MANILA, Philippines - The chain of command in the Philippine National Police was broken by President Aquino himself when he allowed then suspended PNP chief Director General Alan Purisima to take part in Operation Plan Exodus.
This was among the key conclusions of the PNP Board of Inquiry (BOI), which investigated the police operation to get high-value terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25.
In its report, the BOI said Purisima provided inaccurate information to the President while then Special Action Force (SAF) commander Director Getulio Napeñas committed lapses in implementing Exodus and erred in taking orders from a suspended superior.
The report said President Aquino violated the PNP chain of command when he “exercised his prerogative” by directly dealing with Napeñas instead of with PNP officer-in-charge Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina before and during the SAF operations.
Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel Roxas II only learned of the operations when SAF commandos had begun sustaining casualties in clashes with guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.
“While the President has the prerogative to deal directly with any of his subordinates, the act of dealing with Napeñas instead of OIC-PNP Espina, bypassed the established PNP Chain of Command,” the PNP-BOI report read.
Forty-four SAF commandos were doomed when the military failed to provide timely reinforcement. The raiders’ Motorola hand-held radios got wet and bogged down, making communication difficult, and several of their ordnance for M203 grenade launchers were duds.
The BOI blamed a defective operation plan, the breakdown of communication on the ground, difficult terrain and the culture of “Pintakasi” among the armed groups in Mamasapano for the tragic outcome of the SAF operations. Pintakasi refers to armed villagers’ ganging up on intruders, particularly security forces.
The BOI report discussed in detail the circumstances leading to the execution of Oplan Exodus, particularly the meeting of President Aquino with Purisima and Napeñas at Bahay Pangarap at Malacañang last Jan. 9 for a “mission update.”
The mission objective was to arrest Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, and his Filipino cohort Basit Usman. Marwan was killed in the operation while Usman escaped.
Under the Manual for PNP Fundamental Doctrine, a commander is required to discharge his responsibilities following the chain of command, the BOI stated.
“The President gave the go-signal and allowed the execution of Oplan Exodus after the concept of operations was presented to him by Director Getulio Napeñas,” the BOI report read.
“The President allowed the participation of the suspended Chief Philippine National Police (CPNP) police Director General Alan Purisima in the planning and execution of Oplan Exodus despite the suspension order of the ombudsman,” the report added.
Philstar
