‘Operational security justifies Aquino’s actions in SAF ops’

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Antonio Trillanes IV acknowledged on Monday, March 16, that it would have been ideal if President Benigno Aquino III involved Philippine National Police (PNP) Officer in Charge Leonardo Espina in meetings before the Special Action Force (SAF) launched its operation on January 25.

However, he justified the decision to keep Espina out of the loop as Aquino’s “prerogative” as commander-in-chief. “Operational security,” he added, was a valid justification.

The January 25 anti-terror operation in Mamasapano, Maguindano, saw 67 persons dead. Attacked by armed Moro groups while exiting the area, the SAF lost 44 commandos, while 18 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters and 5 civilians also died.

The PNP Board of Inquiry (BOI) report – particularly on the President’s lapses as commander-in-chief when he broke the chain of command and kept Espina out of the loop – got mixed reactions from senators.

In separate interviews on Monday, Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr praised the report as “credible,” while Trillanes called it “absurd.”

So while Marcos echoed demands for Aquino to explain his actions, Trillanes said: “In hindsight, ‘yun dapat ang ginawa. Pero prerogative ng Presidente eh. Leadership style niya eh. ‘Yan ‘yung hinalal ng bayan noong 2010. Warts and all, we’ll have to live with that until next year.”

(In hindsight, that is what he should have done. But that is the prerogative of the President. That’s his leadership style. That’s who the country elected in 2010.) 

“Lalo na kapag (Especiallly in) covert operations. If a President would go directly to, let’s say, visit a commander without the chief of staff beside him, and he would instruct a division commander you do this or you do that. The division commander will follow and he will just inform his superiors about the orders given to him directly by the commander,” said Trillanes. 

‘Napeñas should man up’

But Trillanes, an administration ally, is putting the blame on then SAF commander Director Getulio Napeñas, who he said should man up and admit his lapses. The BOI report called the SAF operation “defective from the beginning” and was “poorly implemented.” 

“At this point in time, kailangan magpakalalake na lang si General Napeñas at tanggapin niya na nagkamali siya. Humihingi siya patawad sa mga kamag-anak ng mga namatay na tropa niya. Mali ang kaniyang plano. Mali ang kaniyang judgment calls noong panahon ng bakbakan kaya namatayan,” said Trillanes.

(At this point in time, General Napeñas should just man up and accept that he made mistakes. He should ask the relatives of the slain SAF commandos for forgiveness. His plan was wrong. His judgment calls when the firefight erupted were wrong and that is why they suffered losses.)

He said it was the responsbility of Napeñas, not Aquino, to inform Espina. “It’s incumbent upon the subordinate to inform his superiors,” Trillanes added.

The BOI report zeroed in on the lapses of then suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima and Napeñas for their failure to coordinate with the military, which had the assets that could have assisted the SAF commandos. They also failed to tap ceasefire mechanisms that could have avoided clashes with the MILF.

Marcos: President Aquino should clarify role

Marcos said the President should clarify his role because the collapse of the chain of command was the reason the SAF operation was bungled.

“Gumawa si Pangulong Aquino ng sariling chain of command, at ang chain of command na ginawa niya ay Pangulo hanggang kay General Purisima na suspindido, at kay General Napeñas. Silang 3 lang ang nagpaplano,” said Marcos.

(President Aquino created his own chain of command, and that chain of command included only the President, General Purisima how was suspended, and General Napeñas. Only the 3 of them were planning.)

He said Purisima was clearly calling the shots, a claim that Malacañang has repeatedly denied.

“For all their protestations, what happened was it was Alan Purisima leading it from the PNP side. The things which he said were only pieces of advice were considered as orders by General Napeñas because he knew Purisima was close to the President. They were in private meetings. The reason General Napenas acknowledged General Purisima’s authority was because he saw that the President trusted him,” Marcos said in a mix of English and Filipino.

While there is no way to compel the President to explain, Marcos said the public is waiting for the Chief Executive to do it.

“I think his role in the entire Oplan Exodus planning and execution is clear. But what is the reasoning behind? I always believe in giving the President the benefit of the doubt. Maybe the President knows something the rest of us do not know that would have encouraged him to handle this the way he did,” Marcos added.

Senate report out soon

The BOI report was released ahead of the Senate report on the Mamasapano incident. Trillanes said he will oppose the Senate report if it will hold the President liable for the SAF operation. 

Senator Grace Poe, chairman of the Senate committee on peace and order, is holding a presser on Tuesday, March 16. It is not clear if it will coincide with the release of the Senate report.

The BOI report also said Aquino broke the chain of command when he dealt directly with Napeñas instead of Espina.

The President also ignored the suspension of his close friend Purisima and allowed him to continue his participation in the operation against international terrorist Malaysian Zulkifli bin hir, better known as “Marwan,” and Filipino bombmaker Basit Usman. 

The BOI report also recognized the prerogative of the President to bypass the chain of command. But former senator and police chief Panfilo Lacson explained that this is only  happens in operations that are urgent. The SAF operation, on the other hand, is a continuing operation that the SAF had obsessed itself with for years. – Rappler.com