Napeñas admits Purisima gave go-signal on Mamasapano operation

 

Napeñas made the admission upon the questioning of Senate President Franklin Drilon during the resumption of the Senate probe on the operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao to take down terrorists Zulkfili bin Hir alias Marwan of Jemaah Islamiyah and Basit Usman of Abu Sayyaf. 

 

Drilon said the exchange of text messages between Napeñas and Purisima bothered him. A copy of the text messages was provided by Napeñas to the Senate panel.

 

“Napeñas, you texted Gen. Purisima on Jan. 13, 2015, at 1:07 p.m.: ‘In consideration of the comments of the President during our meeting re number of personnel to be deployed in the operations, recommend we follow the secondary date as the additional personnel to be used are deployed in Tacloban for the Pope’s visit, also the primary date is too tight,” Drilon said.

 

Napeñas said he mentioned that because the primary date should be before the arrival of Pope Francis.

 

“But then because of the utilization of our forces to be deployed in Tacloban, because the forces of 1st batallion are deployed in Tacloban, so we recommended that it should be done on (January) 23 to 26,” he said.

 

Drilon noted that in the same text message, Napeñas stated “for your consideration and approval” addressed to Purisima.

 

He said Purisima’s reply to Napeñas was: “OK na, go for the secondary schedule.”

 

Napeñas confirmed what Drilon just read.

 

The operation was conducted on January 25. The Special Action Force was able to shoot Marwan dead but forty-four Special Action Force troopers died during the ensuing hours-long gunfight with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and its splinter group, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. Usman escaped.

 

The Senate President then pointed out that Purisima gave the approval on the date while he was under suspension.

 

“It was very clear that Purisima gave the approval that you go on the secondary date… while he was under suspension,” said Drilon, to which Napeñas replied: “Yes, sir.”

 

Purisima has been under suspension since December last year upon the order of the Office of the Ombudsman over graft charges.


Roxas, Gazmin kept in the dark on Purisima’s orders

 

Napeñas also admitted that it was Purisima who told him to keep Secretaries Mar Roxas and Voltaire Gazmin in the dark on the Mamapasano operation

 

Drilon told Napeñas: “In fact, he (Purisima) also told you not to tell Roxas and Gazmin of this operation while he was on suspension,” to which the latter, replied, “Yes, your honor.”    

 

Roxas and Gazmin earlier claimed that they were not aware that there was an operation against high-value targets in Mamasapano. —KG, GMA News