IT'S time the President came clean.
Why is Philippine National Police Special Action Force (PNP SAF) chief General Getulio Napeñas taking all the blame for the Mamasapano massacre? It is ridiculous to imagine he was not answerable to anyone.
Suspended PNP Director General Alan Purisima has repeatedly declared he gave “advice” not “orders” to Napeñas yet Purisima has resigned in the face of rumors that he actually directed the Mamasapano operation in clear contravention of the terms of his preventive suspension.
When the generals and Cabinet secretaries were asked who among them broke the news of the carnage to the President, the question was met with deafening silence. When Purisima was asked if he had been reporting the operational developments to the President, the general requested he be allowed to first seek clearance with the President to answer the question. Purisima’s answer certainly speaks volumes.
While one senses the sincerity of the government officials being grilled before the nation, one realizes they are not at liberty to speak the truth.
Did Purisima’s involvement have the blessing of the President? What wrong calls did the President make in his desire to save the Bangsamoro Basic Law? What was the extent of the US involvement?
It is no secret that the President owes Purisima a great debt of gratitude. The President himself unabashedly shared this to the entire nation. If the President trusts Purisima with his life, he must also trust Purisima to protect him from public censure.
Why do you think Purisima would rather have the entire nation mock his semantics than tell all and keep his dignity and honor, intact? Is Purisima protecting the President who, against popular opinion, also courageously stood by him when he was accused of corruption?
The President did not put bullets into anyone. And on a tactical level, he is definitely not accountable. On a strategic level, however, the President exercised his prerogative to break the chain of command, keeping Interior Secretary Mar Roxas and PNP acting chief Leonardo Espina in the dark while putting suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima at the helm. In this respect, the president erred.
Breaking the chain of command may not be illegal but it is certainly improper and unethical not to mention disrespectful and demoralizing to the bypassed officials. What example does the President set to the rest of the troops?
The President is not directly responsible for the deaths of the 44 but as commander-in-chief, the buck stops with him.
He cannot leave all these generals and Cabinet secretaries with egg on their faces before the nation. This is tantamount to abandoning his troops. The President should face the nation and speak the truth. In their efforts to protect the President, the men tasked to explain the deaths of the 44 have earned the ire of the nation. It’s time the president stopped taking cover. He should step up and defend the honor and dignity of the men who died as well as the men who lived now on trial for his sins.
It’s time the president acted like a true Commander-in-Chief.
(e-mail: sunstarcebucolumnist@yahoo.com, twitter: http://twitter.com/melanietlim)