash “to avoid its possible effect on the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law.”

The report said Valeroso declined to name the officials in the conversation, however, he added that it transpired “a day or two” after the botched operation, which left 44 troopers of the Philippine National Police’s Special Action Force (SAF) and several others dead.

Valeroso said he acquired a copy of the recording las Tuesday through e-mail, however, he declined to name the source. The report said he also declined the requests of the families of the fallen SAF troopers to get a copy of the recording as it still up for verification by experts.

The retired police said he will forward the recording to the Senate committee on public order, led by Sen. Grace Poe, which is set to reopen the probe about the incident on January 27.

READ: Poe: Senate to reopen Mamasapano probe on operation’s 1st anniversary

The committee is set to reopen its investigation a year after the tragedy on the initiative of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, who claimed of “possibly new evidence” and spoke of President Benigno Aquino III’s “active” and “direct” involvement in the operation. Yuji Vincent Gonzales/RAM

READ: Enrile out to prove Aquino’s ‘direct’ involvement in Mamasapano