Having severed his political alliance with President Benigno Aquino III, outgoing Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello criticized the president anew by likening his governance style to that of leading a fraternity wherein loyalty is what matters.
Following his aborted attempt to deliver a privilege speech on his resignation as a House member Wednesday, Bello told reporters he agreed with Senator Sergio Osmeña III’s statement earlier this month that Aquino was a “super hard-headed person.”
“He’s (Aquino) a very stubborn President. I think that’s one of his flaws. Another flaw is he’s very loyal to his subordinates, who are either corrupt or incompetent. Parang fraternity ang takbo ng Cabinet. Instead of competence as the primary consideration in rational discussions, it’s loyalty that counts,” he said.
While admitting he had mulled on resigning since last year over differences in opinion with the administration on various issues, Bello said Aquino’s decision to hold sacked Special Action Force (SAF) Director Getulio Napeñas for all the errors in the the botched Mamasapano operation was the “last straw” that prompted him to resign as a party-list representative.
“I think [Aquino’s statement] was an act not expected of a President because he was supposed to be part of the planning and execution of the Mamasapano operation. By the practice of command responsibility, he should have taken responsibility for it from the start but we now see that instead of doing that, he’s trying foist responsibility on a ground commander,” he said.
Alleged US involvement in Mamasapano ops
Bello, however, clarified his decision to step down was entirely his own.
“Most of the people in the [Akbayan] leadership actually didn’t want me to resign but I felt that rather than prolonging a process of contradiction with the party, it is incumbent upon me to resign. Will [Akbayan] convince me not to resign? I think we’re past that point kasi irrevocable na ang aking resignation,” he said.
Aquino on Tuesday enumerated the errors allegedly committed by Napeñas during the Mamasapano operation which resulted to the high number of casualties on the side of the PNP. The President said he was “fooled” by Napeñas by giving him wrong information about the operation.
But for Bello, it is clear from all the facts that had surfaced that Aquino was “heavily involved” and planning and execution of the Mamasapano police operation. He hinted that the President’s refusal to admit his responsibility over the incident might be caused by his reluctance to put the spotlight on the United States’ possible involvement in the mission.
“My big question is if the President’s unwillingness to accept responsibility for this effort was because he’s aware there’s a bigger foreign policy issue involved because of the possible involvement of a foreign power?” he asked.
Listen to critics
A Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) published last month had quoted a SAF source as saying that “Oplan Exodus” was a brainchild of the US government to nab terrorists Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan and Abdul Basit Usman.
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had put a $6 million bounty for Marwan’s capture while a $1 million reward was put out for Usman. The former is believed to have been killed in the Mamasapano police operation.
While Bello is critical of Aquino’s handling of the Mamasapano debacle, Bello clarified he is not keen on joining calls for the President’s resignation or impeachment. However, he said he is hopeful his former ally will listen to his critics just for once and change his leadership style.
“The President should immediately admit responsibility for what happened in Mamasapano. It might be late, but it’s better that he does it late[r] than never because otherwise otherwise, hindi masasarado ‘yung issue,” he said. — ELR, GMA News
