Escudero: SMS not best way to communicate during Mamasapano clash

Text messaging may have not been the best way to communicate during the Mamasapano clash, especially with the officials' seeming lack of sense of urgency, Sen. Francis Escudero said Tuesday.

 

In an interview in Unang Hirit's "Hirit ni Mareng Winnie" segment, Escudero said text messaging was susceptible to a number of communication problems, and according to the plan of the Special Action Force, it was the last means they were going to use during the operation.

 

Forty-four SAF members were killed in an encounter with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters on January 25 that lasted nearly 12 hours. Lack of coordination between the government and the MILF, as well as discrepancies in communication between the police and the military, have been revealed in congressional hearings on the incident.

 

"Kumpleto dapat 'yung SAF, base sa reklamo nilang nakuha(ng mga gamit) ng MILF. May radio, Motorola, may sat (satellite) phone, at cellphone. Pero ang cellphone, ayon sa plano, huling-huli na. Ito, parang 'yun lang ang ginamit nila," he said.

 

He added: "Ang alam ko, hindi kasama sa standard operation procedures ng security forces ang text. Una, hindi secure 'yon. Pangalawa, hindi naman sigurado kung matatanggap mo talaga. Pangatlo, minsan delayed 'yung text. Paano kung 'yung service provider mo, biglang may problema? Na akala mo napadala pero hindi?"

 

The text messages, however, are now part of the investigation in the Senate. Escudero said they are figuring out how to acquire them from telecommunication companies amid the resource persons' right to privacy, as well as how to filter them.

 

‘Walang sense of urgency’

 

Escudero also pointed out that the messages sent among top security officials while the incident was unfolding did not seem to have any sense of urgency. He said he thinks it was because the officials who knew about what was happening wanted to fix the problem at their level.

 

"Walang sense of urgency 'yung mga pulis, 'yung mga military," he said. "Sa palagay ko, sinusubukan nilang himasin, ayusin ang maling nagawa, para pagdating ng balita sa Pangulo, maayos na at walang mabubulyawan. Ang problema, hindi kinaya. Dahil sa kawalan ng koordinasyon sa militar, ito ang nangyari." 

 

He added: "'Yun din ang isang 'di ko maunawaan. Parang ordinaryo, normal 'yung kanilang text."

 

The lack of sense of urgency was also reflected in the time differences between the messages, Escudero said, pointing out that the news of the operation reached officials at least two hours after the commandos hit the primary target, international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan.

 

SAF commandos departed for the operation at 10:15 p.m. of January 24, nearly an hour behind what was scheduled on the entry plan, the PNP Board of Inquiry said in its report. Marwan was killed at around 4:15 a.m., also behind schedule.

 

Top security officials found out after

 

According to a timeline from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the first notice from sacked SAF chief Dir. Getulio Napeñas Jr. was sent via SMS to 6th Infantry Division commander Maj.Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan at 5:06 a.m. on Jan. 25.

 

Meanwhile, resigned PNP chief Gen. Alan Purisima informed President Benigno Aquino III that the operation has been implemented, also via SMS at 5:45 a.m. 

 

During the Senate hearing on Monday, PNP OIC Deputy Dir. Gen. Leonardo Espina said Purisima called him about it at 5:30 a.m., around the same time he read a text message from Napeñas.

 

Interior Sec. Mar Roxas found out at 7:43 a.m., while Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin did at around 11 a.m. —Rose-An Jessica Dioquino/KG, GMA News