Aquino shoots back at Napeñas: ‘He made himself look incompetent’

Fromer president Benigno Aquino III at the 85th birth anniversary of former President Corazon Aquino at Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque, on Thursday, Jan. 25.

Former president Benigno Aquino III on Thursday shot back at the former chief of the Philippine National Police-Special Action Force who earlier said that the “incompetence” of his former commander in chief led to the death of 44 elite police officers in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, exactly three years ago.

“No, no, that’s incorrect. He made himself look incompetent, because he actually performed incompetent,” Aquino said, reacting to a statement of former SAF chief Getulio Napeñas.

At the “day of remembrance” for the third anniversary of the Mamasapano clash at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig, Napeñas slammed the actions of Aquino that supposedly tarnished the reputation of SAF.

“Pinalabas nila, yung buong (Aquino) administration na ako ay incompetent, yung mga kasama ko incompetent. Binola ko pa raw na para akong tanga,” Napeñas told reporters on Thursday.

READ: Ex-SAF chief: Aquino made Mamasapano commanders look incompetent

Aquino maintained that it was Napeñas, the ground commander of the botched Oplan Exodus, who should be blamed for the death of the 44 SAF commandos.

“Kung may malaki mang kasalanan diyan… may tiwala akong honorable yung mga taong kausap ko, na yung gagawin yung desisyong inutos ko sa kanila ang gagawin, dahil ito ay ang tamang desisyon, logical na desisyon,” the former president said, alluding to Napeñas.

Aquino said he kept on telling Napeñas to coordinate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines so they can get reinforcement against the enemy troops, which numbered at around 3,400.

“Hindi ko alam kung masyado kang bilib sa sarili mo o masyado kang bahala na,” Aquino said of Napeñas.

At the sidelines of the 85th birth anniversary of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino, at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque, the former president acknowledged the hurt the families of the slain SAF troopers were feeling.

“Sana tandaan na lang natin na obligasyon ng gobyerno na alagaan ang buong bansa…Ang mga nasawi ay pumasok sa isang serbisyo para tugunan ang ating peace and order problems,” he said.

Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, who has a $5-million bounty in his head, was killed in the clash in Mamasapano. His Filipino aide Basit Usman had escaped but was killed in a subsequent military operation.