Numerous ‘whys,’ finger-pointing
THERE’S a saying, “The operation was successful but the patient is dead.” That could well apply to the botched PNP- SAF ( Special Action Force) operation in Mamasapano town of Maguindanao.
I’ve just returned from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land where I served as chaplain to a group of 25 pilgrims organized by the Broadway Travel Agency headed by Ms. Fe Buenviaje.
While abroad, I had been closely following through Internet the updates and inquiries on the massacre of 44 SAF commandos in a 12-hour gunbattle.
The bloodbath has naturally resulted in a black pall of profound grief hovering over the whole country.
*** With the start of investigations, some questions are begging for answers. To mention some: Why was Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, the PNP officer in charge, not informed on the SAF operation and he learned about it “only after the shots had been fired in the morning of Jan. 25”?
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The same is true with Secretary of Interior and Local Government Mar Rojas whose department has jurisdiction over the police force.
*** When asked in the Senate hearing on TV what suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima’s role in the operation was, why did he reply he only gave advice not orders? Why does it contradict Director Getulio Napeñas’ statement that Chief Purisima “actively planned” and “directed” the operation that involved 392 SAF soldiers?
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Why was there no coordination in the assault to ensure the safety of the commandos, including a possible arrangement for a military support?
Incidentally, there was insufficient intelligence work done because the rebels had already known of the assault, laid out traps, and were just waiting for the hapless commandos.
*** Why was there no ceasefire called in the 12-hour gun battle that could have minimized the number of casualties?
And why did the MILF ( Moro Islamic Liberation Front) and BIFF ( Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters) not stop the battle? Were they not aware of the ceasefire agreement to pave the way for the signing of the peace commitments of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL)?
In the first place, why were the MILF-BIFF harboring in their camp the Malaysian terrorist Zulfiki ben Hir alias “Marawan” and his Filipino accomplice, Basit Usman?
*** Why the “overkill” by the rebels who went on a barbaric orgy, riddling the already slain SAF commandos with bullets and divesting them of their arms, uniforms, cell phones, wallets? Some had the impudence of calling the wives, “Your husband is dead.”
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These are difficult times for the country and Commander- in- Chief Benigno Aquino. Let’s pray for Divine Guidance, calm, and sobriety amidst the investigations and finger-pointing so that truth and justice will prevail.
*** ST. JUDE. Today, Thursday, join us in our novena to St. Jude Thaddeus, Saint of the Impossible, at the Divine Word Shrine, Christ the King Seminary, on E. Rodriguez Boulevard, Quezon City, after the 6 p.m. Mass.
A healing pray- over follows and anointing of holy oil follow.