Palace refuses to judge Purisima on Mamasapano ops but points to Napeñas' failure

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda on Monday refused to say if texts messages between resigned Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima and President Benigno Aquino III constitute a violation of Purisima’s suspension, or whether he should be reporting to the President about an ongoing operation in the first place.

Instead, Lacierda said the public should wait for the report of the Board of Inquiry to truly determine the facts of the incident.

“Everybody wants to know the truth, ‘di ba? Everybody wants to know the truth of what really happened. So the BOI promised that it will collate all the facts, and so we will just have to wait for the report and whatever their recommendations are. I don’t know what their recommendations will be. So let’s just wait,” Lacierda said in a press briefing.,

In the same breath, Lacierda made it clear that relieved Special Action Force chief Director Getulio Napeñas Jr. failed to coordinate properly.

“Don’t forget na may instruction si Presidente to inform General Espina (acting Philippine National Police chief Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina), to coordinate with General Espina, na hindi nangyari. So alam din ni Presidente Aquino na kailangang ma-inform si General Espina, na hindi ginawa,” Lacierda said.

In an earlier Senate inquiry, Napeñas said then-suspended PNP chief Director General Purisima, after a private meeting with Aquino, told him not to inform Espina and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas about the operation, which was designed to capture two wanted terrorists.

Purisima, however, said what he gave Napeñas was advice and not an order.

Despite Purisima's role in the Mamasapano clash, Lacierda refused to say whether the resigned PNP chief was in the wrong at all, referring instead to the refrain of waiting for the BOI’s report.

Pressed, the presidential spokesperson eventually conceded that there was a possibility the BOI could find Purisima guilty of “lapses.”

“What we do know from the tactical operation, what we do know and that has already been borne out, from the tactical operation there were lapses. Were there lapses also by Purisima? Possibly, there were lapses. So will this be all be contained in the Board of Inquiry? Possibly.” — DVM, GMA News