Groups affiliated with Bagong Alyansang Makabayan marched to the gates of the House of Representatives as congressmen resumed hearing on the Mamasapano operation today.
Progressive solons belonging to the Makabayan bloc submitted 20 questions for President Benigno Simeon Aquino to answer. Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda was quick to respond, saying in a televised report said that the partylist solons’ questions need Congressional approval.
The Makabayan bloc is comprised of lawmakers belonging to Bayan Muna, Gabriela Women’s Party, Anakpawis, Alliance of Concerned Teachers and Kabataan Partylist.
The Mamasapano investigations of the Senate and the Philippine National Police (PNP) Board of Inquiry (BOI) failed to get the Chief Executive’s account on the incident. The role of the President in the operation remains obscured.
The Makabayan bloc questioned why President Aquino allowed suspended PNP Chief Alan Purisima to participate in Oplan Exodus. Suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima was said to be involved in the planning and execution of the police operation and was even the one giving Aquino reports on the operation.
However, both reports of the BOI and the Senate released last month tagged Aquino accountable in the botched operations. The BOI report stated that President Aquino violated the chain of command of the PNP. The Senate report, on the other hand, stated that President Aquino is ‘ultimately responsible’ for the Mamasapano incident.
On January 25, 69 people were killed in the PNP Special Action Force operation dubbed ‘Operation Exodus’, aimed to capture Malaysian Zuklifi Abdhir, alias ‘Marwan’ and Filipino counterpart Basit Usman. Both are labeled terrorists by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
We want him to answer in written form, but it is apparent that the majority bloc in Congress wouldn’t permit the President to be questioned,” said Renato Reyes Jr., BAYAN Secretary General
”We want to the President himself to answer directly to the questions because we have been hearing different versions of his account in his past speeches. We want him to answer in written form, but it is apparent that the majority bloc in Congress wouldn’t permit the President to be questioned,” said Renato Reyes Jr., BAYAN Secretary General.
Also among the list of questions raised by the progressive solons is the US government’s involvement in Oplan Exodus.
Despite public clamor, the HOR probe on the Mamasapano operation was suspended on February 17, pending separate investigations led by the Board of Inquiry (BOI) and the Senate to “avoid premature conclusions”.
President Benigno Simeon Aquino gave his 4th speech on the Mamasapano operation during the graduation ceremonies of the Philippine National Police Academy on March 26. He said that it would be the last time he would speak about it.
