SPEAKER Feliciano Belmonte Jr. finally agreed to re-open the House of Representatives’ probe into the Mamasapano incident as police officials privy to the investigation huddled in Camp Crame Wednesday evening amid fears that they may not release it today as scheduled.
The possible delay emerged as Camp Crame sources said some members of the Philippine National Police board of inquiry raised unspecified concerns while it was being routed for concurrence so the officials had to hold an unannounced closed-door meeting at press time.
A delay in the release of the BOI report may also affect the House probe because Belmonte said he was expecting to receive the BOI report today as scheduled.
“I asked them to give me a copy and they told me (it would be ready by) Thursday,” Belmonte told reporters after he announced that he would be willing to allow a re-opening of the House probe when Congress resumes its sessions in May after going on recess on March 20.
Belmonte also reminded police officials that he wanted an unexpurgated copy of the BOI report itself.
“Because what would it mean if that will still have to go to Malacanang? That it will be sanitized? Of course, I want the real probe results,” the Speaker added.
Belmonte had earlier said that it was not necessary to re-open the House hearings because of the ongoing BOI probe although he acknowledged that congressmen may still have questions about the report.
“At most, we want clarificatory questions that were not raised,” Belmonte said. “But it would be foolish to ask the same questions. [If that’s the case,} we would only be looking for publicity.”
The submission of the BOI report was delayed thrice but BOI chairman, Director Benjamin Magalong, clarified that it was only because of the voluminous documents the board had to go through.
Meanwhile, PNP acting chief Deputy Director General Leonardo Espinosa denied that he had prohibited former Special Action Force director Getulio Napenas from speaking to the media about the case.
“First of all, I would never do that. It’s up to your discernment whether you say something or not. You can ask General Napenas himself,” Espina told reporters.
Espina clarified that the BOI is only a fact-finding body and has no power to prosecute whoever is found to be criminally liable for the incident, if at all.
“The facts that are going to be discovered will be given to the proper agency which will prosecute, that will make the necessary decision, whether administrative or criminal,” Espina said.
But Espina, who claimed he personally favored making the report public, said it was beyon his power to decide whether the BOI report will be made public since it will have to be submitted to Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.