MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III did not go to Zamboanga City on January 24 as he was expecting the arrest of Malaysian bomber Zulkifli Bin Hir alias Marwan on the next day, Malacañang said.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda maintained that Aquino went to Zamboanga City to assess the situation at Barangay Guiwan following an explosion there that killed at least two people and injured 52 others.
Lacierda said it will be "malicious" to allege that Aquino was there for the possible arrest of Marwan the following day when the operation against him was launced.
"He was there precisely to meet...to discuss the Zamboanga bombing. That’s a very scurrilous accusation, which has no basis in truth," Lacierda said.
"The President was there to assure the people of Zamboanga. To say otherwise, to impute any other motives is downright malicious and has no basis in fact," he added.
Marwan, a terrorist linked to the Jemaah Islamiyah was supposedly killed in the operation which, also took the lives of 44 members of the PNP Special Action Force.
The police commandos engaged in an armed "misencounter" with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and its breakaway group, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.