MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang on Monday responded to the head of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) who urged President Aquino to explain his role in the Mamasapano incident.
In a statement sent to Palace reporters, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said Aquino already accepted responsibility for the deaths of the 44 members of the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP-SAF).
"Sa kanyang talumpati noong Pebrero 6, ipinahayag na ng Pangulo na bilang Ama ng Bayan at Commander-in-Chief, pasan niya ang responsibilidad para sa lahat ng nangyari na misyong ikinasawi ng SAF 44. Mahalaga sa pagtamo ng katarungan para sa kanila ang pagbatid sa buong katotohanan," Coloma said.
He added that the ongoing investigations by the PNP Board of Inquiry, the House of Representatives and the Senate are important processes in the search for the truth behind the Mamasapano tragedy.
CBCP President and Lingayen Archbishop Socrates Villegas on Sunday said that Aquino and his advisers must give "a full and satisfactory accounting of their actions in respect to this tragic loss."
Villegas said the slain SAF troopers did not go after Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, if there was no order from the higher ranks.
"Policemen do not order themselves, not even members of the Special Action Force. Indeed, that is what corroborated statements now clearly establish: The decision was made on the highest levels to go after these 'high value targets,'" Villegas said in a statement.
In his first televised address following the Mamasapano incident, Aquino admitted prior knowledge of the operation but denied giving the go-signal for it.
Aquino also criticized the SAF commander for his failure to coordinate properly with the military and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, whose combatants engaged the SAF troopers in a firefight.
The Philippine Star
