Senate may send questions to Aquino to wrap up inquiry on Mamasapano clash

By: TJ Burgonio - 10 years ago

PEACE IS THE ANSWER Members of several Moro groups make the peace sign with their fingers during a rally at the Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila, on Friday. The Moro groups denounced war as a solution to the hostilities in Mindanao, and urged Congress to proceed with the hearings on the Bangsamoro Basic Law that has been on hold since the bloody Mamasapano clash of Jan. 25. JOAN BONDOC

The Senate may send questions to President Benigno Aquino III about his role in the Jan. 25 police operation in Mamasapano town, Maguindanao province, amid mounting calls for him to disclose what he knows about the operation that cost the lives of 44 police commandos, senators said on Friday.

Once the President comes clean on the operation, the committees could wrap up the inquiry into the Special Action Force (SAF) debacle, they said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 possible. Nothing wrong with writing questions, but we should not be offended if he doesn鈥檛 answer us,鈥� Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III told reporters in a phone-patch interview.

The committees on public order, peace and finance inquiring into the clash could send questions to the President in the form of 鈥渨ritten interrogatories,鈥� Pimentel said.

Interrogatories are a list of questions.

Sen. Grace Poe said the President has begun talking about his knowledge of the incident, but the senators may course questions through his alter egos in next Monday鈥檚 hearing.

She said she was hopeful Mr. Aquino would 鈥渃ontinue to give more details.鈥�

鈥淲e are constrained by the principle of separation of powers. Nonetheless, we may consider to course crucial questions through his alter egos in attendance during the hearing on Monday who may seek appropriate clearance, too, for the purpose,鈥� she said in a text message.

The President met anew with widows of the slain troopers last Wednesday night, but left key questions unanswered, including what he did after he was informed about the fierce firefight between the SAF troopers and Moro rebels.

The SAF rebels were killed when they ran into guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other private armed groups after taking down Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias 鈥淢arwan.鈥�

Eighteen MILF guerrillas and five civilians were also killed in the clash.

Pimentel deferred to the three committees to make the decision.

鈥淭he chair of the committee can ask the senators if that is the route she鈥檚 going to take鈥搘ritten interrogatories,鈥� he said, referring to Poe, chair of the committee on public order.

Pimentel, however, said the President鈥檚 role was clear after hearing the disclosures of resigned Philippine National Police chief Director General Alan Purisima, relieved SAF commander Director Getulio Nape帽as, and two SAF survivors in executive sessions.

鈥淲e had additional information given by [Director General] Purisima,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 will not divulge the details. Ask Senator Poe what she wants to disclose to the public.鈥�

Otherwise, based on Purisima鈥檚 disclosures and Mr. Aquino鈥檚 national addresses, 鈥渨e can piece together what happened,鈥� he added.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., chair of the local government committee that conducted public hearings on the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), said the inquiry would be complete once the President gave his side of the story.

Marcos said the senators had pieced together the circumstances on the ground, but not the goings-on at the highest level of command during the mission to capture Marwan.

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 help that the President has not spoken on the matter. This is very easy. He should tell us, instead of us speculating and asking others to tell us the story. Once he makes a credible explanation, our hearing is finished,鈥� he said in a radio interview.

Not crisis proportion

Both Pimentel and Marcos agreed that the public outrage has not reached a crisis and did not necessitate the President鈥檚 resignation.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 feel the clamor for a regime change,鈥� Pimentel said. 鈥淚 could feel the disappointment, and BBL support has waned, but as far as people clamoring for changing the President, I don鈥檛 feel it.鈥�

Marcos said: 鈥淣othing will happen if he resigns. If at all, that will only foment disorder. I agree with a report: 鈥楧on鈥檛 step down, step up.鈥� Step up to your responsibility. Step up to the country. And tell them exactly what is happening and what your role was in this Mamasapano massacre.鈥�

He said sending questions to the President was an option.

鈥淏ut the President should show leadership and explain to the country all the facts,鈥� he said.

US involvement

Pimentel said Monday鈥檚 hearing would also look into reports of US involvement in the Mamasapano operation.

鈥淭hat will be very interesting. 黑料社 reports said there were eight Americans sighted in the area. I have not heard anything like that in the executive sessions,鈥� he said.

He also cited reports that a drone was seen hovering over the area during fighting between the SAF commandos and the Moro rebels.

鈥淚ntelligence is different from presence,鈥� he said, responding to claims that the United States merely swapped intelligence information with the SAF on the presence of Marwan in Mamasapano.

Resource persons

For Monday鈥檚 hearing, the committees on public order, peace and finance invited Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario, Defense Undersecretary Natalio Ecarma III of the Anti-Terrorism Council of the Philippines, Brig. Gen. Manolito Orense of the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and Brig. Gen. Carlito Galvez of the Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities as resource persons,

The committees also sent invitations to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles, chief government peace negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, her MILF counterpart Mohagher Iqbal, military and police officials, among other resource persons.

鈥淚 will not confirm when it comes to diplomatic relations at this point but definitely it will be part of our committee report,鈥� Poe said when asked last week about the US role.

Marcos said it wasn鈥檛 clear what role the United States played in the operation to capture Marwan.

鈥淭hey played a role. Whether that role is acceptable or not is something we cannot say until we hear them. If they were conducting trainings, that鈥檚 not a problem. If they鈥檙e operating, that鈥檚 another matter,鈥� he said.

By tending to clear its forces of any culpability, the MILF wasn鈥檛 helping its cause, Marcos said.

MILF defending their homes

Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF vice chair for political affairs, told TV5 that the MILF鈥檚 investigation showed that the rebels were only defending their homes from the SAF troopers and should not be blamed for the debacle.

鈥淚f that will be their report, pin the blame on the PNP, it will not help the peace process. None of the MILF was massacred. None of them was wounded and shot, and taken on video at that,鈥� Marcos said.

Former Sen. Panfilo Lacson (@iampinglacson) tweeted that Palace鈥檚鈥渢ell all at the right time鈥� statement is not helping the situation any.

鈥淭elling the whole truth needs no proper timing,鈥� he said.