Poe backs Ombudsman’s order to indict Aquino

Senator Grace Poe welcomes new development on the Mamasapano case. EDWIN BACAMAS

Senator Grace Poe is supporting the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman to indict former president Benigno Aquino III in connection with the botched Mamasapano raid.

In an interview Monday, Poe expressed confidence that with the Ombudsman’s move, the unanswered questions surrounding the case would be answered.

The doomed Mamasapano mission to arrest Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli Abdhir alias “Marwan” left 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos dead. It was seen as one of the biggest crises that hit the Aquino administration.

“Mabuti na meron na ring kaso ang Ombudsman na isasampa sapagkat unang-una, dapat magkaroon na ng pagtatapos ito, pangalawa, pagkakataon na rin na marinig mismo sa bibig ng dating pangulo ang kanyang punto at ang kanyang naging partisipasyon ukol dito,” Poe said.

Poe said that the limitations of command responsibility under the law are not clear. In his affidavit in January, Aquino  pinned the blame entirely on then Special Action Force (SAF) director Getulio Napeñas and said he had no command responsibility for the botched operation.

The senator also expressed her support for Senator Richard Gordon’s decision, as Chairman of the Blue ribbon committee, to reopen the investigation on the Mamasapano encounter if new pieces of evidence would emerged.

“Kung merong maaaring ipresenta na hindi namin natalakay noong nakaraang pagdinig, bakit naman hindi, katotohanan ang puno’t dulo nito… Kung magbebenipisyo hindi lamang ang pamilya ng biktima kundi ang taumbayan,” Poe said. Celine Amilhamja, trainee