SEN. LEILA M. DE LIMA'S STATEMENT ON 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF MAMASAPANO INCIDENT

The second anniversary of the Mamasapano incident is again being used by Duterte to divert attention from the crisis his current leadership is facing, rather than to actually give justice to the SAF and Muslim civilian victims of that armed encounter.

This appears to be the primary motivation of the President in continuously harping on the Mamasapano incident. It is to continuously demonize the past administration in order to cover up for his own lack of accomplishments and direction after six months into his term.

Any further probe on the Mamasapano incident is best conducted shorn of politics. Duterte is the least qualified in directing such a probe given his propensity for prejudgement and to preempt the results of any investigation, as he himself has already declared the Mamasapano police action as a CIA operation.

The Ombudsman as an independent constitutional office is in the best position to conduct any further probe on the Mamasapano incident. Any other investigation initiated by the President would be a mere surplusage the results of which will always be doubted for his obvious bias against the past administration.