ROXAS PINS MAMASAPANO INCIDENT AT FORMER PNP CHIEF

By Chantal Nabong

The encounter between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and government that ensued in Mamasapano area at Mindanao pins blame on resigned Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director, General Alan Purisima.

As soon as the Board of Inquiry’s report on Mamasapano proceeds to Camp Crame, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary, Manuel Roxas III, cleared President Aquino’s name over the mishandled police operation, and pinned the blame to the former police chief for not following President’s order.

He said that based on what he read on the report, President Aquino was not in any way responsible in the Operation, and was just doing his job as a commander-in-chief when he commanded the neutralization of Malaysian bomber, “Marwan”, and Filipino bomb-maker Basit Usman.

 “The order was to apprehend or serve the warrant on Marwan and Usman. Nothing’s wrong with that, trabaho niya yan. Kung hindi niya ginawa yan, may pananagutan ang Pangulo. Ang pagpapalano ay iniutos ni Purisima kay Napenas, so nasa sa kanila na kung ginawa nila ang dapat nilang gawin,” Roxas said.

Roxas put the blame on Purisima and Napenas for mishandling the operation and for not abiding president’s order to synchronize their operation with the military.

 “The President took steps precisely to correct that situation by ordering that OIC Espina, be told about this, he ordered this to a four-star general, he ordered this to a two-star general. Siguro naman the President, it is reasonable for him to assume na ang kanyang mga utos ay kanyang susundin,” Roxas added.

 On the other side, Purisima’s lawyer, Kristoffer Purisima, accused Roxas of prejudging the case and playing to certain sectors of the public.

Purisima’s lawyer assured that they will speak towards allegations at the right time and forum.

The said operation, Oplan Exodus, took place on January 25, 2015, in Mamasapano area at Mindanao, were 67 Filipinos died during the battle against top NBI wanted terrorist, Marwan.

Massacre or a ‘mere misencounter?’

NEARLY two and a half months after the clash of the Special Action Force (SAF) and the combined force of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) that led to the death of 60 people in a gruesome bloodbath in Mamasapano, Magunidanao, one big question is in the minds of most Filipinos: was the incident really a ‘massacre’ or was it just a ‘mere encounter?’

To add to the drama, the leaders of the Senate committees, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) are also debating about it.

CHR chairperson Loreta Ann Rosales found the response of Senator Grace Poe, regarding the senators’ final report on the incident, were too rash that Poe “easily jumped to conclusions” in stating that it was indeed a “massacre” instead of it being a “mere encounter.”

Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, on the other hand, “insisted” that what happened in Mamasapano “was a massacre and not simply a misencounter,” according to ABS-CBN News.

According to Secretary Leila De Lima, the evidence that the National Bureau of Investigation-National Prosecution Service (NBI-NPS) has gathered so far showed that it was just “an encounter and not a massacre.” They are also looking if the 44 SAF members were killed for a “justifiable act of self-defence,” which was claimed by the MILF, or if it was “an act of unlawful violence.”

This debate has been showing up in the news for over a week and there is still a big hole wherein we can’t give justice to the families, friends, and loved ones as to how a simple operation to target two of the world’s most wanted terrorists lead to a gruesome death of 44 of the SAF troopers.

This doesn’t just concern the families of the SAF troops, but also the ones of the MILF. All who were killed were humans and right now, debating whether the incident was a massacre or a misencounter is not really the most important thing right now. Yes, it may clear up the issue a bit but it will only spark more disagreement within the government instead of carefully investigating the situations that happened last January 25.

If only the bodies can talk, they might be able to give their families a peace of heart, but what they do know is that they were all brutally killed. But they can’t talk anymore, they just can’t.