(Eagle News) — “He made himself look incompetent.”
Former President Benigno Aquino III had this to say to former Special Action Force chief Getulio Napeñas , who earlier criticized the former chief executive for making him and other top officials who led the botched Mamasapano operation in 2015 “incompetent.”
“He made himself look incompetent, because he actually performed incompetent,” Aquino told reporters.
According to Aquino, Napeñas was to be blamed for what happened.
“May tiwala akong honorable yung mga taong kausap ko, na yung gagawin yung desisyong inutos ko sa kanila ang gagawin, dahil ito ay ang tamang desisyon, logical na desisyon,” he said, noting that he told the former SAF chief to secure reinforcements from the military at that time.
He said the reinforcements were needed as the enemy was estimated at 3,000.
“Hindi ko alam kung masyado kang bilib sa sarili mo o masyado kang bahala na,” Aquino added.
Aquino’s and Napeñas’ heated exchange of words came exactly three years after the operation that was aimed at capturing Malaysian terrorist Zulfikli Bin Hir.
Napeñas earlier said that his and Police Director Noli Taliño’s re-assignment to the SAF under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration was a “vindication” for them and for the entire unit.
Taliño was the SAF’s deputy chief when Oplan Exodus that led to the Mamasapano incident was executed.
