OPENING STATEMENT OF SENATOR GRACE POE
FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE MAMASAPANO INCIDENT

AS DELIVERED

Magandang umaga po sa lahat.

This joint public hearing of the Committees on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, the Committee on Peace, Unification and Reconciliation and the Committee on Finance is called to order.

The members of Committees share with the nation the collective grief brought about by the deadly incident in Mamasapano that claimed the lives of 44 members of the Special Action Force of the PNP and our Muslim brothers. Bago po tayo mag-umpisa hihingi po ako ng ilang sandaling katahimikan upang magpasalamat at ipanalangin ang ating mga namayapang magigiting ng PNP police officers kasama na rin po ang mga nagpapagaling ngayon na nasugatan.

(One-minute silent prayer)

Iniakda ni Gat Andres Bonifacio ang mga salitang ito: "Aling pag-ibig pa ang hihigit kaya sa pagkadakila at pagkadalisay gaya ng pag-ibig sa tinubuag lupa. Aling pag-ibig pa? Wala na nga, wala. Kung ang bayan na ito'y masasapanganib at siya ay dapat na ipag tangkilik, ang anak, asawa, magulang, kapatid, isang tawag niya'y tatalikdang pilit. Ipahandog handog ang buong pag-ibig at hanggang may dugo'y uubusin itigis. Kung sa pagtatanggol buhay ay mapatid, ito'y kapalaran at tunay na langit."

Inihandog ng SAF 44 ang kanilang buhay sa pinakamataas na sakripisyo na magagawa ng isang pulis. Ang mamatay sa linya ng tungkulin. Nararapat lamang na suklian natin ito ng sigasig sa paghahanap ng katotohanan sa pagdinig na ito. Ang paglabas ng katotohanan ang unang hakbang sa pagbibigay ng katarungan sa sinapit ng SAF 44. Utang natin lahat sa kanila, sa kanilang mga naulila at sa sambayanang nagdadalamhati ang pagpalabas ng totoong naganap sa Mamasapano noong Enero 25, ng walang itinatago, walang pinipili at walang interes kung hindi tuparin ang tungkulin na iniatas sa atin. To set facts in perspective and as Senators Sotto, Estrada, Guingona, JV Ejercito and this representation identified in the five (5) Senate resolutions in today's agenda let me briefly reiterate the following:

1. On January 25, 2015, members of the Philippine National Police's elite Special Action Force (SAF) led an operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. The operation was said to have targeted top terrorist Zulkifli Abd Hir, also known as "Marwan", an alleged bomb maker who was believed to be a member of Jemaah Islamiyah, and alleged BIFF commander Basit Usman. Marwan is listed in the United States FBI's most wanted terrorist list.

2. A substantial number of SAF members were involved in the operation, 392 in all, according to the PNP. Forty-four (44) members of SAF died while more than at least a dozen were injured in the day-long encounter.

On the part of the Committee on Public Order, we are conducting this hearing in all sobriety to determine what really happened, as well as provide long term institutional mechanisms, solutions or even laws to avoid repetition of the same tragic large scale loss of lives.

Firstly, the committees need answers on Command and Control issues: Tactical implementation and strategic planning are equally important. One can lead to the success or failure of the other. Questions like who ordered the operation? Who was in command during the operation? Was the operation cleared by the PNP leadership? Up to what level was the operation authorized? Who had tactical command? Where were the operational and tactical commanders during the encounter? What coordination was undertaken with friendly forces such as the AFP before and during the operations? With whom in the AFP and at what point, or even with the MILFs were coordination undertaken? What role did foreign intelligence and operation take, if any?

Secondly, the Committees would like to raise questions about some fundamentals in Combat Operations and Intelligence. It seems that there may have been a lack of what is called Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB). While there could have been good intelligence on who the target personality was (like Marwan in this case), the Committee would like to be apprised of such equally important matters as the presence of who, what, where and how many were the friendly and hostile forces in the target area as well as in areas of ingress and egress to and from the target area.

Alam nating lahat na ang isang kawal o pulis kahit na may sapat na pagsasanay ay sumusunod lamang sa mga utos o inuutos ng kanilang mga pinuno. Sa pagkakataong ito, maaaring may sapat na intelligence sa kung sino ang dapat dakpin sa bisa ng warrant of arrest na kailangang ihain kay Marwan, subalit, sapat din kaya ang kaalaman ng mga pinuno at ng mga pulis tungkol sa marami pang ibang bagay na gaya ng nabanggit ko. O hindi kaya ang kasalatan sa kinakailangang intel ang siyang nagbunga ng kaawa-awang pagkasawi ng ating mga pwersa? Dapat nating malaman ito. Isinubo ba ng kanilang mga pinuno ang mga kawal sa kanilang malagim na kamatayan?

