Senator Grace Poe. PRIB PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines鈥揟he Office of the President will not be spared in the Senate findings on its investigation on the Mamasapano incident, Senator Grace Poe said on Friday.
Poe, who led the Senate probe on the incident as head of the committee on public order, said the report may be released on the week of the 16th.
The report has to be reported out on the floor for either adoption or rejection by the chamber.
鈥淟ahat ng may kinalaman na nabanggit na liderato ay siyempre kailangang meron kaming tugon ukol sa kanilang partisipasyon at kung ano ang mga naging kakulangan dito,鈥� Poe said in an interview.
(We will have to touch on the involvement of these leaders and their shortcomings in the operation.)
鈥淗anggang sa lahat ng level po na may kinalaman dito sa operasyon na ito ay malalagay sa aming committee report, kung ano ang naging pagkukulang o kung ano ang tamang nagawa,鈥� she said.
(We will include in our committee report all those involved in the operation鈥攖heir shortcomings and their good work鈥搉o matter what level they belong to.)
Asked if the Office of the President would be included in the report, the senator said: 鈥淪iyempre kasama na doon (Of course it is included).鈥�
Poe stressed that all those involved in the Mamasapano operation that left 44 elite policemen of the Special Action Force would be mentioned in the report.
鈥淪apagkat, kung hindi babanggitin, walang maniniwala sa report (If we won鈥檛 include it, no one will believe the report),鈥� she said.
The senator dismissed any speculations that the findings would be watered down since majority of senators are allied with President Benigno Aquino III.
鈥淏asta, ganito lang iyon. Kami naman, may kanya-kanyang pananagutan at reputasyon sa ating mga kababayan. Kaya, kung ito ay hindi magagawa ng tama, pangalan rin naman namin ang nakasalalay dito,鈥� she said.
(This is the case. We all have a responsibility and reputation to protect before our constituents. If this is not done right, our names will be compromised.)
鈥淪o para sa akin, report ko ito, eh. Report ng committee ko ito. Kaya, sa tingin ko naman, hindi ako papayag na malabnaw ito sapagkat magiging pananagutan ko ito sa publiko.鈥�
(For me, this is my report; this is my committee鈥檚 report. So I don鈥檛 think I will let this to be watered down because I am accountable to the public.)
鈥淧asensya na po sa mga matatamaan, pero trabaho rin ang ginagawa namin. Kung mayroong mga nagkamali sa trabaho nila, ilalagay namin na pagkakamali dito at hindi sinasadya, pero mali pa rin,鈥� she further said.
(I am sorry to those whose names may be dragged here; it鈥檚 nothing personal. If they did not do their jobs right, we will put their names in the report even if they claim that they didn鈥檛 mean to commit those blunders.)
Poe said her committee may also recommend the filing of appropriate cases against those who would be found liable for the botched police operation.
She pointed out that her committee had recommended before the filing of charges against resigned Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Alan Purisima over another issue.
Purisima is again being blamed for allegedly ordering the Mamasapano operation even after聽he was ordered suspended by the Ombudsman over an allegedly anomalous courier contract in the PNP.
Poe said the report will also contain the stories of聽survivors, which they narrated in an exclusive session with senators.
It will also tackle the reported involvement of the United States in the botched police operation, Poe said.
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