President Benigno Aquino III, in his speech last March 9 in Malacañang after a prayer gathering attended by members of the Cabinet and religious leaders, zeroed in on former Special Action Force chief Getulio Napeñas, assigning to him sole responsibility for the fiasco in the Mamasapano operation where 44 SAF commandos were killed.
This latest pronouncement of the President on the Mamasapano incident and Napeñas seemed to absolve former Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima of any culpability—as if forgetting that the officer had long admitted his responsibility when he offered to resign from his position. By doing so, it is very obvious that by pinning the blame on Napeñas and not on Purisima, P-Noy intends to extricate himself from any direct involvement and responsibility.
Why can’t the President be honest enough and admit command responsibility for what happened in Mamasapano? Few will believe that Napeñas had the guts to act on his own without the go-signal from above.
Mr. President, it will be easier for your “bosses” to accept your weaknesses and mistakes than see through your continued obstinacy and falsehood.
—THERESA PILI-NISPEROS, Tondo, Manila