2 senators wary of Mamasapano reinvestigation
MANILA – Two of his colleagues were apprehensive over Sen. Richard Gordon’s plan to push for a reinvestigation of the armed encounter in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in 2015 that killed 44 police commandos.
The usurpation and graft charges former president Benigno Aquino III currently faces stemmed from the incident that also left the terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, also known as Marwan, and several communist rebels and civilians dead.
According to Grace Poe, the Senate blue ribbon committee has the prerogative to reopen the investigation.
“But of course it would be to the interest of the public and the members of the Senate to know the clear objectives of Senator Gordon in putting forward such proposal,” she said.
Antonio Trillanes IV did not mince words as he also criticized the way Gordon, chairman of t he Senate justice committee, handled the inquiry into the alleged extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration.
“Senator Gordon Mas aatupagin pa ni issue
i y ong nakaraang na piniga na ng husto ng dating Kongreso pero iyong mga libo- libong kasalukuyan, pinapatay na Pilipino sa panahon,” Trillanes said.
wala siyang Poe was the chairwoman of the Senate public order and
drugs committee that led the Mamasapano investigation in 2015.
In a report, the panel said Aquino was “ultimately responsible” for the antiterrorism operation dubbed Oplan Exodus.
I t also recommended the filing of charges against former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima and former Special Action Force ( SAF) commander Getulio Napeñas.
“Whatever new and relevant information that can be unearthed from this [new] inquiry, in aid of legislation, will be beneficial not only to the families of the SAF 44 but also to the Filipino people,” Poe said on Monday.
Moreover, Aquino is expected to “invoke his right to silence,” she said.
“Whatever disagreement anyone has with the determination of the Ombudsman, let us give her office the opportunity to review the same through the processes allowed by law and remedies given to the parties in the case,” said Poe./