DAVAO CITY, Philippines — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday that the Mamasapano skirmish which claimed the lives of 44 police commandos back in January 2015 was a Central Intelligence Agency operation of the United States.
“Bakit ninyo tinago na it was an operation of the CIA?” Duterte said in a speech before the families of the slain SAF troopers in Malacañang.
“Let it brought out in the open. It was an American adventure with the cooperation of some with your blessing,” Duterte added.
Meanwhile, Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate filed House Resolution 491 to further investigate the “unresolved issues” of the Mamasapano encounter.
Zarate’s resolution directs the House Committees on National Defense and Security, Public Order and Safety, And Peace, Reconciliation and Unity “to further investigate significant issues— unanswered and unresolved—of the botched Jan. 25, 2015 encounter at Mamasapano dubbed as “Oplan Exodus.”
It also seeks to know the extent of involvement and participation by the United States’ security forces operations in the said operation, he added.
“The indictment of former PNP Director General Alan Purisima and SAF Commander Getulio Napenas is not enough as those who were ultimately responsible for the botched mission remain at large. The United States, in particular, remain unrepentant — not only to what happened in Mamasapano, but to the many historical wrongs and crimes it inflicted to the Filipino society because of its interference in the country’s internal affairs,” Zarate said in the resolution.
Zarate said the intent of House resolution is also to address what he termed as “significant issues” that were left unresolved on the Mamasapano probe.
“What is the knowledge and extent of participation by former President Benigno Aquino III and the extent of intervention by the United States,” he asked.
He added that “(W)hile results of the investigation have uniformly established the full knowledge and approval of the operation by Pres. Aquino, and the supposed ‘limited involvement’ of the US, yet, these details were no longer pursued nor were further details threshed out — a sheer injustice and disservice not only to the kin of the victims, including the SAF members, but, more importantly to the Filipino people demanding justice.” (davaotoday.com)
