PNoy’s words belie late afternoon briefing on Mamasapano —Bongbong Marcos

Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr on Monday reiterated his call to President Benigno Aquino III to explain in detail his participation in the Mamasapano operation which resulted to the death of 44 Special Action Force commandos.

 

“Ang pinakamabilis at pinakamadali at pinakacredible na paraan ay magsabi siya, detalyadong narrative, detalyadong timeline, anong oras nangyari ito, anong order niya, sinong kausap niya,” Marcos told reporters during a weekly news forum in Manila.

 

“The easiest, clearest, and more credible would be a narrative from the President as to what his involvement was and how he interacted with the officers of the AFP, PNP and with the civilian authorities,” the senator stressed.

 

He said the President should make public what was his part during the planning and implementation of Oplan Exodus, the operation to take down Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan, and what were his orders to the officials.

“Siya lang naman ang nakakaalam ng lahat dahil may access siya sa impormasyon ng pulis, may access siya sa impormasyon ng AFP at alam niya kung ano ang ginawa niya nung siya ay nasa Zamboanga. That would be the easiest way para maging maliwanag lahat itong mga tinatanong,” he said.

 

The senator said it is hard to believe that the first time the Mamasapano incident was discussed  was during a briefing around 5 pm of January 25.

 

He noted that the President mentioned in his earlier speeches that he had been receiving information on the Mamasapano operation morning of January 25.

 

“Even the words of the President seem to belie this….Sinabi niya na alam niya ang resulta nung kay Marwan ng linggo ng umaga at dumadating ang report.  That’s is why there is confusion and we need to remove that confusion and really once and for all find out what happened, what are the facts,” said Marcos.

 

The SAF forces were in Mamasapano, Maguindanao to serve the warrant of arrest against Marwan and Filipino bombmaker Abdul Basit Usman on the morning of January 25. The police commandos encountered members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters as they were about to leave the area.

 

Aquino was in Zamboanga during that time to check the security measures being implemented after a deadly car blast that happened two days before.

 

Marcos clarified that they cannot force the President speak on the matter and the Senate will instead get the information from other source.

 

“Kung wala tayong nakukuha kay Pangulo, we will have to find those facts out from other sources,” he said.

 

Asked whether he would resume the hearing on the Bangsamoro Basic Law once the President made his explanation, Marcos said their move does not depend on Aquino.

 

“The point is it is not what the President will or will not do, it is finding the fact, yun ang key element.  Wala tayong sinasabi na kung hindi natin ginagawa ito ay hindi natin itutuloy, walang ganyanan, we are not doing anything like that,” he said.

 

“The President enjoys executive privilege so we cannot force him in anyway,” he noted.

 

The senator said he would continue the hearings once all the facts about the Mamasapano incident are out.

“Hindi ko kayo mabibigyan ng petsa kung kailan, hinihintay natin ang resulta ng imbestigasyon ng iba’t ibang ahensya. 

 

Marcos suspended the hearings on the proposed BBL when the Mamasapano incident happened. —NB, GMA News