PNP chief to attend Senate inquiry

MANILA, Philippines - Suspended Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Alan Purisima will face the Senate on Feb. 9 for the inquiry on the death of 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

The Senate received yesterday Purisima’s advice that he would attend the inquiry.

Police Office 2 Christopher Lalan, lone survivor in the massacre, will also speak before the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs.

Sen. Grace Poe, who chairs the committee, said she wants Purisima to explain reports that he had a direct hand in the Jan. 25 operation to arrest terrorist bombers Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and Basit Usman.

She assured the public of transparency and integrity in the inquiry.

Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has proposed that the committee subpoena documents pertaining to Operation Wolverine to arrest the two terrorists; approval sheet for the operation; intelligence package; SAF after-operations report and the communication net annex from the PNP.

He also asked that the team leader and assistant team leader of the 84th Special Action Company be invited to the inquiry.

Sen. Ralph Recto said the police and military can present a “chronological sequencing” of events from the minute “A-1 intel” was received on the location of the target up to the time the body of the last police commando was plucked out of the killing zone.

“So we can have a clear understanding of what really happened, then I suggest that we adopt a timetable format,” he said.

“Let’s put in a sequence. From the time the green light was given to the ‘Mike One Bingo’ moment to the calls for SOS.”

Recto said a “seconds to disaster” format, wherein highlights of the operation are clocked, will ferret out “differences or inconsistencies” in reporting.

“Using a single format will allow for side-by-side comparison of reports. It will also enable one unit to validate the claim of another,” he said.

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, presidential adviser on the peace process Teresita Quintos-Deles, Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Army 6th Infantry Division commander Major Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan, Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr., Armed Force West Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, government peace panel chairman Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, University of the Philippines Institute of Islamic Studies dean Julkifli Wadi, Brig. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., GPH-CCCH chairman Brig. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., Undersecretary Natalio Ecarma III of the DND-Anti-Terrorism Council, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Gov. Mujib Hataman have also confirmed their attendance on Feb. 9.

Joint congressional inquiry

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has again called for a joint congressional inquiry into the killing of the 44 SAF commandos without hampering the PNP Board of Inquiry investigation.

Speaking to reporters, Belmonte yesterday said he had discussed the matter with Senate President Franklin Drilon.

“I think it’s still a great idea so there will be no more repeats (of resource persons),” he said. “But if we cannot do it, we will have to go ahead with it next Wednesday, we have the proper mandate of the House and the people are expecting it, so are our members.”

Belmonte said the House of Representatives committee on public order and safety has set an inquiry on the botched operation.

“We want to find out the truth,” he said. “All sorts interesting facts have been creeping out slowly and we’d want to put them all together through our investigation.”

He is lukewarm to proposals to form a truth commission, Belmonte said.

Sen. JV Ejercito said he is open to the proposal of Belmonte.

“It is worth considering since there are so many agencies or bodies already conducting probe of the Mamasapano massacre,” he said. “The only problem is it might take longer, specially when politicians all want to speak.”

On the other hand, acting Senate Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Francis Escudero believe the Senate can proceed with its inquiry on its own.

Sotto said a joint congressional inquiry will be unwieldy.

“It will take a longer time,” he said.

“As more inquiries compared to a sole truth commission is better to insure no whitewash. Besides, the different bodies have differing concerns and targets of investigation.”

Escudero said various investigations will lead the public to the truth.

“Even if there are eight, it is only the Senate/House investigations that are open to the public,” he said.

“Besides, if what they will say is the truth, then it shouldn’t matter however many times they say it.”

Drilon asked the Armed Forces chief and the PNP officer-in-charge to stop throwing brickbats at one another in public over the killing of the 44 police commandos.

“They should shut up,” he said. “I am asking them to shut up and speak only officially to official bodies investigating this incident.”

Drilon said the swapping of accusations on the delay to send reinforcements to the commandos in Mamasapano is charging the emotions of Filipinos.

“Given their positions in government, the tense situation is not helped by any such exchange of accusations among such officials,” he said.

During plenary session yesterday, Sotto asked the Senate committee on public order to invite the commandos who survived the fighting in Mamasapano.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan, a former Army colonel, raised concern over the possible implications on national security, political and administrative, of the upcoming Senate inquiry.

“The other more serious implication that if we allow this to continue unmanaged… I think it is prudent not only to do this correctly because of the various implications,” he said.

The Senate should get copies of project proposal, operational plan and an after encounter report, Honasan said.

Drilon backed Honasan’s call.

Senate public and order committee chairman Grace Poe assured her colleagues that they will prudently act on their concern.

“With regards topics that need to be discussed in executive session, we will deal with it during the hearing,” she said. “We will be protecting the country, not certain individuals.”

Senate Majority Leader Alan Cayetano said senators must balance the interest of transparency and issues on national security. Some matters can be discussed in executive session, he added.

Speaking through his lawyers, detained Sen. Jinggoy Estrada asked the Sandiganbayan yesterday to allow him to attend a Senate inquiry into the Mamasapano incident on Monday.

“Accused… respectfully prays of the honorable court that he be allowed as part of his constitutional and legal obligations to attend the Senate hearing/s on the Mamasapano incident of the SAF 44,” he said.

“Now the nation is again faced with the events of the Mamasapano incident, more known as the SAF 44, and investigations are underway to ferret the truth which caused the loss of lives of 44 members of our highly trained Special Action Force.”

Estrada said he has been notified of the Senate committee on public order’s inquiry starting Feb. 9 at 10 a.m.

“Indubitably, this hearing is of national interest for which the accused-movant would like to fulfill his constitutional duty and obligation to attend and participate at the said committee hearing,” he said.

Lawmakers and families of the slain commandos attended a mass for the deceased at the north wing lobby of the Batasang Pambansa. – With Paolo Romero, Michael Punongbayan