Roxas camp says he knew nothing about Mamasapano ops that led to SAF 44 deaths

There was no way then Interior Secretary Mar Roxas could have known the operation that killed terrorist Marwan but also led to the deaths of 44 police commandos in 2015.

According to a report on "24 Oras", former presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda told GMA News that then Special Action Force head Getulio Napeñas was told by then Philippine National Police Chief Alan Purisima to keep the operation from Roxas and Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin.

Lacierda, a volunteer in Roxas' senatorial campaign, said the public already knew about this because Napeñas repeatedly testified on the same in the Senate inquiry into the Mamasapano operation.

In a recent campaign sortie of PDP-Laban candidates, Duterte indicated that voters should shun Roxas because of the Mamasapano debacle, which happened when he was secretary of the interior.

"Tapos ibalik ninyo 'to sa Senate? DILG? He wasted 44 lives for nothing," Duterte said.

"They could not even explain why it was the police who went there, who were totally ignorant of the topography and the physical arrangement sa bukid doon," he added.

SAF commandos in January 2015 swooped into a village in Mamasapano to neutralize Malaysian bandit Zulkifli Bin Hir alias Marwan and Filipino bomb-maker Abdul Basit Usman.

The police managed to kill Marwan but encountered members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other armed groups while they were leaving the area.

Forty-four commandos were killed in the clash that was blamed on lack of coordination between the government and the MILF.

The incident also endangered the government's peace deal with the MILF.

Duterte said Roxas had yet to explain why it was the SAF that was sent to go after Marwan.

At that time the mayor of Davao City, Duterte said he was in a meeting with Roxas, then President Benigno Aquino III and other officials when the Mamasapano incident happened.

"Nag-upo na kami doon. 'Andiyan yung general. Tinanong [ni Aquino] 'yung general. Sabi niya 'Kung ikaw general... anong gagawin mo?'" Duterte said.

"P— ina. Tumindig ako. Sabi ko, 'Mr. President, I have a flight'," he added.

GMA News is still trying to get Aquino's comment. —NB, GMA News