The BOI report on the Mamasapano clash - Most Damaging Truth

Months have passed since that fatal morning where 44 SAF elite commandos risked their lives in a 'tour of duty' in the now infamous Mamasapano incident. Until now, the sorrow still haunts the families of those who has suffered the death of someone they loved. Facts have been uncovered, statements and press releases flooded the news. Still, we are in a limbo to what exactly happened to the failed 'Operation Plan (Oplan) Exodus'. The nation have long prayed for that this sad event will finally have its closure.

We Filipinos also clamored for truth and transparency in government. now that the we finally get a so admirable an account as the Philippine National Police board of inquiry’s Mamasapano Report, we must show that we know what to do with the truth.

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The BOI (board of inquiry) report is now out and ready for download from every media outlet. The crisply written 112 pages are easy to read in one sitting. Here, the minute details of the operation are clearly discussed. The questions bugging every Juan dela Cruz mind can now be answered. The truth is all there. It is up for the reader - to know what to do with the truth.

Here are some damaging truth about the report that readers should ponder on:

1. The executive summary’s first sentence is telling: “Sixty-seven (67) Filipinos died in Mamasapano, Maguindanao as a result of an encounter triggered by Operation Plan (Oplan) Exodus.” Sixty-seven because one must add the civilian and Moro Islamic Liberation Front and other rebel casualties to the 44 PNP Special Action Force casualties.

2. The operation was a poorly planned, poorly coordinated one that resulted in needless deaths. Many flaws are painfully detailed. With the President’s approval, suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima assumed a seeming command role. Purisima misinformed the President and gave him the impression that the SAF was withdrawing under artillery support when one company was in fact being decimated in a cornfield without reinforcement. SAF commander Getulio Napeñas failed to coordinate with the army yet assured his men of artillery support.

3. The report’s most damning line reads: “There was a breakdown of command and control at all levels due to ineffective and unreliable communication among and between the operating units.” Purisima and Napeñas sent text messages instead of urgently calling the President and generals. SAF troops used nonmilitary-grade radios that broke down. Units had to determine each other’s location by firing distinctive gunshots. The report even cites a GPS breakdown, dud grenades and the failure of the 55th Company (which had only one survivor) to spot a defensible row of coconut trees 100 meters behind it."

4. the BOI report concludes that President Benigno Aquino III violated the chain of command when he allowed suspended PNP chief Alan Purisima to have a role in a bungled counterterrorism mission that cost the lives of 44 police commandos on Jan. 25.

5. The unmistakable conclusion is that the SAF 44 were killed as much by overconfident, reckless planning as they were by actual bullets.

A lot of our questions have now been answered. But the next question is: “What do we do with the Mamasapano Report’s difficult truth?

My say: One must accept the truth and handle it wisely.

The DAR GAME: Unmasking the "President's Men"

At face value, the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) seems a legit government project aim at giving the public more room for success. But how is it framed is another story to tell. No wonder DAP didn't escape the critics' eyes. Legal cases were filed questioning its legality. President Aquino firmly believes that its implementation does not violate existing laws. But opposition legislators say otherwise. The issue of legality was finally settled as the Supreme Court rendered their decision stating that DAP is unconstitutional. Malacañang will appeal the justices' decision, but political analysts are one in saying that the move is futile. There is a very, very slim chance that the magistrates will reverse the decision.

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Round 1 of DAP game has ended and the oppositions have a clear edge. Round 2 is about to starts in a few days. Both camps are preparing new strategies. For the Aquino government, new tactics to offset whatever gains the critics have over them. For the oppositions, a surprising moves to put an end to this political battle.

Round 2 begins with the opposition legislators (OL)throwing a two-fisted attack. And again, Malacañang was caught napping in defense. The OL concentrates on hitting its rival right in his face, throwing several accusations on who are the real beneficiaries of DAP. They are in hot pursuit in unmasking the "President's Men". The barrage of accusations needs instant reactions from the President Aquino and his so-called 'friends'. Unlike the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) where legislators benefited from their pork, Pnoy stressed that Budget Secretary Butch Abad’s DAP, not a single legislator personally benefits from the program funds. Only the people did. However, oppositions' accusations will prove otherwise. Below are some of the accusations that need genuine answers.

A) Sources said President Aquino and his relatives has benefited from the DAP? The Department of Agrarian Reform confirmed that they released P5.4 billion and some part of it is used for the 'landowners’ compensations of their Hacienda Luisita land. Most of the landowners are the Cojuangcos and Aquinos. Now it is clear why the President insisted on having the then Chief Justice Renato Corona impeached and convicted, even using DAP funds to bribe the senators and congressmen. Pnoy didn’t want a high court ruling against his and his clan’s personal interest.

B) The Inquirer reported as early as last year about an aborted DBM plan to release P475 million to Senators Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon Revilla Jr., Vicente Sotto III, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Loren Legarda through the Department of Agrarian Reform, which refused to act as a conduit. The funds were later rechanneled to the National Livelihood Development Corp. and local government units.

The DBM sources cited the P1. 05-billion Saro issued to the Department of Agriculture in 2011 for farm-to-market roads as among the DAP funds that were showered on legislators. The sources cited glaring omissions in the DBM’s DAP project list, such as the P230 million DAP-Saro for the National Dairy Authority and at least two DAP-Saros for P100 million and P260 million for the Technology Resource Center that they believe went to lawmakers.

C) Sources said Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II has been a major recipient of the Aquino administration’s generosity through the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), including P10 billion for a resettlement project which is not among the mandate of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). These allegations must be answered by Mar Roxas himself.

More to come as they say, and Juan dela Cruz is eager in anticipation for Round 3 to begin. One thing is so sure more "President's Men" heads will roll. I say, let the truth come out in the end.