Espina missing during Noy meeting with SAF kin

MANILA, Philippines - While President Aquino stayed until midnight at Camp Crame in Quezon City on Wednesday to ensure that concerns of the families of the slain Special Action Force (SAF) commandos in Mamasapano, Maguindanao were heard, Philippine National Police (PNP) officer-in charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina was conspicuously missing.

The President, assisted by several Cabinet secretaries and police officials, hopped from one table to another, met and held dialogue with relatives of the 44 slain commandos for over six hours starting at 5:30 p.m. until past midnight. It was his first engagement outside of the Palace since the Jan. 30 necrological service for the SAF 44.

The PNP initiated the program to formalize the turning over of benefits to the families of the slain SAF men from different government and non-government organizations.

Though the event was sponsored by the PNP, Espina was nowhere to be seen inside the multi-purpose hall of Camp Crame. Other police officials, led by the chief directorial staff (TCDS) Deputy Director General Marcelo Garbo Jr., were seen standing near the President, apparently waiting for instructions of the commander-in-chief.

When asked about his whereabouts on Wednesday night, Espina told The STAR he was “down with flu.”

Espina, however, was present at the formal turning over of firearms of the slain SAF men from Muslim rebels in Camp Aguinaldo the following day.

Espina and Garbo are two of the four police officials occupying top posts in the national police force: PNP chief, PNP deputy chief for administration (DCA), PNP deputy chief for operations, and TCDS.

Resigned PNP chief Alan Purisima, Espina and Garbo are members of the Philippine Military Academy Class 1981.

Other PNP officials present last Wednesday were Director Rolando Purugganan of the Directorate for Comptrollership, who was leading the effort to ensure that proper compensation and benefits would be given to the families, Chief Superintendent Wilfredo Franco and PNP spokesman Chief Superintendent Generoso Cerbo Jr.

No closure

Although the President could not provide any closure yet, spending six and a half hours with families of the slain SAF troopers would show that fulfilling the government’s promises to them, particularly serving justice, was a priority for the Chief Executive, Malacañang said yesterday.

In a phone patch interview with reporters, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. stressed there was no reason for the President to hole up inside the Palace amid rumors of coup and destabilization plots against him, noting his activities in the past weeks need not be done outside Malacañang.

“They continue to seek clarification on the incident so the President relayed to them what he knew and what he understood about what happened in Mamasapano,” Coloma said.

Reporters saw Aquino showing messages from his phone to some members of the families.

Aquino stayed longer at the table of the families of Inspector Joey Gamutan and PO1 Oliebeth Viernes and even showed them the ingress and egress of SAF commandos in their operation to capture terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and Basit Usman.

The families, who were sharing a table, however refused to give specifics of their meeting with the President. – With Aurea Calica