Purisima submits affidavit to Mamasapano probe

MANILA, Philippines - The Board of Inquiry (BOI) has secured the affidavit of resigned Philippine National Police chief, Director General Alan Purisima on the Mamasapano incident.

In a statement, BOI chair and PNP’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Director Benjamin Magalong added that the board had also informed PNP acting chief Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina on Friday that it had held a series of meetings with the Operational Audit Team (OAT) to discuss the findings of the ongoing probe.

Magalong said the BOI and the OAT discussed the findings related to the Special Action Force (SAF) operation’s mission planning, execution and termination that resulted in the killing of 44 SAF troopers and the wounding of several others last January 25.

Magalong, in a statement, added that the BOI will also be in Maguindanao from February 24 to 26 to conduct an on-site survey and “get a clearer picture of the actual events and to validate the claims, assertions and allegations regarding the incident.”

The BOI will also interview key personalities of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front while in Maguindano, Magalong said.

Next week, the BOI will interview Espina and AFP chief, General Gregorio Pio Catapang.

The BOI also said that 343 out of the 346 SAF troopers involved in the Mamasapano operation have already submitted their sworn statements and only thee troopers have yet to complete and sign their statements.

Meanwhile, the BOI also reported that 13 M4 rifles, two machine guns, an assembly part of an M4 rifle, and a mobile phone were turned over by the Police Regional Office in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (and escorted by the SAF) to the CIDG late Wednesday night.

“Immediately after accounting the returned items, the Board submitted the firearms to the PNP Crime Laboratory for ballistic test and forensic examination, while the mobile phone was forwarded to the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group for digital forensic examination,” Magalong said in the statement.