MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino did not violate any law when he discussed Oplan Exodus with suspended Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Alan Purisima in Bahay Pangarap, his official residence, on Nov. 30, 2014 and Jan. 9, Malacañang said yesterday.
“No law prohibits the President from exercising his discretion to get the views of a suspended official on a particular matter if this would raise the confidence level of the President’s executive decision-making, so long as the act does not involve the performance of official functions pertaining to the post from which the official concerned was suspended,” Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said, quoting Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.
On the involvement of Purisima in Oplan Exodus, Coloma said the President had explained in his Jan. 28 open forum that he was talking directly to relieved PNP Special Action Force (SAF) commander Director Getulio Napeñas and that Purisima helped him understand the jargon of the operation.
Aquino said Purisima was reporting to him the developments of the operation since May last year but his involvement was only up to December when he was ordered suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman.
“Then after that, if at all, he was the one very knowledgeable about the whole thing; he was explaining to me the intricacies of what the plan being presented to me was,” Aquino said in his Jan. 28 press briefing on the Mamasapano incident.
Aquino added that the reason for the exclusion of Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II and acting PNP chief Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina from the operation would be borne out in the PNP’s Board of Inquiry.
“This is possible only after reading the complete transcript of proceedings,” Coloma said.On the ongoing Senate inquiry, Coloma said it might be inappropriate to give comment at this time. He stressed the testimonies should be understood in their proper context.
“It is also important to await the findings of the PNP Board of Inquiry and other fact-finding bodies which are conducting similar inquiries,” Coloma said.
The Senate is on its second day of its investigation into the killing of the 44 SAF policemen in Maguindanao last Jan. 25.
There are other probes into the incident including that of the PNP’s own Board of Inquiry.
Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano believes Napeñas had executed an “illegal order” when he sent his men to Mamasapano.
The former Marine officer said the “judgment call” of Napeñas to heed the advice of Purisima was wrong.
“He followed the advice of his suspended PNP chief to keep the DILG secretary and his PNP officer-in-charge in the dark on their mission,” he said, referring to Roxas and Espina, respectively.
The Philippine Star
