MANILA, Philippines - Through bloody coup attempts and political storms, they had covered each other’s backs.
So President Aquino admitted yesterday it was with a heavy heart that he had accepted the resignation, effective immediately, of Director General Alan Purisima as chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The President did not name a permanent replacement for Purisima, who would have served at the PNP helm until November. Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, who is PNP officer-in-charge, is retiring in July.
It was not clear why Aquino decided to let go of the police officer he described as someone with whom he had gone through a lot since the presidency of his mother Corazon: “Mula noon hanggang ngayon, marami kaming pinagdaanan.”
But Purisima reportedly ran “by remote control” the Jan. 25 operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, in which 44 PNP Special Action Force (SAF) commandos were killed by combined teams of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and its supposed rogue faction, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF).
The SAF commandos killed their target, top Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, but it came at a steep price, Aquino admitted. The other target, Filipino JI bomb maker Basit Usman, escaped.
“I am the father of this country and 44 of my children were killed. They can no longer be brought back. This tragedy happened during my term and I will carry this to the end of my days,” the President lamented in a nationally televised address to the nation last night, saying he was responsible for the fallen commandos.
He served a “warning and a reminder” to those harboring Usman or who prevent government forces from capturing him: “You are fighting the state and we will run you over.”
Amid accusations that Marwan and Usman were given protection by the MILF and BIFF, the President said that he expected Usman to be surrendered to the government.
“Our work is not yet done; While he considered the MILFOr else his coddlers should help in his arrest, or at least step aside, Aquino said.
“Our work is not finished; Usman is still free,” Aquino said as he reminded the nation of the notoriety of JI and Marwan, who had a $5-million bounty on his head for several terrorist attacks including the 2002 nightclub bombings in Bali, Indonesia that killed 202 people.
Stressing he wanted both peace and justice, Aquino also assured government troops, “You are not alone.”
He thanked the families of the 44 slain SAF men for allowing him to condole with them, adding there are no words that could ease their pain.
The President assured the nation that the pursuit of wide, enduring peace would continue for the next generations, and those who use violence to prevent this would feel the greater, keener force of a united people. Peace, he said, is what the SAF men died for in Mamasapano.
Based on what he knows so far, Aquino pinned the responsibility for the operation on the ground commander, sacked SAF chief Getulio Napeñas.
While Purisima provided the intelligence information, the situation on the ground changed radically as the operation unfolded, and there were at least three instances when it could have been aborted because of the high risk, the President said.
Aquino expressed confidence that the truth would be known through the Board of Inquiry he has created. He urged the nation to wait for the results as he thanked Purisima for his service.
The Philippine Star
