Police Director Benjamin Magalong, Senator Grace Poe and their colleagues who stand by their respective reports on the Mamasapano tragedy deserve our commendation.
In this government where people’s feelings are easily hurt and leaders take professional criticism as a personal affront, it takes gumption to tell no less than the President of the country that he bears responsibility for the police operation that killed a Malaysian terrorist but also claimed the lives of 44 policemen from the Special Action Force. Specifically, the reports said Mr. Aquino broke the chain of command of the PNP by dealing directly with former SAF commander Getulio Napenas and by allowing his friend Alan Purisima to participate in the operation despite his suspension by the Office of the Ombudsman on charges of graft and corruption.
Eighteen fighters from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and five civilians were also killed during the Jan. 25 encounter.
Magalong and Poe are not known critics of President Aquino. In fact, Magalong is one of those in the running to be named chief of the Philippine National Police. Poe, for her part, ran under the banner of the Liberal Party – chaired by Mr. Aquino himself – in the 2013 senatorial elections where she emerged first, surprising many. In some way, their career fortunes would be influenced on whether or not they keep the President happy.
Mr. Aquino was certainly not happy with the reports. Earlier this week, Magalong was summoned to the Palace presumably to discuss with the President the contents of the Board of Inquiry’s Mamasapano Report. While Magalong said the meeting was professional, he also described the President as “visibly hurt.”
Poor Mr. Aquino. This he gets, after vigorously defending himself, saying he was not to blame for the policemen’s deaths, on numerous occasions. On one such occasion, attended by religious leaders Mr. Aquino handpicked to pray over him, the President pinned the blame solely on Napenas who, he said made a fool out of him. Curiously, Mr. Aquino was silent about what his friend and loyal ally Purisima was doing getting involved in a crucial police operation.
Presidential apologists cannot be faulted for trying hard to kiss away Mr. Aquino’s hurt feelings and defend the indefensible. It’s their job. Spokesman Edwin Lacierda says there was nothing wrong with the President’s turning off his phone while he slept. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima insists that the principle of chain of command does not apply to the PNP because the organization is civilian in nature. While deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte acknowledges that the President may be held responsible, she is adamant that he did not violate any laws and hence, there is nothing to apologize for.
Astoundingly, too, Secretary of the Interior Manuel Roxas is taking the blame for the President’s not being interviewed by the PNP Board of Inquiry for its report. The pitiful excuse is that Magalong coursed his invitation to interview the President through Roxas – but the latter was so swamped with work that he forgot.
Can we ever really forgive these Palace officials for trying to turn us into fools? If the President really wanted to cooperate with the BOI as it was piecing together its report, he could have called them and told them whatever he wanted to say. He did not have to wait for an official invitation coursed through any of his legmen. If Mr. Aquino had spoken to the investigating body, then he would have had no excuse to get “hurt” by the BOI’s findings.
Our President is a grown man. When he applied for – and got the part of – of chief executive, he should have been ready for anything, including humbling himself at appropriate times, facing his critics, and apologizing for mistakes while vowing to do better.
Then again, we remember that even his candidacy in 2010 was not a mature, deliberate decision. Small wonder then that his group of caregivers are doing everything to coddle this boy of a president and make sure no harm comes to him.