MANILA, Philippines – President Duterte wants the investigation on the bloody Mamasapano encounter to be quick as police have long completed their probe on the incident, Malacañang said yesterday.
Presidential communications assistant secretary Ana Maria Banaag noted that the clash was the subject of a Senate inquiry and a police investigation, the results of which have been submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman.
“The President would like to have a fast investigation, resolution or recommendation,” Banaag said in an interview with radio station dzRB.
“If you remember, the report of the PNP (Philippine National Police) less than two years ago has been completed. In fact, it has been submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman,” she added.
Asked whether there is a timetable prescribed for the commission that will look into the Mamasapano clash, Banaag said “hopefully, within a few weeks.”
“More or less, the reports have been completed. However, the commission would be polishing if they need evidence or data to complete the recommendation and to provide the President a clear picture of the Mamasapano incident,” she added.
Forty-four members of the Special Action Force (SAF) of the PNP were killed in an encounter with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) and private armed groups in Mamasapano, Maguindanao on Jan. 25, 2015. - With Edu Punay