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LP exec: Stop blaming PNoy for Mamasapano clash


President Benigno Aquino III should not be blamed for the botched covert operation in Maguindanao last Sunday that resulted in the death of 44 elite police officers, a top official of the Liberal Party (LP) said Thursday.

LP Secretary General and Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen Sarmiento said opponents of the Aquino administration should refrain from using the bloody clash between members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP SAF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Maguindanao as a "tool" to bash the President out of respect for the slain police commandos.

“It's just unfortunate the some people would use this tragic incident as political demolition tool. We have been working very hard to insulate the PNP and the AFP from politics and each of the fallen policemen only have their mission in mind when they went to carry out their task. To even insinuate that this tragedy was caused by any politician is an insult to these heroes and their families," Sarmiento said in a statement.

Even though Aquino is the President, Sarmiento said, he cannot be blamed for the SAF operation because as a civilian he is “not fully familiar with the nitty-gritty of police and military operations.”

The President’s only role, according to the LP executive, was to give the general order for both the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to conduct operations that would lead to the arrest and the neutralization of suspected terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and Basit Usman.

"Stop blaming the president,” Sarmiento said. “It was his duty to order the arrest of these terrorists but he never had a hand on the planning and the execution of the operation.”

Don’t blame Roxas, either

In a televised speech Thursday night, Aquino admitted knowing about the covert SAF operation and said he repeatedly reminded SAF chief Getulio Pascua Napeñas to have proper coordination beforehand.

Asked after the news conference on who gave the go-signal for the SAF operation, Aquino refused to give a categorical answer and said the elite police team was acting on an enforceable warrant.

"Trabaho nila yun, may warrant of arrest, so ongoing na ito," he said.

Sarmiento likewise defended Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, who has drawn flak for admitting he was clueless about the SAF operation.

"Why… blame Secretary Roxas when in fact he was even the one who formed a Board of Inquiry to get into the bottom of this incident?” the lawmaker asked.

Sarmiento said Roxas was likely not informed of the operation because of its fully covert nature—so covert that not even the operatives were aware it was top secret until their final briefing.

Fact-finding body

While condemning the incident, the lawmaker challenged the MILF to show its sincerity in the peace process by returning the equipment they took away from the SAF members and penalizing their own rebels who participated in the clash.

For his part, Valenzuela City Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian called for the creation of an independent fact-finding commission which will investigate the Mamasapano clash.

Gatchalian said the independent fact-finding commission can be headed by a retired Supreme Court justice, while its members should consist of retired AFP and PNP officials who are known for their integrity, independence and investigative skills.

“The independent body can be patterned after the Davide Commission which was created by then President Cory Aquino to conduct a fact-finding on the root causes of the series of failed coup attempts against the Aquino administration,” said the lawmaker, a member of the House committee on local government.

Gatchalian said the fact-finding body investigating the incident should be free of working ties with the government “so they can come up with credible recommendations for both the government and the MILF.”

"It is crucial for the fact-finding commission to be independent given the magnitude and gravity of the case at hand. It would be best if the PNP has no direct hand in this probe so as to ensure that there will be no squelching of the truth and whitewash of the probe,” he said. — BM, GMA News

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