Retired Special Action Force Director Getulio Napenas (left). AP FILE PHOTO
A day before the reopening of the Senate probe on the Mamasapano clash, the former chief of the Philippine National Police’s Special Action Force (SAF) reiterated that President Benigno Aquino III was involved in the “preparation and planning” of Oplan Exodus, where 44 elite commandos were killed in the hunt for international terrorist Zulkifi bin Hir alias Marwan.
BACKSTORY: Enrile out to prove Aquino’s ‘direct’ involvement in Mamasapano
In a radio interview on Tuesday afternoon, retired SAF chief Getulio Napeñas recalled a meeting with Aquino at Malacañang last year, which was also attended by dismissed PNP chief Gen. Alan Purisima and SAF Intelligence Group Director Fernando Mendez.
Napeñas said Aquino had a hand with the decision not to coordinate early with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). The failure of the botched operation had been attributed to a broken chain of command and lack of coordination among police and the military.
“Pinatawag ako ni Gen. Purisima mag-present doon sa Malacañang. Hindi ako nag-volunteer niyan. Tinawag n’ya ako. Ibig sabihin siya ang nagmamando, namamahala. Siya ang pinagkakatiwalaan ng pangulo. Nag-briefing ako doon sa loob, prinesent ko ‘yug concept of operation. ‘Yung mga video, kung anu-ano pa. Marami akong pinakita,” Napeñas told co-anchors Anthony Taberna and Gerry Baja of “Dos por Dos” on DZMM.
(Gen. Purisima summoned me make for a presentation in Malacanang. I didn’t volunteer for that. He called me up to do that. That only meant he was the one who was in command, who was manning the [operation]. He was the one the President trusted. I had a briefing inside [Malacanang], where I presented the concept of operation. The videos, among others, I showed them all.)
“Nagsalita ‘yung pangulo. (Paano) ‘yung coordination with the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines). Nasabi ko na rin ‘yan noon. Ang sagot ko, sir, with all due respect compromised po ang AFP. Kaya ang recommendation po namin time-on-target sabihin sa AFP. Sinegunduhan ‘yan ni Gen. Purisima at director for intelligence group. Hindi umimik ang president,” he added.
(The President asked, ‘[How’s] the coordination with the AFP.’ I had pointed out that out before. My answer was, ‘Sir, with all due respect, the AFP is compromised. So we recommend we’d tell the AFP time-on-target.’ Gen. Purisima supported that and the director for intelligence group. The President didn’t say anything.)
Asked what he thought of Aquino’s non-response, Napeñas said he considered it as a go-signal.
“After that naiwan silang dalawa (Purisima and Aquino), lumabas kaming dalawa ni director intelligence group. Paglabas ni Gen. Purisima, sinabi sa akin, ‘saka ninyo sabihan ‘yung dalawa kapag nandodoon na.’ Sabi n’ya ‘kayo na ang bahala kay Gen. Catapang.’Totoo ‘yan, sinabi n’ya ‘yan,” he said, referring to former AFP chief Gregorio Catapang.
(After that, Purisima and Aquino stayed, while the director for intelligence group and I left the room. When Gen. Purisima went out, he told me ‘to tell the other two once [you’re there].’ He said, ‘you handle Gen. Catapang’. It was true, he said that.)
“Anong impression dun? Eh ‘di approved n’ya ‘yun,” he said.
(What’s the impression with that? That means it’s already approved.)
Citing an exchange of text messages between Aquino and Purisima, Napeñas went on by saying that the President himself approved the time frame of the operation and ordered the deployment of additional troops.
“Nag-recommend ako kay Gen. Purisima na imbis na gagawin namin ‘yan before ng visit ni Pope, first window, gagawin natin ‘yan on second window, (January) 21 to 26, something like that, dahil doon sa sinabi ng Pangulo na dagdagan ang tropa,” he said.
(I recommended to Gen. Purisima that instead of pushing with the operation before the Papal visit, first window, we’d do it on second window (January 21 to 26), because of what the President said about increasing the number of troops.)
“Too tight yung first window at saka yung tropa na idadagdag ay nasa Tacloban for the Pope’s visit. Sinagot ako ni Gen. Purisima OK. Sumagot ang pangulo natin, OK. So that means ano ang impression nun? Pangulo pala ang nag-approve talaga ultimately,” he added.
(The first window was too tight and the troops to be included were still in Tacloban for the Pope’s visit. Gen. Purisima told me ‘OK’. The President said OK. So what is the impression? It’s the President who approved ultimately.)
The Senate committee on public order will resume its investigation bloody clash on Wednesday, more than a year after the tragedy, on the initiative of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile who claimed that he was set to prove Aquino’s “direct” and “active” involvement in the operation.
Napeñas was among the personalities summoned by the committee in the reopening of the probe.
“Prepared (ako) sa mga tanong ni Sen. Enrile. Prepared naman po tayo d’yan kasi yung detalye naman halos memoryadong-memoryado natin,” he said.
(I am prepared for Sen. Enrile’s questions. We’ve always been prepared for that because the details we’ve memorized thoroughly.)
READ: Enrile: Come out, testify
Napeñas is running for senator under Vice President Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance party. TVJ
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