Aquino warned on various raps he might face after his term

MANILA, Philippines — President Aquino should brace himself for treason after his term especially in light of the Board of Inquiry report accusing him of breaking the police chain of command in the botched Mamasapano operation, a solon warned Monday.

Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco, the interim president of the opposition party United Nationalist Alliance, said the President may be liable for failing to protect his soldiers at the debacle in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao last Jan. 25 that left 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos, 18 Moro fighters and five civilians dead.

The SAF commandos were able to kill international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias “Marwan” but the other target, local bombmaker Basit Usman, escaped when they were fired upon by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

“Treason is possible, (especially) kung ang kapakanan ng Pilipinas ay hindi mo pinangalagaan sa abot ng iyong makakaya,” Tiangco, a known ally of Vice President Jejomar Binay, told reporters.

Tiangco had just come from Makati city hall where the vice president’s son Makati mayor Junjun was almost suspended from office as he faces an Ombudsman probe for malversation and graft in connection with the allegedly overpriced Makati parking building. The suspension order was not carried out after the Court of Appeals granted Binay’s request for a temporary restraining order.

In its report on the debacle, the police Board of Inquiry found that Aquino broke the Philippine National Police chain of command when he authorized resigned police chief Director General Alan Purisima–despite his suspension over corruption raps–to monitor the operation, and not acting PNP chief Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina.

The BOI report also scored sacked SAF commander Getulio Napeñas for failing to coordinate with the military about the top secret operation.

While Aquino had protected and refused to hold Purisima, a close friend, accountable, he has put the sole blame on Napeñas for failing to follow his orders in coordinating with the military, Espina and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

Napeñas has said he did not coordinate with the military beforehand for fears of compromising the antiterror raid.

The President is expected to make necessary appointments in government and ensure his successor would come from the Liberal Party in a bid to block the expected cases against him, Tiangco said.

“Mas marami nang haharaping kaso si Pangulong Aquino pagkatapos ng kanyang termino. ‘Yung mga natitirang pwede niyang i-appoint, i-a-appoint na nila,” Tiangco said.

(President Aquino will be facing various cases after his term. Those whom he has not appointed, he should appoint now.)

“Sisiguraduhin na rin niya na kakampi niya ang mauupo sa Malacañang… He will do everything to make sure mapoproteksyunan siya after his term,” he added.

(He will make sure those who will occupy Malacañang are political allies…he will do everything to protect himself after his term.)

Tiangco said Aquino may also be liable for plunder and graft in connection with the outlawed Disbursement Acceleration Program, a savings-impounding mechanism parts of which were declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

As of press time, Aquino faces a treason complaint over the Mamasapano debacle in a complaint filed by former immigrations commissioner and assemblyman Homobono Adaza before the Ombudsman.