THE Kabataan party-list group on Wednesday vowed to file charges against President Benigno Aquino III “the minute he steps down from office” on June 30 to hold him accountable for the bloody Mamasapano massacre of 2015.
Kabataan party-list Terry Ridon made the statement a day after the Ombudsman announced there is probable cause to charge former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima and PNP Special Action Forces commander Getulio Napeñas of usurpation of authority or official functions and violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
But the complaints against the other PNP officials—Fernando Mendez Jr., Noli Taliño, Richard Dela Rosa, Edgar Monsalve, Abraham Abayari, Raymund Agustin Train, Michael John Mangahis, Rey Ariño and Recaredo Marasigan—were dismissed.
“We welcome the Ombudsman’s announcement, and believe that it is a step towards achieving justice for all victims of the Mamasapano debacle. However, this move is also a step too short. The president, as mastermind and overall head of the whole affair, must also be charged,” Ridon, member of the Makabayan Bloc, said.
“If the Ombudsman won’t charge Aquino, the youth will take the challenge and ensure that criminal charges are ready the minute Aquino steps down from office this June,” he added.
Kabataan party-list first nominee, Sarah Elago, shared Ridon’s position that the President cannot escape accountability over the botched operation that resulted in the death of 44 police commandos.
“The president has relied on his subordinates to answer questions concerning his actual role in the whole operation and shield him from accountability. However, he must not evade prosecution. The extent of his role in the botched operation should once and for all be investigated, and actual charges be filed against him,” Elago said.
“Aquino and his cohorts should be held accountable for the deaths in Mamasapano. The youth is ready to hold the president accountable in all possible means, whether in court, in Congress, or the parliament of the streets. Mr. President, magsimula na po kayong magbilang ng araw dahil handa po kaming kasuhan kayo,” Elago stressed.
The Ombudsman said Purisima was charged for usurping official functions and for violating the chain of command when he actively participated in the mission planning and execution of the so-called Oplan Exodus although he had already been suspended by the Ombudsman.
Napeñas, on the other hand, was also held accountable for the botched operation for taking orders from a suspended PNP chief without any consent from and knowledge of then PNP Officer-in-Charge Leonardo Espina.