Senate hearing proved Napeñas was irresponsible - Palace  

 

The reopening of the Mamasapano investigation at the Senate established that retired police director Getulio Napeñas was an "irresponsible" commander of the PNP Special Action Force (SAF), a Palace official said Wednesday.

 

"Napatunayan sa pagdinig ang pagiging iresponsable ni dating SAF Director Napeñas sa kanyang hindi pakikipag ugnayan sa AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) at pagbilad sa kanyang mga tropa sa panganib at kapahamakan," Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma, Jr. said in a statement.

 

Coloma was also among the government officials summoned by the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs in connection with the reopening of the inquiry on the request of Senate minority leader Juan Ponce Enrile who was in detention when the investigation took place early last year.

 

Following the January 25, 2015 Mamasapano incident, President Benigno Aquino III claimed Napeñas fooled him on the SAF mission that was meant to neutralize suspected Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan.

 

During the Senate hearing, the military pinned the blame on Napeñas for the deaths of 44 of his men when the SAF encountered several groups of armed men that included those belonging to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and its breakaway group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) as well as private armed groups. 

 

Maj. Gen. Angelito de Leon, the military's deputy chief of staff for operations, showed a picture of a smiling Napeñas still in civilian clothes together with several other high-ranking police and military officials.

 

 

The picture was taken at 4:14 p.m. on January 25, 2015, or hours after the bloody encounter, at the headquarters of the 1st Mechanized Brigade. — APG, GMA News