Trillanes fate up to Senate leadership

MANILA, Philippines - The Senate leadership is being urged to determine whether Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV breached protocol when he revealed information provided by military and police officials during executive sessions on the Mamasapano encounter.

Sen. Francis Escudero called on Senate President Franklin Drilon and Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano to look into the possible implication of Trillanes’ revelations to the media.

Critics referred to Trillanes’ statements on the position of about 150 members of the Special Action Force (SAF), who were accused of merely sitting and waiting when members of the 84th Seaborne and the 55th Special Action Company (SAC) commandos were under attack last Jan. 25.

Apart from the alleged failure of the other SAF men to reinforce their comrades on time, Trillanes also revealed that a police officer wined and dined with some Army officers the night before the operation to get international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan.

The Senate panel that probed the Mamasapano incident held at least three executive sessions with two SAF survivors, former police chief Director General Alan Purisima, ex-SAF commander Director Getulio Napeñas, Police Intelligence Group chief Sr. Supt. Jojo Mendez, Armed Forces chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., Maj. Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan and other top military officials.

Trillanes stood by his claim that an intelligence officer of the Philippine National Police (PNP) wined and dined the ground commanders of the Philippine Army on the night of Jan. 24 to ensure that the military would not interfere with the SAF operation against Marwan and his Filipino cohort Basit Usman.

The senator reiterated that his information came from the Army officers who felt that what happened was significant to the probe and should be revealed to him.

Trillanes took issue with acting SAF director Chief Supt. Moro Lazo for denying his revelations and insinuating that he was making up stories.

He said Lazo and Napeñas were just quibbling with their claims about the SAF not being involved when he never said such a thing.

Earlier, Trillanes said that it was an intelligence officer of the PNP who had dinner and drinks with the ground commanders of the military on the eve of Oplan Exodus.

Trillanes identified the officer as a certain Sr. Supt. Ozaeta, which the PNP confirmed as the head of its special project for Mindanao, Manolo Ozaeta.

He said the military officers realized later that Ozaeta was trying to elicit information from them about any possible operation they may have had the next day against Marwan or similar targets in the area.

Trillanes said Ozaeta’s intention was to ensure that the AFP would not hamper the SAF’s operation.

He said it was too much of a coincidence that the night out was set on the eve of Oplan Exodus, adding the information made more sense when he recalled how Napeñas kept on saying that he did not trust the Army on operations against high-value targets in the region.

Ozaeta submitted himself to his superiors for explanation after he was alluded to as the police intelligence officer who allegedly wined and dined the military officials.

“It has no link whatsoever with the Mamasapano operations nor was it intended to divert our counterpart’s attention in reinforcements as both units did not expect such operations in Mamasapano in the first place,” Ozaeta said.

He confirmed that he hosted a two-and-a-half-hour dinner at the Del Rio Splash Resort in Koronadal City on the night of Jan. 24.

The dinner was attended by some police and military officers based in SOCCSKSARGEN (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos), among them officers of the Army’s 601st Brigade and some battalion commanders.

Ozaeta clarified that the dinner was a gesture of gratitude and goodwill to officers of the 601st Brigade, which joined the PNP in previous successful operations in Central Mindanao.

He said the party was originally scheduled late last year, but was moved to 6 p.m. of Jan. 24 on suggestions of military counterparts to ensure availability of the guests.

Ozaeta maintained it was mere coincidence that the dinner was held hours before the SAF commandos launched Exodus. – With Marvin Sy, Jess Diaz, Cecille Suerte Felipe