04/03/2015
PROBE 101: THE TRUTH BEHIND THE CLASH
By: Melvin Banatao
Photo Source: Screenshot from the "Anatomy Of The Mamasapano Clash", ABS-CBN News
It’s been almost a month since the Mamasapano Clash took the lives of the 44 Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) in which the M**F claimed this incident as a misencounter when in fact everybody described it as a massacre.
There is no particular explanation day after the incident why and how this fatal killing of elite forces took place when their mission is just to serve arrest warrants against Jemaah Islamiyah leader Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and Filipino bomb-maker and Abu Sayyaf member Basit Usman whose hiding in a controlled territory of M**F in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
Sacked PNP-SAF chief Getulio Napeñas then, took all the blame in the first place as he was considered as the fall guy who made the judgment call for the operation last January 25, 2015. Based on a senate hearing after the Incident, it was his personal decision to push through with the operation.
PLANNING
Early as May 2014, the Philippine National Police (PNP) intelligence group generated the exact location of Marwan and Usman which means that there were already several attempts in the past to arrest the two terrorist. Since Gen. Alan Purisima got suspended as the PNP chief last December 2014, he delegated the planning, direction and ex*****on of the Oplan Exodus (Mamasapano Operation) to the sacked PNP-SAF Director Getulio Napeñas. Purisima even added based on his statement on the senate inquiry that he acknowledged meeting President Aquino about the operation on Jan. 9, 2015 despite his suspension.
According to Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., the president told him last November 18, 2014 that PNP-SAF will be having an operation and a detailed coordination with them is important. Aquino even reminded him again about that during the AFP day on December 2014 which he then told to Lt. Gen. Rustico Guerrero, chief of AFP Western Mindanao Command.
OPERATION
In a television interview, Catapang said that there was a supposed planning among the officials on January 23 but Napeñas did not provide any details about the operation during a meeting with Gen. Guerrero until all of a sudden the Mamasapano operation has been launched on January 25 without them being informed.
According to ABS-CBN News, the PNP-SAF arrived at the Mamasapano at 10 o’clock in the evening of January 24, Saturday. Early morning of January 25, they snuck at Pinsandawan and finally at 4:30 A.M the team reaches its target and shot Marwan. On their way out, M**F blocked and engaged them in a battle.
Napeñas claimed that there’s no reinforcement happened from the AFP although he asked for support earlier before the operation was launched until the report came that the number of casualties mounted. Out of 78 elite commandos who entered the combat zone, 44 of them never came out alive.
LACK OF COORDINATION
In a video footage shown by TV Patrol last February 27 about the first interview of Napeñas a day after the Mamasapano incident, the sacked PNP SAF director was being asked who did he inform with during the operation as all he answered was Purisima and there’s no higher ranking official other than him. It clearly proves that Purisima despite his suspension still took part on the said operation. However, on a senate hearing after the Mamasapano Clash , the suspended PNP Chief explained that what he gave was just advice and not order to Napeñas.
On the other hand, in a television interview, Catapang explained that it was not true that the AFP did not reinforce for the operation. He said that the PNP only coordinated with them at around 5 A.M just when the fight against M**F is happening already. The military (AFP) could have engaged a coordinating mechanism with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (M**F) about the arrest warrant for the two terrorist. If the M**F had been informed before the operation was launched, then, it will be clear for them the reason of operation. According to a report in GMA news, in the Jan. 25 incident, Catapang said the SAF troopers were in the area to implement law enforcement operations but it turned out they figured in an encounter with the M**F because AFP did not coordinated with them and so if the AFP still reinforce and went inside, it would have made matter worse and an all out war would probably be declared. Lack of coordination is one of the key problems on the side of PNP that resulted mishaps on the operation thus, took the lives of 44 SAF commandos.
TEXT MESSAGES
As the Commander-in-Chief, the President is considered liable for the Death of 44 Police officers from the Special Action Force (SAF), but based on the text messages of General Alan Purisima who had been updating the President as early as 5:45 A.M of the on-going police operation on January 25, it seems like Aquino was fed by wrong information.
At 8:17 am on January 25, Purisima sent the President a message that the SAF troopers were already “supported’” by military troops, tanks, and artillery. This text message from Purisima made Aquino not to give further action to the said operation as he believes that PNP already have artillery support.
“If I base it on the text of General Purisima, there was artillery and mechanized support,” Escudero said on the text message of Purisima to Aquino on a senate probe.
But based on what really happened, it was only at 8:20 am when the 1st Mechanized Brigade, which has the tanks, and the troops of the 45th Infantry Battalion, were starting to leave their camp in nearby Shariff Aguak. That was the time when SAF commandos and Moro rebels had been in a firefight for more than 3 hours.
This shows that Purisima misinterpreted his text exchange with Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom) chief Lieutenant General Rustico Guerrero who clarified in an interview that he was just telling at that time to Purisima that the assets of the military on the ground were already “made available” but that further actions would be the call of the tactical commander on the ground, 6th Infantry Division commander Major General Edmundo Pangilian, who was also coordinating with Director Getulio Napeñas, the SAF commander who was later relieved of his post.
At 6:20 pm, Purisima sent a message again reporting to the president heavy casualties where 44 SAF Commandos were killed.
COVER UP
As the congressional hearings with regards to Mamasapano Clash unfolds what really happened, many criticized why would the senate terminate the investigation when clear timelines and roles were being established calling it as white wash investigation due to their alleged cover up of the President’s liability to the issue. Are they, perhaps, hiding something?
Based on the text messages between Purisima and Aquino, the President already knew what was happening in Mamasapano even before they arrived in Zamboanga City at around 10 am on January 25.
According to GMA News, in his Jan. 30 speech, Aquino said that he already knew about the operation on the morning of Jan. 25. But the Palace said they do not know who was updating the president on the clash. On the other hand, When Purisima was asked if he was the one who informed the president, he did not respond right away. He said, instead, that he needs to seek clearance from Aquino before responding.
It obviously shows that they are hiding something, That Purisima might be the one who first informed the President and the text messages revealed publicly is another script telling how Purisima fed the President wrong information. If that so, why would Aquino in the first place allowed the Suspended PNP Chief to get involved in the operation?
A post by former First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo in his Facebook account stated that, “This is a new script in the cover up. Purisima lied to Pnoy and Pnoy lied to the people. Congress, Senate, military and police are all involved in one big cover up to exculpate the president. Shame on all of them.”
According to a report from Daily Tribune, Napeñas was their obvious fall guy, in the latest revised script, Purisima, to whom Noynoy had professed his undying love in his second national address, is willing to take the fall for his benefactor, admitting he fed the wrong information to the President.
With all of these cover up, Aquino will surely not be liable with the operation despite of his knowledge about the ongoing operation while he was in Zamboanga.
