Senator Grace Poe on Tuesday presents a copy of the Philippine National Police Board of Inquiry (BOI) report and discusses the findings of the Senate committee on public order that she heads. Poe affirmed most of the BOI’s findings and stressed President Aquino’s responsibility on the incident. (MNS photo)
MANILA (Mabuhay) – While he has yet to read the entire draft of the Senate joint committee report on the deadly Mamasapano clash, sacked PNP Special Action Force commander Director Getulio Napeñas’ lawyer said that based on the executive summary, the Senate report is more complete compared to the PNP Board of Inquiry report.
“Nabasa ko lang yung executive summary. Hopefully, it is more objective. But we respect the report of Sen. [Grace] Poe, especially pag ito ay aaprubahan ng plenary. Kung ano pa man, tingin namin ang level diyan mas objective, the responsibility was clarified dun, up to the responsibility of Napeñas,” Atty. Vitaliano Aguirre told reporters in a chance interview with reporters at the Office of the Ombudsman.
Aguirre’s client Napeñas arrived at the Ombudsman early Wednesday morning to attend a clarificatory hearing. The Office of the Ombudsman is conducting its own investigation into the deadly Mamasapano clash which left over 60 people dead.
Aguirre said his client remains willing to fully cooperate with the Ombudsman’s fact finding investigation.
“Si General Napeñas naman, unang una pa lang, wala naman siyang tinatago. Two days after, he submitted himself to interview, sinurrender niya nga ang cellphone niya,” he said.
Aguirre also said they are ready to provide all necessary supporting documents and evidence that the Ombudsman will require.
“Basta may basis ang hihingin nila sa amin, we are prepared to give it,” he said.
But amid reports saying that Napeñas will submit a video of terrorists Zulkifli Bin Hir alias Marwan and Basit Usman to the Ombudsman to prove that Operation Plan Exodus was not a suicide mission, Aguirre said they did not bring the said video.
Napeñas’ lawyer also clarified that he owns the said video and not Napeñas.
“Wala pa, di pa naman pinapasubmit sa amin eh, basta ang alam lang namin clarificatory hearing. I [don’t know] kung hihingin yung video. Pero akin yun, property ko yun,” he said.
Aguirre earlier released the video taken by a civilian informant, which shows Marwan, Usman, and a third terrorist, Amin Baco, meeting in Marwan’s hut in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. He released the video to dispute the BOI report saying the Mamasapano operation was poorly planned.
The Philippine National Police BOI had earlier concluded that the SAF operation to arrest the terrorists was “defective from the very beginning,” which resulted to the deaths of the 44 police officers. (MNS)