The hearing on the Mamasapano debacle of the House of Representatives resumed on Tuesday (April 7) attended by the family members of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) commandos.
Among those invited for the hearings as resource persons were sacked SAF Director Getulio Napeñas, Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas, resigned Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Alan Purisima. Philippine National Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) Director Benjamin Magalong, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, government peace negotiating panel chairperson Miriam Coronel Ferrer, peace process adviser Secretary Teresita Deles, and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) peace panel chairperson Mohagher Iqbal.
Last February 11, the House of the Representatives held its first hearing that was described by many as a “circus” after lawmakers became emotional and tried to upstage one another in the debate.
Meanwhile, the absence of Iqbal from the hearing was questioned by the house members who expressed displeasure.
Basilan Rep. Gene Hataman Salliman, chairman of the committee on peace, reconciliation, and unity, said that the committees sent an invitation to Iqbal, but they did not receive any response from the MILF leader.
Zamboanga City Rep. Celso Lobregat, one of the house members who was displeased with Iqbal’s absence, said the committee will just send another letter to the MILF head.
“A letter will be written by the committee expressing that we are very displeased. By not showing up they are waiving their right. Once we come up with a committee report and whatever findings we have, they should not question it because they refused to be present and finally they are not pushing their agenda of pushing for the passage of the BBL,” he said.
On the other hand, Malacañang considered the confirmation on the death of terror suspect Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan made by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as a great success during the operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said this confirms the success of the operation of the SAF commandos in neutralizing the Malaysian terrorist Marwan.
“While we have known this for a long time, perhaps it took a third party like the FBI to confirm because of some DNA comparison that indeed the person neutralized by the SAF commandos was Marwan,” Lacierda said.
“We are pleased at the success but at the same time, we grieve also for the death of our 44 SAF commandos,” Lacierda added.
Marwan, one of the most wanted terrorists in the list of FBI has now been removed by the bureau after they confirmed his death.