Pangatlo, gustong malaman kung Komite kung sapat ang bilang at kakayahan ng puwersang sumabak sa operasyon. Assuming that there was good intelligence that included the points raised earlier, why did the PNP employ only a small number of forces? Only 1 strike unit platoon and only 1 back up unit platoon. The PNP claims to have had 392 troops involved in the operation, but there was obviously no effective reinforcement employed while the firefight was ongoing. Ano po ang dahilan dito?

Fourth, the Training of police forces: Another compelling question that we seek answer to in this issue is that ---were the troops who were deployed and utilized sufficiently trained for the type of warfare, in that kind of environment, and for that type of operation. The Chair was informed that the operation which was undertaken l was a semi-conventional, rural/jungle operation involving mass enemy forces. Wasn't there an evident mismatch of forces? If so, who is or are responsible for the proper assignments and proper number of assignees? Who decided which men? And how many men was the right fit for the operation?

The Committee also wishes to be enlightened about the Equipage of forces: Were our police troops provided with appropriate weapons and other equipment needed for such kind of operations?

Higit na mahalaga sa mga tanong at sagot sa pangyayaring ito ay ang pag-asamasam din na malaman kung may pagtitiwala pa bang naiiwan sa lahat ng partidong kasama sa usaping pang-kapayapaan. Halimbawa, nais ng Komite na hingin sa MILF ang sinseridad nito sa pananatili sa usapin ng Peace Process. To show sincerity, would the MILF be ready either to identify the perpetrators and at the very least impose appropriate and acceptable sanctions? And if the MILF is truly a partner in keeping the peace in that areas under their control, would they commit to a specific time frame to clear the area of BIFF forces together with the government forces.

Bago magsimula ang mga indibidwal na katanungan or interpellations, mahalaga maintindihan natin ang buong kaganapan. Kaya para sa pagdinig ngayong araw na ito, uunahin naming tawagin ang mga sumusunod: Sec. Mar Roxas, bilang tagapamuno ng DILG na sumasaklaw sa PNP; at pagkatapos naman niya ang mga ibang magsasalita sa hanay ng PNP, kasama nap o diyan si Dir. Getulio Napeñas, dating pinuno ng SAF Special Action Force na nanguna sa insidente sa Mamasapano, at si Dir. Gen. Leonardo Espina bilang pinakamataas na opisyal ng PNP sa kasalukuyan.

Yung ibang mga resource person po natin na nasa ground ng nangyari ito katulad po ni Supt. Raymond Train at PO2 Christopher Lalan, pwede nating makausap sa hiwalay na pagkakataon para hindi po sila nandito ngayon sa ating pagdinig. Dahil na rin po sa kanilang pisikal na kalagayan at sa kanilang seguridad. Sila po ay naririto pero maaaring kausapin naming po sila ng mga senador, sa hiwalay na pagkakataon. Pagkatapos po ng hanay ng PNP, tatanungin din po natin si Sec. Voltaire Gazmin bilang kalihim ng Dept. of National Defense. At pagkatapos po niya ay si Gen. Edmundo Pangilinan na siyang head ng 6th Infantry Division ng Army sa Maguindanao.

Para maayos at masusi ang pagkalap ng mga testimonya, hihilingin natin na simulan nila ang kanilang salaysay ng mga pangyayari mula nang nagkaroon ng intel na nasa Maguindanao nga si Marwan, hanggang sa kainitan ng operasyon sa mga araw ng January 24 at 25 hanggang sa matapos at makalap an gating mga namayapa at ng mailigtas ang mga natitira pang mga pulis.

Ang mga resource persons po natin ay bigyan natin ng pagkakataon magsalita, ang aking mga nabanggit. At pagkatapos po noon, pwede po tayo mag umpisa sa ating mga katanungan.

For purposes of orderly discussion, the Committees shall allow our Resource Persons reasonable time to present their statements and knowledge on the issues at hand. All Resource Persons are required to provide the Secretariat copies of their respective position statements. The members of the three Senate Committees are given five (5) minutes each of questions in every round, and we shall use the order of arrival as basis for the sequence of Committee members to ask their questions.

For today's hearing I would like to acknowledge all the senators and resource persons present here today.