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No request for reinforcement during Mamasapano clash –military official
By ROUCHELLE DINGLASAN, GMA News
(Updated 12:21 p.m.) A ranking military official on Tuesday disclosed that the Philippine National Police did not request for reinforcement on the morning of January 25 when close to 300 of its elite personnel figured in a clash with Moro guerillas in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, while on operation to arrest two suspected terrorists.
Testifying before a Senate committee, Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said there was no "urgency" when the police gave the grid coordinates of the location of operation.
"Sa akin pong pagbasa at paghimay-himay, walang urgency… Walang request for reinforcement," he told the Senate committee on public order, which was on the second day of its investigation on the deadly Mamasapano incident that left 44 Special Action Force members dead.
The text message informing the military of the grid coordinates, Pangilinan said, was not even addressed to him and did not seem to be a call for help.
He said that the information relayed to him was that the PNP SAF was engaged in a firefight with Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in the area.
"No request po, not even for reinforcement," Pangilinan stressed.
"Mistrust"
Pangilinan was reacting to the statement of Interior Secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas, who wanted to know why there was no military reinforcement during the clash.
"Ang tanong ko naman po, wala mang koordinasyon, saklolo na ang tawag na ito. SOS na ito," Roxas said. "May konsepto rin na fire on my location… Kaysa di kayo mag-fire at mauubos kami rito."
Roxas hoped that the incident will not result in "mistrust" between the police and the military. "Hindi ko gustong magkaroon ng hidwaan, gap, o mistrust between the PNP and the AFP," he said.
Pangilinan said he did not order any troop movement until they have complete information about the incident. He added they had a mechanized brigade on standby to augment and extract PNP SAF personnel from the area of encounter as they waited for more information.
"Ang pinag-uusapan po rito ay buhay," he said, citing that operation procedure states that they should know the location of the friendly force and other information before proceeding with a reinforcement. —KBK, GMA News
Testifying before a Senate committee, Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, commander of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said there was no "urgency" when the police gave the grid coordinates of the location of operation.
"Sa akin pong pagbasa at paghimay-himay, walang urgency… Walang request for reinforcement," he told the Senate committee on public order, which was on the second day of its investigation on the deadly Mamasapano incident that left 44 Special Action Force members dead.
The text message informing the military of the grid coordinates, Pangilinan said, was not even addressed to him and did not seem to be a call for help.
He said that the information relayed to him was that the PNP SAF was engaged in a firefight with Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters in the area.
"No request po, not even for reinforcement," Pangilinan stressed.
"Mistrust"
Pangilinan was reacting to the statement of Interior Secretary Manuel "Mar" Roxas, who wanted to know why there was no military reinforcement during the clash.
"Ang tanong ko naman po, wala mang koordinasyon, saklolo na ang tawag na ito. SOS na ito," Roxas said. "May konsepto rin na fire on my location… Kaysa di kayo mag-fire at mauubos kami rito."
Roxas hoped that the incident will not result in "mistrust" between the police and the military. "Hindi ko gustong magkaroon ng hidwaan, gap, o mistrust between the PNP and the AFP," he said.
Pangilinan said he did not order any troop movement until they have complete information about the incident. He added they had a mechanized brigade on standby to augment and extract PNP SAF personnel from the area of encounter as they waited for more information.
"Ang pinag-uusapan po rito ay buhay," he said, citing that operation procedure states that they should know the location of the friendly force and other information before proceeding with a reinforcement. —KBK, GMA News
Tags: mamasapanoclash, milf
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